No Formula Fashion: 16 Influential Japanese Fashion Trends for Fall/Winter 2022-2023

With style from both ends of the spectrum,   from loud and proud street style to calm, cool, and collected minimalism. 

With dynamic and daring fashion constantly appearing on the streets of  Harajuku, it’s no wonder why the world has its collective eyes on Japan for the next big fashion trends.

A nation of risk-takers, the Japanese don’t shy away from mixing and matching prints, pairing bold colors that once didn’t make sense, or adorning quirky accessories.

As always, this season’s Japanese fashion is taking inspiration from the clashing looks of everyday Tokyo life and Harajuku street style, mixing clashing prints, tactile materials, brazen colors, oversized proportions, and outlier layers.  
The latest Japanese fashion trends are embracing the country’s heritage and showcasing blends of traditional haute couture, translating into unique styles and modern fashion statements that are taking influence across the globe.

2022 combines plaids on plaids, ultra wide bottoms, and mixed-and-match oversized outerwear with “dirty” sneakers,  scrapy head gear, and statement clogs to create daring stylistic ensembles that prove there’s no formula to fashion. If you’re looking for inspiration to freshen up your wardrobe this fall, we’ve put together Japan’s top 16 fashion trends for 2022-2023.

 
 

  
#1 Slouchy Outerwear

Say goodbye to the days when outerwear was just something you threw on over your outfit just to keep you warm. 

These days,  outerwear is taking on a style all its own, making a bold statement that completes an outfit – instead of just covering it up. 

Super-oversized and slouchy, today’s coats and jackets are meant to add character and depth to a look. With the focus totally off of the pragmaticness of  traditional outerwear, today’s toppers are worn in a purposeful  lethargic manner, meant to spark style and nothing more. 

  

    
#2 Plaid on Plaid 

Leave it up to the fashion-forward fashionistas in Japan to pair-up plaids and  prints. And somehow, it works!

Mixing plaids might sound a little too crazy, but once you see it, you’ll believe it.  
The key to making a plaid-on plaid ensemble work in your favor is to use pieces that are complementary in color, not competing.

Inspired by 90s preppy styles, blending different plaids in a single outfit proves there’s no longer a such thing as clashing.

 
  

  
#3 Wide Leg Pants

Move over skinny-leg pants and jeggings, free-flowing wide-leg bottoms are flooding the streets of  Harajuku (and NYC, for that matter) this season.

Paired with vintage teess, cropped cardigan,  and statement coats,  or layered under maxi dresses or skirts, when it comes to wide leg bottoms, there’s no such thing as being oversized, incorrectly used, or “wrong!” 

   

   
#4 Joggers with trench coats

In keeping with the new way we live, balancing the work life with the home base, athleisure wear mixed with traditional office attire is not going anywhere this year!  The Japanese fashion scene is bringing back the  joggers, sweat pants, and  track pants, (whatever you want to call them) and pairing them with - well, basically anything! 

Super comfortable and lightweight, the bottoms traditionally worn for exercise and bumming around the house, sweats are now being repurposed to lend a streetwear look to an otherwise corporate (what’s that?)  look.

 
  

  

A nod to 80s thrift store grunge,  Japan’s “Punk is not fashion but a statement,'” movement, has made fairy goth a season reality. Yes, Halloween is in style on the streets of Tokyo in 2022.
 

The trend of baggy clothes started on the streets of Tokyo – later on translating into oversized hoodies, much known as the symbol of the American hip-hop revolution.

Re-unplugged into the stylistic culture by the Japanese street fashion trends, we see the return of oversized hoodies to Japan, this year.

Easy to match with skinny pants, tight-fit dresses, or even muscle-hugging shirts, loose hoodies in bold colors are the way forward right now.

Comfortable, baggy, chunky, relaxed, versatile, and above all, unisex, hyperbolical hoodie silhouettes are here to stay.
 

  

 
The E-girl aesthetic exists (and it is growing fast) driven by a vibe and style that can’t be mistaken with anything else.

