Japanese Streetwear

From the crowded streets of Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama and Nagoya, Japanese fashion has been synonymous with the explosive popularization of urban streetwear. Blessed with an affluent and educated population, Japanese consumers have showed a wide range of tastes and styles which are boldy displayed, uninhibited, in any one of their urban centers. The Japanese have put their finest fashion designers to work, producing some of the most creative and sought after urban apparel in the world. Selvedge jeans and highly customized footwear are just some of the amazing exports this country produces.

London Streetwear

The old capital of the world has been a major center of street fashion for decades. Stylish yet sensible, London streetwear takes the finest materials and gives them fresh cuts, producing a distinct style suited for their climate and tastes.

American Streetwear

From LA to New York, streetwear is at home in America. The busy and detailed designs of the west coast flavor have become the epitome of streetwear, whereas the hip-hop and preppy styles of NYC shows its surprising diversity. Like all great things coming the State, they create their own unique style out of the cultures that they import from around the world.

Street Wear Stores and Shops Online

Find streetwear shops that deliver Japanese brands online. Get the latest fashion from Japan that fits your style, or find a new style altogether! Search for selvedge jeans, onitsuka tiger shoes and more. Learn which stores have the best deals and end of season sales discounts. Bring Japanese fashion to your wardrobe today!

Other Men’s Streetwear Resources

Get Japanese streetwear from Tokyo to Osaka. Visit a men’s streetwear blog for the latest updates on what’s hot in fashion clothing.

The Japanese are known for their amazing craftsmanship and their attention to detail. It is no surprise then, that Japanese denim is known to be some of the highest quality around and is possibly the most sought after fashion item coming from the land of the rising sun. Today, Japanese jeans have a cult following among streetwear aficionados the world over. From Europe to USA, the Japanese streetwear style is in high demand among an educated crowd that recognizes superior denim.

Japanese Streetwear and The Rise of Evisu

One of the first Japanese denim brands to gain worldwide fame was Evisu. Evisu makes heavy denim that is thickly dyed and painted with their trademark gull pattern. Evisu’s founder, Hidehiko Yamane, bought old and unwanted Levi shuttle looms to produce vintage style denim from the early 1900’s. The type of denim used and the way the jeans were cut, made Evisu an instant hit among trendy Japanese youth, even though the style was a throw back from decades past. This high quality, but expensive and slow to make denim, caught on in popularity, and now Evisu is recognized around the world for their top-notch denim products.

japanese Streetwear: Selvedge Denim?

Selvedge jeans, sometimes known as selvage jeans, are a distinct characteristic featured in many Japanese denim products. This jean material is made with old style shuttle looms that produce superior denim compared to that which is commonly found among the cheaper variety. By rolling up the pant leg and looking at the outside seams, one can examine the telltale vertical stitching that is evident on a pair of selvedge jeans. The word ‘selvage’ comes from ‘self edge’, and refers to the way the shuttle loom finishes a piece of denim.  Because selvedge denim is more costly to produce, it is usually more expensive, but gives superior quality and comfort.

Japanese Street Fashion: Indigo Dye

In addition to the high quality denim manufacturing, that is present in many Japanese brands, Japanese jeans companies are known to use a superior dying process that give the denim a distinct look. The Japanese have a long history of working with indigo dyes, and this skill has been passed on to modern apparel makers. Preferring natural dyes over the artificial variety, the cotton yarn used to make the denim is often dipped dozens of times to produce an extremely deep color. The purpose of this process, which is time consuming and costly, is to provide the jeans with many layers of dye that can be worn down by the wearer over time. Unlike common jeans, Japanese selvedge is often unsanfortized and unwashed. This raw state of denim allows the dye to come off naturally with daily wear. The results are stunning, as the denim is weathered and distressed over time to produce a look that is totally unique to the individual. Without the durability of shuttle loomed selvedge denim, and the deep layered natural dye process, this user-created fashion is simply not possible.

