It’s impossible to tell the story of streetwear without looking back at all of the incredible brands that have emerged from Asia. And while Japan typically gets all the love, that’s not the only country that’s made an impact on streetwear. China and South Korea are also breeding grounds for brands that have kept streetwear moving forward.
There are hundreds and thousands of Asian fashion brands. But if you’re just getting into streetwear and wondering where to start your search, we put together a guide to identify some of the names that you should be up on.
Before you come at us, we just want to be clear that this is meant to act as a roundup of streetwear brands. That means that as much as we love designers like Comme des Garçons, Junya Watanabe, Kapital, and Yohji Yamamoto, whom all certainly operate in the ecosystem of streetwear to some degree, they will be absent from this particular rundown.
Explore the Asian streetwear brands that you need to know, below.
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A Bathing Ape
Founded: 1993
Founded by: NIGO
While it wasn’t the first streetwear brand out of Japan to make an impact, many consider BAPE to be the greatest Japanese streetwear brand of all time. Under the helm of its founder NIGO and the graphic design prowess of his partner Sk8Thing, BAPE became a defining symbol of not just Japan’s Ura-Hara movement, but the streetwear category at large. Its ABC Camo pattern, items like the Shark Hoodie and Bape Sta sneakers, and whimsical Baby Milo characters have lived on as timeless symbols. But the brand really exploded in the 2000s when rappers like Pharrell, Clipse, and Kanye West were rocking it heavily and helped it cross over into the United States market. While NIGO stepped away from the brand in 2013, it lives on as one of the top dogs in streetwear under CEO Mahmoud El Salahy.
Ambush
Founded: 2008
Founded By: Yoon Ahn and Verbal
Initially born as a jewelry line, Yoon Ahn and her partner Verbal have grown Ambush into a fully-fledged brand that produces seasonal men’s and women’s apparel collections. Yoon has been able to extend the Ambush universe even further through hit collabs with Nike on iconic silhouettes like the Dunk High and Air Force 1. Despite its massive growth, many people will still recognize Ambush first and foremost for one of its earliest designs: the “POW!” chain that took the streetwear world by storm in the 2010s.
Birth of Royal Child
Founded: 2024
Founder: Cheer Guo, Cheng Lin, and Huaijin Wang
Hailing from China and currently based in New York City, Birth of Royal Child is the youngest brand on our list. It broke through, thanks to one signature design detail: crystal embellishments. Bedazzled clothing has become an epidemic in modern streetwear, but few brands have been able to execute it to the level of Birth of Royal Child. Now, the brand is trying to grow beyond its original viral hit by experimenting with new treatments and silhouettes beyond shimmering denim.
Bounty Hunter
Founded: 1994
Founded By: Hikaru Iwanaga
A bit of an unsung hero of Japanese streetwear is Bounty Hunter. The brand was pivotal in popularizing the deisgner vinyl toy movement throughout the ‘90s and 2000s. Its graphic-driven, black-and-white apparel has allowed Bounty Hunter to grow from a niche toy brand into one the defining brands in Tokyo’s streetwear scene.
Cav Empt
Founded: 2011
Founded By: Toby Feltwell and Sk8thing
Cav Empt sort of feels like streetwear from the future. A lot of its designs are very technical, but they also incorporate glitchy imagery and motifs that embrace the age of the internet that we all live in today. While many Japanese brands focus on perfecting past eras, Cav Empt has always embraced the digitial age. While the brand received it most mainstream recognition in 2019, thanks to a pair of Nike Air Max 95 collabs, it has largely existed as one of the most under the radar brands in Japanese streetwear.
CLOT
Founded: 2003
Founded By: Edison Chen and Kevin Poon
Since its inception in 2003, CLOT has evolved into arguably the most impactful Chinese streetwear brand of all time. It frequently fuses traditional Chinese motifs, patterns, and materials into everything that it does. Over the years, that has meant premium silk Nike Air Force 1s and remixes of Adidas iconic tracksuits. CLOT’s longevity, and ability to continuously push the boundaries of traditional designs, are further testaments to its impact.
Dingyun Zhang
Founded: 2021
Founded by: Dingyun Zhang
Dingyun Zhang’s design language can be summed up with two words: exaggerated and futuristic. All of his designs reimagine classic military surplus gear and performance outerwear with puffy proportions.
Before starting his eponymous label, the Chinese designer was helping Kanye West bring his vision for Yeezy footwear and apparel to life. While he is no longer a part of Ye’s design team, Dingyun Zhang’s designs have remained a go-to for some of the biggest rappers in the world. Recently, we have seen Don Toliver rock a custom look on the Octane cover.
Fragment Design
Founded: 2003
Founded by: Hiroshi Fujiwara
GOODENOUGH started it all, but Fragment Design is how Fujiwara has truly built his legacy. The brand is an exercise in minimalism, from its black and white color palette with hits of royal blue to the subtle lightning bolt logo that dons all of its pieces. In lieu of seasonal collections, Fragment has expanded its universe through special collaborations with industry leaders to build its archive. That’s ranged from luxury leather goods with Louis Vuitton to puffer coats with Moncler Genius to Pokémon plushies. Fragment’s greatest partner has been Nike. The longstanding collaborative partnership has ranged from the HTM line to coveted Air Jordan 1s to three-way pairs with Travis Scott. Fujiwara looks to expand the Fragment universe even further as the creative director of ComplexCon 2026 in Los Angeles.
