As we venture further into the fall/winter season, many of us may be looking to add some new pieces of clothing into our wardrobe. While there are a plethora of brands to choose from some brands that are often overlooked are those that reside in the land of the rising sun: Japan. These are five brands that will bring something new to your wardrobe.
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Kaws Uniqlo
Uniqlo: A brand that many of us might already know but might overlook Uniqlo is a great place to obtain great clothes at a fair price point. It’s a great place to grab your essential items, such as solid colored long sleeves and hoodies. They also are famous for their selvedge denim jeans that are priced under 50 dollars. Uniqlo is a great place to stock up on graphic tees, as they are always doing collaborations with various artists, movies and brands.
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Visvim FBT Runner
Visvim: Visvim is one of the most well known brands to come out of Japan. Founded in 2000 by Hiroki Nakamura, Visvim takes a large amount of inspiration from Native American clothing. Nakamura prides himself on crafting product with premium materials such as elk leather to suede crafted from deer. Many items such as t-shirts will also feature unique hand painted graphics that create a one of one feel. Visvim’s sneaker moccasin model, the FBT is a classic that continues to be a staple today. They come in a wide array of materials, all featuring a heel tassel and equipped with a long lasting Vibram sole.
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Pants from White Mountaineering
White Mountaineering: Yosuke Aizawa is no stranger to working with clothing as he worked under legendary Japanese fashion designer Junya Watanabe. In 2006 Aizawa founded White Mountaineering which focuses on functional techwear for outdoor exploration. Crafting all weather outerwear, cargo pants, and many other items his cloth- ing rivals similar brands such as The North Face. A notable collaboration with German sportswear brand Adidas makes them a brand to watch in 2020.
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Needles 7 Cut Flannel
Needles: Needles came about when two friends, Daiki Suziki and Keizo Shimizu started a small shop that imported vintage Ivy League clothing into Japan. Through time the brand was birthed by them creating clothing that was heavily inspired by both prep style and Ivy League vintage clothing. Most famous for their reworked pieces, where multiple different clothing items such as flannel shirts are cut and then resewn back together to make one unique article of clothing. They are also known for their track pants which are worn by celebrities from ASAP Rocky to John Mayer.
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Undercover Long Sleeve
Undercover: Founded by Jun Takahashi in 1993, Undercover offers clothing that feels familiar while being avant garde simultaneously. Heavily inspired by both aesthetics from Punk Rock and his love for American films Takahashi is able to create pieces of clothing that are aes- thetically unique in their own way. His newest collection includes graphics from the cult classic film A Clockwork Orange. The collection features items ranging from down filled jackets all the way to backpacks, all featuring graphics from the film. Undercover also has had two notable collaborations with the sportswear giant Nike and luxury Italian brand Valentino.
