STYLE / JAPAN
10 Japanese streetwear brands to know. Familiar names opened the door. These labels give us a reason to keep looking.
SIMPLE 10 EDITORIAL · OCTOBER 2026
BAPE. UNDERCOVER. HUMAN MADE. For many of us, those names opened the door. There’s plenty more worth walking in for. Presented in no particular order.
01 / THE SELECTION
Evisen connects a Japanese skate team, filmmaking and clothing. Its Vans collaboration brings that world into a familiar footwear language.
The people and places make it convincing. We want streetwear that still has somewhere to go after the photograph.
02 / THE SELECTION
For its 15th anniversary in 2026, Diaspora reunited with CreativeDrugStore for clothing and an after-party. Music and skating share the same room.
That gathering matters to us. A collaboration feels richer when the people behind it have a reason to be together.
03 / THE SELECTION
The EVISU collaboration puts Yuki Chiba at the centre of its campaign. Japanese denim, graphic clothing and music meet in one image.
We like the directness. The styling makes the connection legible before a press release has to explain it.
04 / THE SELECTION
Founded by Shota Tamada, this Tokyo label brings playful colour and relaxed proportions to everyday dressing. Its name is pronounced “tee.”
We like how familiar pieces become more expressive through colour and proportion. The personality is already in the styling.
05 / THE SELECTION
Dairiku Okamoto’s label works across collections and film. Its Fall/Winter 2026 imagery pairs tailored clothing with sailor references and graphic tees.
We like clothes that suggest a person. The character in the styling gives us more to remember than a logo alone.
06 / THE SELECTION
Founded by Rikuya Hayashi in Tokyo, SUGARHILL filters workwear and Americana through punk, grunge and experiments with fabric and finishing.
The attraction is in the tension: familiar clothes with enough friction to make us look again. The details deserve the attention.
07 / THE SELECTION
BlackEyePatch began with stickers around Tokyo and grew into clothing. Its own editorial platform also gives space to graffiti writers such as TORU.
We value that attention to the culture around the product. A label becomes more interesting when it shows us what it sees.
08 / THE SELECTION
TEITO launched BoTT in 2019. Its Spring/Summer 2026 lookbook moves through sporty layers, bold lettering and relaxed silhouettes.
There is an ease here we like. The clothes leave room for someone’s own taste instead of dictating an entire identity.
09 / THE SELECTION
Verdy’s skate- and punk-inspired label turns his visual language into clothing. A thisisneverthat collaboration brings another connection into that world.
The strongest graphics feel like a point of view you can belong to. Wasted Youth earns its place through that sense of recognition.
10 / THE SELECTION
Kazuho Arai and Tsukasa Takabayashi launched FAF in 2018. Their YOUTHQUAKE connections place music, graphics and clothing in the same conversation.
Its creative connections reach into the clothes. The references feel personal, and the wardrobe has room to keep developing.
SIMPLE 10 / OUR POV
BAPE, UNDERCOVER and HUMAN MADE gave many of us a way into Japanese streetwear. Staying curious means looking beyond the names we already recognise.
What interests us about these ten is how much happens around the clothes: music, skating, friendships, images and places. The strongest labels carry those connections into something you actually want to wear.
FAF’s layers, Wasted Youth’s graphics and SUGARHILL’s rougher take on Americana give us different reasons to look closer. We want a point of view we can recognise in the product.
These brands are presented in no particular order. Some have been building for years. They deserve attention on their own terms.
Japan’s next chapter is already being written. We think it’s worth following.