Japanese brand Soshiotsuki, winner of this year’s LVMH Prize, will further expand its global presence at the international Italian trade fair Pitti Uomo in January 2026.
While classic Japanese cultural elements like kimono, wabi-sabi and Zen draw attention, designer Soshi Otsuki’s approach goes beyond mere nostalgia.
His designs transform elements such as the military uniforms of the old Japanese army, mourning clothes and the bubble-era “salaryman” style into modern Western-style suits. This is a symbol of “Wayō setchū” or Japanese-Western eclecticism, a fusion of different cultures that stands out from a simple juxtaposition of “Japanese” and “Western” styles. At the intersection of today’s diverse values, he uses his clothing to ask the question of what constitutes Japanese culture.
This question is by no means new. Historically, Japan has experienced multiple identity crises. From the Meiji Restoration to the defeat in the Second World War to today’s globalization, the country has always been caught between westernization and its own traditions. This conflict continues to shape the values and aesthetic sensibilities of modern Japanese people to this day.
Otsuki is probably one of them. “I have a complex about foreign countries,” he said in an interview with the online fashion medium Fashionsnap. He incorporated this resistance into his collections.
A look at Otsuki’s multicultural interpretation of Japanese history and the brand’s evolution shows what to expect from it in the future.
“A proposal for a dandyism arising from Japanese mentality and tailoring.”
High craftsmanship and narrative demands
Soshi Otsuki, whose core philosophy is “a proposal for a dandyism arising from Japanese mentality and tailoring,” integrates Japanese tradition and religiosity into his works. The brand’s originality lies in the fact that it captures niches of Japanese customs. Although these are well known, they are often taken for granted. The experiences in two different learning environments shape today’s brand: on the one hand, training to refine technical skills, and on the other hand, training for conceptual design.
Until 2011, Otsuki attended the men’s design course at Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo. There he learned the basics of clothing production, from tailoring to pattern construction. The high technical skills acquired during this time formed the foundation for the tailoring that later became the core of his brand. In his third year at Bunka Fashion College, Otsuki began attending the private fashion school Coconogacco in Tokyo. There he learned to design clothing as an expression of philosophy, stories and identity and began to integrate motifs from classical Japanese theater and philosophy into his fashion.
After this technical and conceptual training, he officially founded his own label Soshiotsuki in 2015. Shortly after its founding, the brand was shortlisted for the LVMH Prize 2016 in 2016.
Otsuki’s previous collections often incorporated Buddhist elements. These included, for example, prayer beads like those seen at Japanese funerals. The disciplined structure of the Imperial Army’s uniforms was also translated into a modern suit style.
Since the Spring/Summer 2025 collection, the brand has been dedicated to the theme of the 80s “salaryman”, i.e. the “uniform” of office workers consisting of a dark suit, white shirt and neutral tie, and won the LVMH Prize in the same year. Although this collection is sometimes criticized as imitating existing styles, behind it lies the designer’s unique perspective.
In an interview with iD, Otsuki was cynical about bubble era trends. In Japan in the 1980s, Italian-made Armani suits were considered a status symbol. At the same time, mass copies were produced that misinterpreted the original form. Otsuki felt uncomfortable with this one-sided admiration for foreign cultures, which inspired him to create his current collection. So Soshiotsuki not only visualizes traditional Japanese culture; the brand also makes visible the specifically Japanese complexes and desires that emerge in the process of cultural appropriation.
Samples of Italian suit fabrics from the 80s were analyzed for the collection. These were then reproduced using weaving techniques from Japan’s Iwate Prefecture. Shirts were also made from vintage silk from unused kimonos and suits from leftover yarn from Japanese factories. However, this manufacturing process is not just a tribute to Japanese craftsmanship or sustainability. The conscious reinterpretation of Italian-made clothing – once a symbol of veneration of foreign cultures – as “Made in Japan” is a strong satirical statement that questions the structure of that very desire.
Product range
Soshiotsuki’s core products primarily include tailoring such as shirts, jackets and trousers. The brand also offers accessories such as bracelets and necklaces.
The prices for shirts are between 37,000 and 60,000 Japanese yen (around 222 to 360 euros). Pants cost between 39,000 and 68,000 Japanese yen (around 234 to 408 euros). Jackets and coats are in the price segment of 85,000 to 165,000 Japanese yen (around 510 to 990 euros). This means that the brand is positioned slightly above the Japanese mid-price segment in terms of price.
The products are available on the official online store and on e-commerce platforms such as Ssense. The partnership with Tomorrow, mentioned later, is intended to further advance global expansion.
Market development and international strategy
Winning the LVMH Prize Grand Prix 2025 was a major turning point for Soshiotsuki, following which further international partnerships were announced. Fashion development platform Tomorrow struck a global partnership with the brand after winning the award. The aim is to support wholesale and international expansion. The collaboration with Zara also offered the opportunity to make the brand’s design accessible to a wider audience at an affordable price.
Focusing on the suit as a universal garment is one reason why Soshiotsuki appeals to a global audience. The suit transcends cultural and market boundaries and represents a low barrier to entry for international buyers and consumers, making it an effective starting point for global expansion.
At the same time, the brand differentiates itself through Japanese-made materials and precise tailoring. This gives its products a clear origin value and craftsmanship quality. This combination makes it possible to go beyond simple men’s fashion and offer products that impress in terms of quality, price and positioning.
The theme of “Japan in the 1980s” also functions as nostalgia marketing. For older customers, it awakens cultural memories and familiarity. For the younger generation, it appears to be a rediscovered, desirable aesthetic. This double appeal makes it possible to appeal to several generations at the same time.
By combining a universally understandable product category with Japanese craftsmanship and emotional storytelling, Soshiotsuki pursues a commercially very coherent brand strategy.
Trade fair appearances and events
Since winning the LVMH Prize, Soshiotsuki has increased its presence not only in Japan but also on the international stage. In particular, the brand has been selected as a guest designer for Pitti Uomo in January 2026, where a special presentation is planned in Florence. The line-up has not yet been announced. However, it is expected that the new collection could be presented at Tokyo Fashion Week 2026.
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