Become an expert on the brands coming out of the Land of the Rising Sun and the timeless trends behind them .

Ever since the emergence of the rebellious teenager in the middle of the last century, Japanese men have closely followed the vanguard of American and European fashion, embracing styles both from the fashion industry and from the deepest pockets of subculture. This sartorial hunger started with the importation of Ivy League clothing in the 1960s and grew exponentially over the next few decades, cycling through hippie fringe, rugged denim, British glam rock, outdoor gear, punk rock, East Coast preppy, avant-garde runway collections, vintage Americana, and urban streetwear. In the past 20 years, however, Japanese brands moved beyond the simple consumption of these looks and have started to set the global standard for both quality and creativity in menswear.

The appeal of Japanese fashion can be boiled down to two things: an embrace of menswear’s great heritage and an open-minded creativity bringing new ideas into the industry.

Japan’s focus on heritage was a key part of its imitative years, as the country scrambled to figure out the core of Western fashion in order to replicate its magic. Today, Japanese designers still draw on the country’s profound and detailed history of Western fashion, but Japanese men have experienced so many different styles over the years that they can pull from their own histories. And critically, the Japanese manufacturing base – best-in-class textile weaving, cutting, and sewing – produces clothing that lives up to the designers’ wild ambitions, and often, exceeds the original garments that inspired them.