GOODENOUGH
Founded: 1990
Founder: Hiroshi Fujiwara
Before Fragment Design, Hiroshi Fujiwara had GOODENOUGH. A true OG in Japanese streetwear, the brand blended Fujiwara’s love for subcultures like hip-hop, skate, and punk rock. The bold graphics and workwear sensibilities are the blueprint for many of modern streetwear’s biggest labels. While the brand folded by the end of the ‘90s, its influence has lived on through references and even one-off collabs with Supreme in 2025 that reintroduced some of its notable designs to a whole new generation.
Human Made
Founded: 2010
Founded By: NIGO
NIGO stepped away from BAPE in 2013. Human Made has been his baby ever since. Largely influenced by the classic Americana clothing that NIGO personally obsesses over and collects, Human Made is a calmer, slightly more mature approach to the colorful camouflage world that he built with BAPE. Ongoing projects with longtime collaborators like KAWS and pop culture mainstays like Pokémon have kept the brand top of mind. In 2025, it made history by becoming the first streetwear brand to go public on the Tokyo Stock exchange.
Mastermind
Founded: 1997
Founded By: Masaaki Homma
Tokyo’s Mastermind is another Japanese label that has been able to to toe the line between streetwear and luxury fashion. Like many Japanese brands, Mastermind reinterprets classic Amerciana silhouettes, from bomber jackets to chore coats, and gives them a unique edge. Most obviously, that is done through a muted color palette and giant skull and crossbones logo that is stamped on a majority of its designs. Across its history, the brand has been able to expand its notoriety stateside using thoughtful collabs with everyone from BAPE to Kith to Adidas.
Neighborhood
Founded: 1994
Founded By: Shinsuke Takizawa
Neighborhood and its signature skull and crossbones motif have long been a defining player in the Japanese streetwear landscape. It sets itself apart from its peers through heavy references to the motorcycle subculture. Think leather biker jackets, heavyweight flannels, and selvedge denim.
Proleta Re Art
Founded: 2021
Founded by: Prot
Proleta Re Art has taken a distinct approach to the traditional Japanese practice of “Boro,” which upcycles vintage textiles into new garments. The brand’s “hacking” has resulted in some of the most incredible one-of-one jeans and jackets that we have ever seen. It’s no wonder that ASAP Rocky, Travis Scott, and Kendrick Lamar are among Prot’s past clients.
Saint Michael
Founded: 2020
Founded by: Yuta Hosokawa and Cali DeWitt
Since making its debut six years ago, the brainchild of READYMADE’s Yuta Hosokawa and world-renowned artist Cali DeWitt has become a fan favorite. The brand’s primary offerings are a constant stream of vintage-esque graphic T-shirts and hoodies that fuse religious iconography with recognizable symbols from pop culture.
Thisisneverthat
Founded: 2010
Founded By: Byunghun Seo, Songchen Park, and Yoon Kim
One of the brand's that has risen to prominence from the South Korean streetwear boom is thisisneverthat. The brand focuses on minimal, foundational wardrobe staples. Collabs with heritage labels like Dickie’s, New Balance, and Casio G-Shock show that the brand isn’t slowing down any time soon.
Thug Club
Founded: 2018
Founded by: Jiyool Kwon
Seoul’s Thug Club reimagines classic workwear and sportswear through a punk lens. That means you can always expect a darker color palette, a fair amount of distressing, and some unorthodox details that range from asymmetrical zippers to muddy washes. Perhaps no single item explains the attitude of Thug Club more than its viral "Suck My D*ck" boxers from 2021.
Undercover
Founded: 1990
Founded By: Jun Takahashi
Few Japanese streetwear brands have been able to reach the heights and notoriety of Undercover. Pieces from its archive like 2005’s “85” denim are considered grails among collectors. Its line of functional running gear with Nike, Gyakusou, pushed the brand into new categories beyond its edgy, subversive roots. To this day, Takahashi is still finding new ways to push the boundaries of what streetwear can be, whether that means debuting a psychedelic new collection on the runway in Paris or partnering with pop culture properties like Twin Peaks to create licensed gear that you actually want to wear.
VandyThePink
Founded: 2017
Founded By: Vandy The Pink
Hailing from Virginia by way of South Korea, Vandy The Pink has been a defining element of the country’s burgeoning streetwear scene over the past decade. Its whimsical approach has resulted in a distinct look that stands out from a crowd of modern brands that all seem to be chasing a similar minimalist aesthetic. Vandy is most known for its fast food-themed burger motifs that have covered everything from Clarks Wallabees to graphic tees. More recently, we have seen Vandy focus on other guilty pleasures like ice cream sundaes, which have inspired numerous coveted sneaker collabs with Asics.
VERDY
Founded: 2018
Founder: Verdy
In less than a decade, Verdy has grown into one of the Japan’s biggest streetwear figures. Though his brands Girls Don’t Cry and Wasted Youth do release their own inline products, Verdy has really made a name for himself through a vast assortment of high-profile collaborations. Those have included Nike, Louis Vuitton, Mercedes-Benz, Coca-Cola, and SpongeBob SquarePants, just to name a few.
The panda-rabbit Vick and furry monster Visty have acted as Verdy’s mascots the entire way. Despite relative newness in comparison to some of the other heavyweights in Japanese streetwear, Verdy has already cemented himself as a defining figure of its current chapter.
WTAPS
Founded: 1996
Founded By: Tetsu Nishiyama
WTAPS (read “double taps”) is what you get when you cross classic military surplus silhouettes with the edge of skate and hip-hop. The brand has never been known for being flashy. Instead, it has always been a reliable go-to for anybody in search of essential items executed at a high level. Collabs with Nike, Vans, and others have been well received, but the brand was never about the hype. WTAPS is about as timeless as it gets.
