You could say that the output of Graphpaper begins with a reverence for workwear and military classics, but that wouldn’t be quite right. In fact, it began as a uniform for a gallery-like concept store, before evolving into its own clothing line. Established in 2015 by the stylist and entrepreneur Takayuki Minami, the brand takes standard menswear touchpoints and introduces architectural silhouettes, tied down in surprisingly wearable pieces.

Key items: the cotton-poplin shirts introduce a crisp, clean form to your workday staple.

The worlds of Ivy, vintage and workwear are well-represented in Japanese design, but visvim comes at it from a weirder, more folksy and decidedly elevated angle. Since 2000, Hiroki Nakamura has deployed mind-bending designs that take on Native American fabrics, ancient Japanese mud-dyeing and weaving techniques, leopard-print tailoring, frayed leather and military-grad Cordura nylon. (It helps that he spent time living in Alaska during his younger years.) The result is eclectic and a bit mad, futuristic and atavistic, but with a core appreciation for quality and craft.

Key item: the Motors Revival collection, a motorsport-inspired capsule collaboration that we recently launched in tandem with visvim, is something that we’re particularly proud of.

Before your mind drifts to Gudetama, the lethargic Japanese cartoon egg, focus instead on the structure of your clothing itself. Because this is exactly what the Tokyo-based designer Norio Terada has done with YOKE (decidedly not yolk). The name refers to the panel that binds a garment together – and that degree of interest in the foundational construction that underpins its output says much about the brand. This genderless collection brings subtle adjustments to colour, material and proportion to produce a collection that has previously bagged a coveted Tokyo Fashion Award.

Key items: the panelled leather jacket turns a pared-back, blazer-like shape into an investment piece.

Launched by the legendary designer and entrepreneur Rei Kawakubo in 1978, her mainline menswear line has, for the past two decades, been left in the very capable hands of her protégé Junya Watanabe (more on the latter later). The Tokyo-based journalist Ashley Ogawa Clarke calls it “pieces you can fill your wardrobe with and be safe in the knowledge that you will be reliably better dressed that the next guy”. Expect the brand’s signature patchwork construction and innovative dye treatments brought to wardrobe staples.

Key items: the fluid wide-leg trousers offer a grown-up voluminous silhouette.

When it comes to that wardrobe workhorse, the shirt, the feeling might be that you’ve been there, seen that, bought the T-shirt. Or rather, you know, shirt. Only, this COMME DES GARÇONS sub-line was forged with the express purpose of dreaming up new ways of configuring the most essential of menswear pieces. That can mean materials or construction – in short, pressing a lot of different buttons to get a button-up. “The result is shirts that are often smart and office-appropriate, but at the same time are never overly conservative,” Ogawa Clarke says. Although it’s worth noting that SHIRT’s remit now extends beyond shirts, too.

Key items: the striped cotton-poplin shirt comes in an elongated length for tucking in – or not.

As well as heading up COMME DES GARÇON HOMME, Junya Watanabe runs his own eponymous menswear line. This avant-garde offshoot of the COMME DES GARÇONS multiverse hinges on the deployment of cutting-edge fabrics and techniques. Much of the high-tech materials you now see in high fashion is down to his early adoption. “Working a lot with classic workwear and menswear, he’s a master at twisting things just enough to make them interesting while still keeping them realistic,” Ogawa Clarke says. “Also, these are the kind of clothes that will look incredible whether you’re 17 or 70.”

Key items: known for his collaborations, the Levi’s satin-trimmed wool-twill jacket is a luxury trucker that delivers.

Founded in Osaka in 1993 and part of the pioneering “Osaka Five” denim brands, FULLCOUNT has spent more than 30 years doing one thing exceptionally well: jeans. Selvedge fabric, vintage shuttle looms, natural indigo dyes – in short, all the details that matter. Each pair is built to last and designed to age in ways that are entirely your own, fading where you wear them, and softening where you need them to.

Key item: highlights include the classic 1101 models and the Type 2 jackets.

