15 Best Japanese Clothing Brands We Are Adding To Our Radar

It's been more than half a decade since this Japanese apparel giant entered India. It quickly become everyone's favourite/go-to brand, thanks to their top-notch style, comfort, and on-trend apparel. Right from best sellers like supima cotton tee shirts, puffer jackets and bra tops to formal wear and summer dresses, Uniqlo has a serious cult following. They also introduced the concept of AIRism fabric that absorbs sweat quickly keeping us fresh and cool all day. What we love the most about the brand is how their clothes and accessories are always on trend and have a sort of street-style-meets-timeless charm.

Known for: Casual clothing

Social media: UNIQLO INDIA

Pro-Tip: Find out if the Uniqlo capsule bag is worth the hype.

This unisex, genderless brand has been popping up pretty much everywhere on our feeds and is best known for its unique asymmetrical designs that scream runway fashion. Yamamoto, the founder, debuted the brand in 1981 in Paris and revolutionised the fashion world through his philosophy of 'conquering fashion through antithesis.' His main aim: de-emphasise traditional gender markers to empower both men and women. Most of their designs are in black colour which makes their collection look effortlessly high-end with a vibe of mystery.

Known for: High-end clothes

Social media: Yohji Yamamoto Official

Pro-Tip: Cop some ideas for chic all-black outfits here.  

The minute we walk into a Muji store, we immediately want to fill our baskets with everything it has to offer. Lucky for us, Muji is available in India. What we love most about the brand is that it offers products across a wide range of categories like stationery, wellness, crockery and not just apparel. Their clothing section features gorgeous neutral palettes and classic Japanese silhouettes made from high-quality materials. With options for men, women, and kids, Muji truly is a multi-faceted destination.

Known for: Apparel, home decor, and luggage

Social media: MUJI India

Spotted on the likes of Kanye and Soulja Boy, A Bathing Ape is a brand that is full of unique prints and designs while retaining its streetwear aesthetic. Founded in 1993, it initially became famous in the underground scene of Harajuku, Tokyo, and eventually propelled to international acclaim. Through the years, APE has continued to release its signature high-end streetwear and is regarded as one of the OGs in the space. We have our eyes on their summer-spring 2025 collection that blends Western cowboy culture with the rebellious essence of hip-hop in vibrant retro clothing. 

Known for: Trendy streetwear

Social media: AAPE BY *A BATHING APE®

Established in 1996 WTAPS (pronounced as double taps) is inspired by the military term used for hitting a target twice. It is a Japanese fashion brand whose apparel is fully inspired by authentic military designs, blending seamlessly with streetwear sensibilities to form some of the most sought-after Japanese streetwear. A brief look at their collection reveals how much the brand relies on simple, solid colours and clean cuts. Their camouflage pieces are considered streetwear royalty, making them super precious and a bit hard to get hold of. We love how their summer-spring 2025 collection, created by Akio Hasegawa and Seishi Shirakawa, focuses on blending natural aspects and patterns, featuring smock jackets and a lot of straight lines designs. 

Known for: Streetwear

Social media: WTAPS

Blue Blue Japan can be summed up in two words: indigo and workwear styles that are classic and timeless. As the name suggests, the brand heavily uses indigo in their styles. We love how it pays homage to indigo dyeing (Aizome) that's deeply rooted in Japanese culture. The clothes are understated workwear styles without overt branding. The brand's aims to create products that are meant to last a lifetime, which automatically gets brownie points from us.

Known for: Workwear

Social media: BLUE BLUE JAPAN

What caught our eye while checking out Sacai is how beautifully they merge luxury with streetwear. Their collaboration with Nike on the LD Waffle silhouette, which has catapulted the brand to global fame, is a standout example. Sacai's collections embrace androgynous silhouettes that lean towards streetwear, blurring the lines between formal and casual. We're a big fans of their knits and the scrunched-up blazers, which perfectly blend couture with street fashion. 

Known for: Westernwear 

Social media: sacaiofficial

If elegance, formal wear, and comfort had a baby, it would be Auralee. And that’s already happened, because this brand is knocking it out of the park with its gorgeous, minimalist clothing. Every piece has a clean, sophisticated look that combines old-money elegance with modern minimalism—a blend that’s both fresh and unique and makes perfect sense. The brand doesn’t believe in bold, flashy designs; instead, it’s fully driven by an evolving sense of minimalism, with effortlessly pleasing colour palettes. Additionally, all their materials are consciously sourced. We have been manifesting a trip to Japan just so we can get out hands on their knitwear and coats. Auralee's 2025 spring-summer look book has become and in-house guide for us to take notes from when it comes to formal fits that are subtly bold, comfortably layered, in hues that complement without being too jarring. 

