The secret to fashionable Japanese men’s sense of style: meet five of the trendsetting gents on Tokyo’s streets
Decades of fashion fluidity have seen Japanese men develop their own cutting-edge sense of style. We talk to some of the guys who are leading the way with their distinctive looks
For designers and creative professionals, it’s no secret that Japan has long been a hotbed of inspiration for men’s style. Japanese men’s affinity for fashion is well rooted in history, according to Vogue Japan and GQ Japan creative director Gene Krell.
“Historically, men often wore women’s clothes as they were a sign of wealth and power. The profound glory of the colours, shapes, and fabrication seemed aristocratic and they drew no distinctions in terms of gender,” he explains.
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Motofumi Poggy Kogi, a buyer for United Arrows & Sons and sartorial street-style favourite, agrees.
“Japanese men have a different perspective for dressing. For example, there would be resistance for many men to wear feminine clothes in other countries. However, in Japan, men are more free to wear what they want.
“From Oda Nobunaga to kabuki actors, where women’s roles were played by male actors in the Edo period, there has been an artistic culture for men wearing female clothes,” he says. “Now in big cities, more people are mixing both men’s and women’s clothes as long as the clothes look good. In that sense, Japanese men are very creative in fashion.”
The way fashion information is widely spread in Japan, such as in magazines, has long allowed Japanese men to experience different styles over the years, that they have perfected on their own.