In Japan, streetwear is serious business. In a new article in the local magazine Jing Daily, this category of clothing has come under scrutiny revealing how it has emerged from the subculture genre to become a driving force in the country’s fashion system, but also how it has gradually disconnected from European influences to become an institution beyond temporary trends.
A glaring case in point is that of Nigo, Japanese designer and creative director of Kenzo and its eponymous brand: in November 2025 he was the one to ring the opening bell at the Tokyo Stock Exchange with his Human Made brand, the brand he founded and built on his love of Americana and Japanese craftsmanship, raised 17.8 billion yen ($115 million) with a valuation of 71.7 billion yen ($460 million), in the first IPO dedicated to streetwear in Japan. A success that was also noticed by the Design Museum in London, which announced a major retrospective dedicated to Nigo’s three-decade career.
As the portal explains, for brand strategists, the most commercially relevant story is not just Japan’s resilience, but its growing divergence from Western markets. While global resale platforms have seen annual declines of between 25 percent and 35 percent for classic streetwear brands such as Supreme, Off-White, and Nike Jordans, according to The RealReal’s Resale Report 2024, the Japanese market continues to attract institutional capital, inbound tourism spending, and international design talent. South Korean brands have also invested aggressively in Japan’s major retail districts in the past 12 months. And each city in Asia is adopting its own codes: Tokyo and Seoul mix techwear, reworked heritage garments, and K-pop-influenced street codes; Shanghai focuses on conceptual layering and domestic brand identity.
Among the factors for success is independence: for example, when Ambush’s founders, Yoon Ahn and Verbal, bought back full ownership of their Tokyo brand from New Guards Group in April 2025-after the group’s Italian bankruptcy the previous November-the move was interpreted as a creative choice as much as a commercial one. But so have the collaborations: from Ambush and Sacai with Nike to Yohji Yamamoto with Adidas, these are partnerships born not for virality but to strengthen the brands’ creative sensibilities.
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