The clue is in the name. “Or” for original and “Slow” for, well, slow. Founded in 2005 by Ichiro Nakatsu, OrSlow has rightfully earnt a reputation for producing simple, impeccably made clothes using Japanese fabrics and machinery, drawing from its founder’s encyclopaedic knowledge of all things vintage. There are military jackets and 1950s-style coveralls, painter trousers and some of the best denim that money can buy, all made to be worn in and worn slowly.

Key item: you can’t go wrong with the Super Dad’s jeans, a wide-cut selvedge style made from 13oz Japanese denim on original shuttle looms.

Not just a dependable name for that sweet spot in crisp smart-casual clothing, Kaptain Sunshine is an inspiration for anyone thinking about a career pivot. In a previous professional life, its founder and designer, Shinsuke Kojima, was a magazine editor. Since 2013, he’s overseen one of the most considered labels to have come out of Tokyo (no small feat, then). The brand itself turns vintage American military and workwear influences into highly wearable and meticulously constructed pieces. The new capsule collection is exclusive to MR PORTER.

Key item: the silk-gabardine blouson (which you’ll only find here) deftly demonstrates the forward-thinking fabrics that have become this brand’s marker.

A bag is about more than the personal effects that you cart around with you; it’s also about how you carry yourself. Launched in 1962 as the baggage line of the accessories manufacturer Yoshida and Co, Porter Yoshida Kaban became known for its impeccable standards of design and construction. It has since become the It-bag of the moment, only with the pedigree and timeless appeal to last a lot longer.

Key item: the Tanker in briefcase form is the modern take on your office bag.

“I wear Neighborhood jeans 365 days a year,” Shinsuke Takizawa told us a decade ago, which should indicate both the focus of the brand he founded in 1994 and the durability and versatility of its denim. A longstanding pillar of Japanese streetwear, the Tokyo label taps into punk and motorcycle subcultures, with distinctive, defiant logos and splatters of paint.

Key item: the logo tees (always black) say it with their chest, but the leather sports jacket is perhaps the cleanest reframing of moto-racer style.

The name refers to Kojima, Okayama, Japan’s “denim capital”. Yet, as good as they are, there is more to KAPITAL than its jeans. Founded in 1985, the brand applies traditional textile methods, handicrafts and patchworking to workwear and Americana. Reverent irreverence might be the best way to frame its output. As well as distressed details and hippie silhouettes, keep your eyes peeled for calling cards such as wacky branding, bandana prints and cheeky smiley badges.

Key item: from patchwork puffers to Frank Ocean-endorsed socks, everything here could be called cult. But the skeleton-embroidered denim has a life of its own. Who you calling big boned?

Blending the worlds of streetwear, workwear and Americana under the mantra “the future is in the past”, Human Made is a look inside the mind and mood board of NIGO, the design icon who has become a custodian of Japanese style and influence over the years (read more about him here). Not afraid of a logo or two, the clothes are colourful and bold. But there’s plenty of subtlety, too, found in matching selvedge-denim sets, pleated cotton trousers and twill work shirts.

Key item: a cotton sweatshirt featuring a small logo or a pithy message.

Chitose Abe’s Sacai is built on the idea of hybrid construction. Two garments becoming one, opposing fabrics sitting side by side; deconstruction to create something new that somehow feels natural. See: a denim jacket with nylon panels, a shell jacket with utilitarian pockets in cotton (part of its ongoing collaboration with Carhartt WIP), or smart trousers with a double denim waistband. Nothing is quite what it seems, and that’s exactly the point for one of the most interesting Japanese brands going today.

Key item: the collab with Carhartt WIP sees the US brand’s iconic workwear ripped up and reimagined.

A menswear darling for good reason. Few other brands are working with colour and fabric with as much care and imagination as Auralee. In fact, you can trace plenty of recent tonal trends – khaki green, Klein blue, butter yellow and pops of vibrant red – back to Ryota Iwai’s label, which he started in 2015 and has been quietly growing in influence ever since. While plenty of Japanese designers explore the avant-garde, Auralee is happy to make the definitive version of your favourite staple, often in a colour that no one else can quite match.

Key item: a silk-blend or loose-fitting poplin shirt with some colour in the mix.

