It’s no secret that some of the most interesting menswear right now is coming from Japan. This January, Soshiotsuki and Shinyakozuka showed at Pitti Uomo in Florence, making headlines with two of the week’s most talked-about presentations. Discerning retailers well beyond Tokyo are carrying brands like Comoli and A.Presse, while fashion enthusiasts everywhere are eager to get their hands on pieces by Auralee, CFCL and Ssstein, labels celebrated for a fresh yet endlessly adaptable approach to menswear.
A lot of this buzz comes down to a dedication to precision and craftsmanship, coupled with an emphasis on fundamentals: fabric, proportion, construction and how a garment wears over years rather than seasons. These are clothes meant to be lived in and kept — a world away from the logo-driven, fast-moving churn that’s defined so much of the wider industry in recent years.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are some Japanese menswear designers to pay attention to, if you aren’t already.
Soshiotsuki Spring/Summer 2025 collection lookbook | images via acrmtsm.jp
1. Soshiotsuki — The 2025 LVMH Prize Winner
For proof that Japanese menswear is having a moment, look no further than Soshiotsuki. Soshi Otsuki launched his label in 2015 and, after nearly a decade of steady work, won the Grand Prize at the 2025 LVMH Prize, becoming only the third Japanese designer ever to do so.
A graduate of Tokyo’s Bunka Fashion College, Otsuki builds his collections around voluminous, softly structured tailoring inspired by the Armani-donning salarymen of the 1980s and Japan’s bubble-era prosperity. Bold, oversized yet gently sophisticated, Soshiotsuki pieces are known for their intriguing details, such as suit linings that pay homage to kimono sleeves and jackets that fold over like karate uniforms.
Comoli Spring/Summer 2025 (right), Spring/Summer 2023 (left, center) | Lookbook images via fashionsnap.com
2. Comoli — Capsule Wardrobe Essentials From Tokyo
Comoli makes the kind of clothes that feel like they have always belonged in your capsule wardrobe. Founded in Tokyo in 2011 by Bunka Fashion College graduate Keijiro Komori, the brand is built around everyday wear with an almost scientific attention to fabric texture and weight.
In his designs, Komori focuses on the feeling of air between the body and the cloth, an idea that comes to life in relaxed, draped silhouettes that move with the wearer rather than constrain movement. Drawing inspiration from European workwear, vintage military uniforms and traditional Japanese dress alike, the designer creates shapes meant to be washed, softened and kept for years.
Ssstein Spring/Summer 2026 | Images via ssstein.com, background lookbook shot by Phil Engelhardt
3. Ssstein — Tailoring With a Vintage Eye
Known for its clean, elongated lines and tailoring that feels polished yet relaxed, Ssstein (stylized as ssstein) has steadily gained international acclaim. It was founded by designer Kiichiro Asakawa in 2016. The label won the Fashion Prize of Tokyo in 2025, an award that comes with a slot at Paris Fashion Week. It was also named a semifinalist for the 2026 LVMH Prize.
Asakawa, who has previous experience running a boutique and collecting vintage clothes, has a unique feel for how menswear’s tried-and-true silhouettes and fabrics age. You can see this instinct in his Japanese-made denim, for instance, distressed just so; and in his leather bomber jackets that are at once nostalgic and modern — slouchy, sporty yet sleek. The brand doesn’t necessarily reinvent the vocabulary of menswear, but refines and reinvigorates it with thoughtful tweaks.
Auralee Spring/Summer 2026 collection | Images via Auralee.com
4. Auralee — A Fabric-First Approach to Menswear
Auralee, which began as a small, fabric-led project by Ryota Iwai in 2015, now shows on the Paris menswear schedule. Born in Kobe and trained at Bunka Fashion College, Iwai is known for his back-to-front approach: instead of opening with a shape or a theme, he starts from the fiber, often commissioning yarns and cloth made specifically for a given season.
Production stays in Japan, and carefully selected materials carry the brand — cashmere, linen and silk, to name a few. The pieces themselves read as understated, but Iwai experiments liberally with color, adding energy to the otherwise simple silhouettes. Made to fit a variety of lifestyles, the brand’s pieces have built a loyal following around the world.
CFCL Spring/Summer 2026 (left, right) and Fall/Winter 2025 collection (background) | Images via CFCL
5. CFCL — High-Tech Knitwear From a Former Issey Miyake Designer
CFCL, short for Clothing For Contemporary Life, is known for its innovative fusion of tailoring and performance wear, reflecting Tokyo’s shift toward more casual, flexible business attire.
After spending a decade at Issey Miyake, founder Yusuke Takahashi built his own brand in 2020. His signature technique is 3-D computer knitting, a process closer to 3-D printing than traditional sewing: garments are knitted directly from yarn, skipping the cut-and-sew stage to reduce waste.
One of the brand’s coveted pieces is the Milan Rib jacket, often made from recycled polyester that resists wrinkles and dries quickly. By experimenting with color, weight and texture, Takahashi strives to make high-tech fabrics feel organic and elegant, akin to traditional wool tailoring.
A.Presse “2025 STYLE 2” (left) and “2026 STYLE2” (right) | Images via @a.presse_ Instagram
6. A.Presse — Quiet Luxury Done Right
A.Presse is the kind of label its fans might like to keep to themselves, though the brand is quickly gaining traction in the global menswear scene. Kazuma Shigematsu founded the label in 2021, mining vintage Americana, workwear and military gear — though never just for the sake of nostalgia.
Shigematsu reinterprets specific vintage silhouettes by crafting them with unexpectedly luxe materials, for instance, a piece cut like a rugged cotton bomber is actually washed silk and a plain blazer is really cashmere. His pieces are carefully reduced to their cleanest form, without loud logos or exaggerated concepts. However overused the term may be, the brand is a clear example of quiet luxury.
Shinyakozuka Issue #8 (left) and Fall/Winter 2026 Collection (right) | Images ©Launchmetrics Spotlight / Shinyakozuka
7. Shinyakozuka — Storytelling Through Menswear
Shinya Kozuka studied at Central Saint Martins (CSM) and launched his Tokyo label in 2015. He treats each collection as a story rather than a trend, working under the idea of “Picturesque Scenery.” Recent collections have drawn on his own picture-book worlds, translating them into clothes through color, texture and proportion.
Kozuka is often inspired by familiar workwear silhouettes and his roomy, deep-pleated trousers — which also draw from traditional hakama pants — have become a signature. His work is conceptual but rarely precious, and does not require a backstory to resonate with the wearer. With a runway debut at Pitti Uomo and a place on the 2026 LVMH Prize semifinal list, the future looks bright for Shinyakozuka.
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Updated On June 18, 2026