Known for: Comfortable formal wear

Social media: AURALEE

The brainchild of Miyagi Hidetaka, the brand was established simply because he couldn’t find the clothes he wanted to wear. Taking a quality-first approach, he created something truly magical—his brand, which is deeply rooted in Japanese culture and history. What truly stands out and makes MIYAGIHIDETAKA recognisable are their signature paisley bandana prints, which can be found on everything from shirts to tote bags. As for us, we’ve got our eye on the shirts, which not only look cool but are also worth every penny, making them a perfect addition to our collection.

Known for: Chic casual wear

Social media: 宮城秀貴 (@miyagi_hidetaka)

Undercover's ideology can be best summed up by their motto: "We make noise, not clothes." You can also recognise them from their viral spring 2024 runway show, where models wore dresses made from literal ecosystems! The brand is all about rebellion, blending pop, goth, bondage, and post-modern aesthetics to create a distinctly punk streetwear vibe. At first glance, the clothes have a supremely street style with bold designs and graphic prints on sweatshirts and hoodies, giving off a strong Gen Z vibe. Their pieces have become highly coveted and are now some of the most sought-after items for collectors. After seeing their 2024 spring collection, we’re excited to see where the brand is headed next.

Known for: Streetwear

Social media: UNDERCOVER

Known for its unique denim processing techniques, vintage-inspired designs, and playful, often quirky details, Kapital is the brainchild of Toshikiyo Hirata. It was founded it in 1985 and draws inspiration from American workwear and Japanese folk traditions. They are loved for their unique garment-making techniques that involve sashiko, boro, and patchwork. In their spring-summer catalogue, we are absolutely swooning over everything, from their one-of-a-kind Boro coats to hoodies. It reimagines workwear with weather-resistant oil-coated cotton outerwear, printed fleece, and embroidered denim, and we love every bit of it. 

Known for: Reimagined workwear as casual wear

Social Media: Kapital

Founded in 1994 by Shinsuke Takizawa, this streetwear brand is famous for its rugged, motorcycle-inspired aesthetic and its incorporation of military and workwear influences. From bejeweled silver rings to denim jackets, they are a creed of hip-hop meets streetwear fashion in the best way possible. Taking heavy inspiration from punk cultures, the brand continues to 'craft with pride' as per its motto, and we can see a lot of subtle goth inclusion in its colours and elements. 

Known for: Punk streetwear

Social Media: Neighborhood

Started in 2001 by designer Hiroki Nakamura, this heritage-inspired brand blends vintage Americana with Japanese craftsmanship. They are known for their timeless designs in footwear, apparel, and accessories, and their faded jeans are ones we dream of copping someday. At its core, the brand owns sincerity and an underlying urge to make products that resonate with its customers. Its spring-summer 2025 catalogue takes after the theme of a camping trailer and features a rustic range of taped seams and natural mud dye finishes, to create precision-cut outer garments. 

Known for: Outerwear

Social media: Visvim

Issey Miyake first presented this collection in 1971, and since then, it has been famous for innovative textile design and technology, particularly pleating techniques that create unique textures and shapes. While their Bao Bao bag is also a globally recognised accessory, in recent times, their range of curated fragrances has been all the rage. The brand's motto is to bridge the gap between the ease of the wearer (the ise) and the fabric of the wear (ma) to create comfortable pieces with yarn. Its latest collection features unisex designs in Japanese paper blend, curating a range of comfortable workwear, suited for summers. 

Known for: Chic fits

Social Media: Isse Miyake

This avant-garde brand, founded by Rei Kawakubo, challenges the conventional notions of beauty and fashion with its conceptual and often deconstructed designs. You might know them by the play line with the iconic heart logo for their streetwear collection, designed by Filip Pagowski. Asymmetrical cuts, unexpected volumes, and unconventional materials are some of the many features of this brand's collections. Their most memorable one? 'Destroy,' it featured garments with raw edges, holes, and a predominantly dark palette to challenge the body-conscious styles of the time, and has taken a forever spot in our hearts. 

Known for: Unconventional streetwear

Social Media: Comme des Garçons