The name means “A to N”, referring to the beginning and the end of the traditional gojūon ordering system. Which makes this brand, by extension, the first and last word in menswear essentials. Launched in 2016, the founder Yasuharu Kuzaki has sought to refine what we might consider wardrobe basics until they are very much no longer basic. ATON is the go-to for understated pieces made from premium fabrics, such as washed cashmere, Techno wool and Suvin cotton.

Key item: the padded satin Balmacaan is the winter coat we covet in our closet.

The release of the Take Ivy book in 1965 is often credited with the emergence of preppy style in Japan. But the 1976 launch of the first Beams store in Harajuku did much to sustain interest in the look. The arrival of the sublime Beams Plus saw an elevated approach to mid-century menswear, focusing on high-end materials and fabrications. It also broadened its influences into military and workwear silhouettes.

Key item: the Jacquard-knitted polo shirts would look the part lit up by a Wurlitzer jukebox in a 1950s café.

Tokyo-based A.PRESSE launched in 2021 and in just five years, it’s already earnt a devoted following in menswear circles. The label specialises in pieces that look as though they’ve been lived in – and loved – for years. Vintage-inspired cuts, softened fabrics, the kind of relaxed tailoring that feels effortless without being lazy. Its coach jackets, everyday shirting, faded jerseys and softly structured trousers are pieces you can easily build a wardrobe around.

Key item: its wool-blend bomber jacket with a plush shearling collar will have you willing on cold weather.

Founded by Yutaka Goto in 2008, Remi Relief is centred around the idea of “remixing and innovating” old ideas and “relieving” garments of unnecessary excess details. Drawing on California skate and surf culture of the 1960s and 1970s, the brand’s Kojima factory produces T-shirts, aloha shirts and casual wear that feel comfortably lived in, even from the first wear.

Key item: try a tee featuring a mash-up of cultural references, from the Beatles and Kiss to cats.

If you’re going to pick a colour to dedicate an entire ethos to, then blue isn’t a bad choice. Yes, there are some shades of ecru, and even black from time to time, but Blue Blue Japan does what it says on the tin. With 30 years of experience, it has mastered the intricacies of a staple colour. Through a technique called aizome, highly skilled artisans create vivid shades of indigo that shift with every wash and wear, alongside uniquely textured fabrics such as sashiko, a traditional form of delicate embroidery.

Key item: A rich, indigo-dyed suit in sashiko cotton.

WTAPS (pronounced: “double taps”) has been quietly influencing the streetwear scene since Tetsu Nishiyama founded the brand in 1996. Drawing from military garb, workwear and youth subcultures, the Tokyo label produces pieces that feel utilitarian without trying too hard. Think functional details, considered fabrics and an impressive collaboration roster that includes anyone from UNDERCOVER and Hoka to Supreme, New Balance and Salehe Bembury.

Key item: the padded fleece-trimmed shell jacket takes the flight jacket and runs with it.

Fukui is a sleepy, scenic Japanese prefecture with a long and storied history of eyewear production – the Champagne region of shades, if you will. Working with master craftsmen in the area, Sato has become one of the leading names in high-end eyewear, utilising pure titanium, natural acetate and limited runs to create frames that are built to withstand time and trends.

Key item: the Hadar-T sunglasses in pure Japanese titanium.

On the more muted side of things, ssstein is the sort of label that you could dip into for the entirety of your wardrobe, from work to weekend and everything in between. It’s been around, quietly, since 2016, with a deserved level of interest appearing more recently. Founder Kiichiro Asakawa summarises his approach as clothes that are “easy to throw on without feeling like you’re trying too hard”.

Key item: the classic leather jacket is a piece that can be rotated into your wardrobe forever.

While launched after Issey Miyake officially retired from the day-to-day running of his fashion empire, the handprint of the designer behind Steve Jobs’ trademark turtleneck is all over this inventive brand. It was set up as the menswear counterpart to his Pleats Please womenswear line, tailoring Miyake’s signature pleating techniques and fluid shapes to men. The result is a collection of lightweight, crease-resistant and quick-drying pieces that are engineered for movement. (Available in the US only.)

Key item: Homme Plissé’s are unlike your ordinary pleated trousers, with waves of heat-pressed folds turning daily wear into a dynamic experience.