Japanese Street Wear Denim Brands

Currently there are several popular denim brands in Japan, including Samurai, 45rpm, Evisu, Edwin, Pure Blue, Prps, Sugar Cane, and Studio d’Artisan.

Evisu Premium Denim Jeans

The process to create premium denim was expensive and labor-intensive. Initially, only 14 pairs of jeans could be produced each day. To finish each pair, Yamane marked his jeans with a gull logo on the back pockets. This pattern was hand-painted and has become a signature feature for all Evisu products.
Evisu, the name that brands Yamane’s line of denim, and now other street wear clothing like T-shirts and shoes, is the Japanese Buddhist god of money. Traditionally, the god is portrayed as a fisherman, which just happens to be one of Yamane’s favorite past times. Yamane’s other loves include money, women and beer. Evisu would meet critical success in Japan’s fashion scene during the 90’s and beyond. The company’s attention to detail and use of high quality fabrics is exactly what’s needed to capture the educated and style conscious Japanese consumer. But these characteristics have furthered its success globally, as premium denim jeans have become a much sought after item after the popularization of Japanese streetwear clothing in Europe and North America.

Denim Indigo Dye

One characteristic that makes Evisu jeans so special is their incredible color. Evisu jeans are dyed with natural indigo. To manufacture this indigo, Yamane keeps a plantation of indigo producing plants, just to supply his denim. Evisu denim is dipped repeatedly into vats of indigo to ensure a deeply rich color that will naturally fade in time. Each pair of jeans is dipped a minimum of 16 times, but the highest quality denim line is dipped approximately 30 times! These jeans are sold as raw unsanfortized denim, which means they are not washed after dying and sold to the customer in a ‘dry’ form. This causes the pants to fade naturally through wear, which can produce stunning distressed patterns and features that are totally unique to the person’s lifestyle.

BAPE Shoes: The Bapesta

BAPE shoes, called Bapestas, resemble the classic Nike Airforce 1. These uptowns are commonly worn by rappers, musicians and celebrities, and offer excellent style and comfort. True to the BAPE label, Bapestas are loaded with all kinds of little details, hidden logos and quality stitching. Although there are many Bapestas sold online that are fake, such as most of what’s seen on EBay, authentic Bapestas are superior in quality in just about every way. Any particular Bapesta model is a limited edition, thus when a new batches of BAPE shoes are released, they usually draw large crowds and sell out fast.

Bale Hoodies

BAPE hoodies are perhaps the company’s hottest item. These hoodies are easily identifiable by their colorful expression, usually featuring a camouflage pattern. BAPE hoodies are make with thick and high quality cotton, with top-notch stitching. Details, such as little labels and logos appear where you least expect them to. BAPE hoodies have become very popular among rappers and streetwear fashion connoisseurs for their unique look and limited availability.

Visvim Concept and History

Visvim was started as a reaction to the mass produced footwear market. Visvim wanted to bring consumers everything that Nike, Adidas and Puma couldn’t. Visvim filled this void by producing niche based products like sneakers and boots. The company’s philosophy is to produce high quality goods that people will appreciate, similar to Dansko shoes. Visvim doesn’t style their products or market them to appeal to any specific crowd. They are not interested with identifying with any particular culture, ethnicity, nationality or urban street style. Simply put, Visvim is 100% focused on producing the best possible products that they can make, and leave it to the consumer to best find out where their products fit in with their lifestyle and wardrobe.

Visvim FBT and Other Shoes

Visvim started by producing high end sneakers and shoes. Visvim’s footwear are highly sought after because of their reputation for quality and unique design. Every piece of footwear that is produced by the company goes by Hiroki Nakamura’s watchful eyes to ensure that his customers receive the best possible product. Visvim produces shoes in many different styles and colors. One such style is their Hockney deck shoes. This style is popular in Japan and features a raised heel and high quality leather and laces. Like all Visvim products, the shoes are comfortable to wear all day long. The company also produces a fair number of moccasin style shoes. This type of footwear is supreme in comfort, and is suitable to wear with most outfits. Taking a different direction, Hiroki Nakamura also produces a large number of boots. This type of footwear is certainly beefier than the sneakers and moccasins of his other lines, but contain the same degree of comfort and quality. Other popular Visvim models include the famous FBT duck style shoes and WOLFE.