Introduced in the 2000s fashion, the current E-girl concept reflects the modern lifestyle of the early ‘electronic girls,’ but through the lens of K-Pop fashion and rave cultures.

As such, E-girl outfits are a unique blend of doll-like anime looks mixed with gothic, grunge, vaporwave, and skater styles.

The diversity allows the aesthetic to be interpreted in various ways and adjusted to suit the most distinctive brands of electronic cool.
 

Another big trend, initially promoted by the Japanese fashion magazines at the end of 2021 and early 2022, is the printed shirts; but with a twist.

In the past, Japanese designers adorned shirts with boho-chic florals and traditional elements, such as snakes, dragons, cherry trees, and bamboo sticks.
However, the 2022 Japanese shirts are all about a mix of western culture patterns and traditional elements.

Anything but subtle, the louder, the better – so this is a year of vibrant prints, crazy patterns, and solid statement pieces.

 

Making its way back from the 80s and influenced by the retro-futurist aesthetic, metallic and silver (materials and colors) is a fast-rising Japanese fashion trend right now.

A shiny metallic statement piece will add personality to your wardrobe.
Some of the most worn pieces of clothing are sexy metallic tops, shimmering pleated skirts, paillettes, cropped pants, and mini skirts.

In some cases, you’ll have to balance out the glitters, so throw in some neutrals and solid basics.

Pair your look with metallic shoes, shiny clutches, metallic makeup, cheeks, silvery eyeshadow, and sparkling hair.

The aim is to create a futuristic and powerful look that’s both sophisticated and sexy.

 

       
Inspired by the androgynous and gender-free movements of 2021, Japanese fashion trends of this year are bathing in rainbow hues and shades.

Pair your classic pants or e-girl pencil skirts with shades at the opposite segment of the color wheel.

However, avoid sharp contrasts and pair shades of similar intensity levels.
For example, pink looks amazing with orange, but the same pink combination with light green will not paint a pretty picture.

Material-wise, if each piece does not have a similar textural finesse, the final look may feel a bit unbalanced.

 

   

Hailed as one of the trendiest styles of the past few years, camo has finally reached Japan’s high fashion streets.

From boots to hats, sweats to skirts, camo is everywhere. Military-based camo hues from olive drab to bright organgec showcase flamboyant silhoettes that jazz up any look.
     
  

  

 
And this year, fashionistas on the streets of Tokyo have found ways to reinvent the ever-so-American classic.

Pulled apart and put back together, shredded, frayed, and upcycle for days,  supersized elements and logos over logos, deconstructed denim is this year’s “it” factor. 

From patchwork sleeves to studded necklines, snipped off shoulders, and multiplied flaps, there’s nothing denim can’t do. 

 
    

#13 Minimalism   

Minimalism is all about stripping back the unnecessary and leaving just the joy.  
The antithesis of the modern consumerist narrative, inspired by the zero waste movement, minimalism is a bold statement in the less is more fashion philosophy.  
   

Zero waste designers are trading trash for treasured accessories, using scraps, leftovers, and unwanted fabric to create headwear that screams sustainability. Mixing prints, fabrics, faux fur, vegan leathers, and chunky knits in wildly clashing colors, there’s no easier way to make any outfit come to life than with a great one-of-a-kind cap. 

From cashmere beanies, leather berets, and fur trappers to fuzzy bucket hats, Panamas,  and cozy baker boy caps are the perfect way to reinvent  nostalgic style.  
 

  

Created for military purposes back in 1912, the appeal of trench coats has lasted through decades of dressing codes.

Versatile, practical, and lightweight, trench coats are transitional fashion heroes, suitable for every situation and season.

Thrown over everything, from jeans to joggers,  trench coats have a unique level of dual-functionality that translates to effortlessness.
 

  
 

      
Recycling and upcycling the massive amounts of traditional Japanese clothing, the Kimono-inspired coat is making a return to the Japanese fashion scene in 2022.

Fashion-forward Japanese designers  are reviving materials in androgynous-inspired clothing and gender-neutral looks.

Opposite the edgy,  Japanese girls are parading a blend of the traditional with the cute.