Visvim Clothing For Men and Women

In recent years, Visvim has taken their design and engineering expertise from the footwear world into the apparel industry and has produced a successful line of clothing. Visvim produces a popular Goretex M65 style jacket that blends outdoor practicality with streetwear sensibility. Visvim also produces a full line of men’s and women’s clothing, from shirts, pants, belts and other accessories. The hallmark of Hiroki Nakamura’s designs are the downplay of logos, slogans and graphics, and the focus on quality materials, cuts and designs. Visvim is about comfortable clothing that can be worn day in and day out for years to come.

Editool Takeo Kikuchi

Editool is the newest edition to the Takeo Kikuchi brand. These stand-alone boutiques sell accessories, like wallets, watches, ties and handbags, to the healthy jewelry and accessories sector. Indeed, Takeo Kikuchi shops have always sold these items, but now, with a greatly expanding product range, Editool is focused to serve this market exclusively. Most Editool stores will be located next to a Takeo Kikuchi boutique for the best retail shopping experience. Editool Takeo Kikuchi stores sells a third of their goods as leather bags, wallets and card cases. A fifth of what’s sold is neckties, followed by business bags, belts, and casual bags. Editool sells a full range of men’s fashion accessories, like cuff links, umbrellas and handkerchiefs. With the Japanese eye for detail, there’s little this newest label will miss out on.

Takeo Kikuchi Streetwear Style

There are many aspects that make Takeo Kikuchi clothing so special. Perhaps TK’s greatest asset is its sense of style. The brand seems to take mature European sensibilities and blend them with a freshness and coolness found in Japanese streetwear. Much of their traditional apparel and accessories could be mistaken for Prada, Armani or Gucci, but their goods routinely sell for much less, and have been a big hit with the younger crowd, whom can’t afford the great labels just yet. With over two decades of success in Japan, it’s likely Takeo Kikuchi isn’t going to disappear anytime soon. In fact, it is likely that a global strategy will emerge soon, and we’ll begin to see this label sold in Europe and North America.

Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66

One of Onitsuka Tiger’s greatest achievements was their release of the Mexico 66 shoe. This classic design appeals to all people. With it’s simple, yet ergonomic shape, and large variety of colors and highlight, this shoes has made a major comeback in the retro shoe market. The Mexico 66 Baja is a similar shoe, but uses Velcro instead of laces. Buy a Mexico 66 model shoe that matches your personality and style!

Onitsuka Tiger Tai-Chi

The Onitsuka Tiger Tai-Chi shoe is a slender mold that hugs the foot while providing unparalleled comfort and stability. The Tai-Chi is made for the graceful movements of the ancient healing system, and yet, is also suitable for everyday urban strolls. This runner is perfect for Japan streetwear aficionados 

Onitsuka Tiger Ultimate 81

The Onitsuka Tiger Ultimate 81 is a retro running shoe that provides heel stability and a lightweight design. With a splash of Onitsuka color and style, this shoe has a distinct look that will definitely draw attention from onlookers with less trendy footwear. Onitsuka also produces the shoe in variations such as the Onitsuka Tiger 81, and the Onitsuka Tiger Ultimate.

Onitsuka Tiger Injector DX

During the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, Japan won bronze in soccer. This was the first and only time that an Asian competitor has placed in the medal standings during Olympic competition for the sport. The Onitsuka Tiger Injector was a shoe that resulted from Japan’s success in soccer, and uses the “Direct Injection” process created in Germany during the 1970’s. The Onitsuka Tiger Injector DX now are a popular shoe model that brings nostalgic feelings from this bygone era of sporting competitions.