In short: you can buy Japanese-inspired streetwear from UK-based labels including 5C5V, which is my own brand, MKI Miyuki Zoku, The Japanese Clothing Co and Superdry. For the Tokyo labels themselves, buy from UK stock so you do not pay import charges: NEIGHBORHOOD and WTAPS are stocked by END., Cav Empt by Dover Street Market London, and BAPE has its own London shop and UK site. Last checked 7 October 2026.
Shopping from America instead? See Japanese streetwear brands that ship to the US.
Japanese, Japanese-inspired or a UK stockist: know which you are buying
Three different things get called Japanese streetwear in the UK.
- A Japanese brand, designed and run from Japan. NEIGHBORHOOD, WTAPS, Cav Empt and BAPE are all Tokyo labels.
- A UK stockist of those brands, such as END. or Dover Street Market London. The clothes are the same, but you pay in pounds and they come from UK stock.
- A Japanese-inspired brand from somewhere else, which borrows the language, the imagery or the ideas. Mine is one of these. So is Kidoriman, which people ask about by name.
None of these is a wrong choice. They cost different amounts and arrive in different ways, so it helps to know which one a shop is before you pay.
The brands at a glance
| Brand | Based in | Japanese or Japanese-inspired | Known for | T-shirt / hoodie | Ships to the UK from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5C5V (my brand) | UK-registered, designed in Copenhagen | Japanese-inspired | One kanji per city, made to order | £34.95 to £39.95 / £54.95 to £59.95 | Made to order, varies by product. UK delivery £3.95 |
| NEIGHBORHOOD | Tokyo | Japanese | Utility jackets, denim, skull-and-crossbones T-shirts | £45 to £95 / £185 to £309 (at END.) | UK stock at END. Or Japan by FedEx: £20, about two weeks |
| WTAPS | Tokyo | Japanese | Military-inspired clothing | £65 / £209 (at END.) | UK stock at END. The brand's own shop delivers in Japan only |
| Cav Empt (C.E) | Tokyo | Japanese | Graphics and colour-blocking | £90 to £105 / none listed (at Dover Street Market London) | UK stock at Dover Street Market London |
| BAPE | Tokyo | Japanese | Camouflage and the shark hoodie | £85 to £89 / £220 to £399 | Official UK site and London shop |
| MKI Miyuki Zoku | UK | Japanese-inspired (the name) | Contemporary menswear | £40 to £50 / £65 to £110 | UK delivery from £2.99 |
| The Japanese Clothing Co | North of England | Japanese-inspired | Artist-drawn graphic T-shirts, made to order | From £22 / none listed | Not stated on its site |
| Superdry | UK | Japanese-inspired graphics | Vintage American styling with Japanese-inspired graphics | £19.99 to £29.99 / not checked | Its UK site |
| Kidoriman | US address | Japanese-inspired | Relaxed men's trousers, hoodies and tees | $49.95 / $59.95 | Not stated. 8 to 20 business days to Europe |
Prices are the ones listed on 7 October 2026, on each brand's own site unless the table names a stockist.
5C5V (this is my brand)
I run 5C5V, so weigh this part accordingly. It is first on the list because this is my blog, and for no other reason. It is a UK-registered brand that I design from Copenhagen. It is Japanese-inspired, not Japanese, and neither am I.
Each collection is built around a Japanese city and one virtue, carried by a single kanji: Tokyo 夢 (yume, dream), Kyoto 和 (wa, harmony), Osaka 力 (chikara, strength), Yokohama 信 (shin, trust) and Sapporo 希 (ki, hope). I sell embroidered and printed T-shirts, hoodies, caps, beanies and framed prints. Everything is made to order in 2 to 5 working days, then shipped with tracking.
T-shirts are £34.95 to £39.95, hoodies £54.95 to £59.95, and caps and beanies start at £29.95. UK delivery is £3.95, or free over £100.
What 5C5V is: a small UK brand selling Japanese-inspired clothes and framed prints, made to order. What it is not: a Japanese brand. It is not made in Japan, it has no shop you can walk into, and it does not have thirty years behind it like NEIGHBORHOOD or BAPE.
The four Tokyo labels come next, then the other Japanese-inspired brands.
NEIGHBORHOOD
NEIGHBORHOOD was founded in Harajuku, Tokyo, in 1994, which makes it one of the long-standing names in Japanese streetwear. END. describes a full wardrobe of shirts, hoodies, denim and utility jackets, plus T-shirts with the brand's skull-and-crossbones graphics.
It sits at the expensive end. At END. I found T-shirts from £45 to £95 and hoodies from £185 to £309. END. is the easy way to buy it in the UK, online or at its shops in London, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow. NEIGHBORHOOD's own site also lists the UK as a destination: shipping costs £20, goes by FedEx and takes about two weeks.
WTAPS
WTAPS is another Tokyo label, founded by Tetsu Nishiyama and known for its military-inspired style. Its own online shop delivers only within Japan, and the stockist list on its site names no UK shop.
Even so, END. lists WTAPS in pounds. T-shirts were £65 and zip hoodies £209 when I looked. If END. does not have your size, you are into importing, which I cover further down.
Cav Empt
Cav Empt, usually written C.E, was founded by Sk8thing and Toby Feltwell and has its own shop in Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo. It is the most graphic of the four Tokyo labels. The Sole Supplier describes "unique-cut silhouettes, wild colour-blocking, and retro-futuristic" design.
The brand's own store list gives one UK stockist, Dover Street Market London. Its online shop had C.E T-shirts from £90 to £105 when I looked.
BAPE
A Bathing Ape, or BAPE, was started in Ura-Harajuku, Tokyo, in 1993 by Nigo. It is the loud one, known for camouflage and the shark hoodie.
It is also the simplest Japanese label to buy here, because it has an official UK site priced in pounds and a shop at 24-25 Conduit Street in London. T-shirts were £85 to £89 and hoodies £220 to £399. UK delivery is £5.99, or free over £150.
Other Japanese-inspired brands you can buy from in the UK
Like 5C5V, these are not Japanese brands. They take something from Japan and say so.
MKI Miyuki Zoku
MKI is a UK menswear label founded in 2010 by Vik Tailor. The Japanese part is the name. The Miyuki-zoku were a youth tribe who gathered on Miyuki Street in Ginza in the summer of 1964, and the brand says it still takes its cue from them. The clothes are contemporary menswear, not kanji graphics. T-shirts were £40 to £50 and hoodies £65 to £110, with UK delivery from £2.99.
The Japanese Clothing Co
Founded in 2022 in the North of England by two people who call themselves Japanophiles. It sells T-shirts with hand-drawn designs by independent artists, inspired by everything from Harajuku and manga to traditional Japanese arts. Like 5C5V it makes to order. T-shirts start at £22.
Superdry
Superdry is a British clothing company with roots in Cheltenham. Wikipedia sums up its products as vintage American styling with Japanese-inspired graphics. T-shirts on its UK site were £19.99 to £29.99, including designs with Tokyo and Japan in the name.
Kidoriman
People search for "Kidoriman UK", so here is what I could find. Kidoriman sells Japanese-inspired men's streetwear, mostly relaxed trousers, hoodies and tees, and says its name comes from the Japanese word kidori.
It is not a UK shop. Its terms of service give an address in Jackson, Wyoming, and it prices in US dollars: $49.95 for a T-shirt and $59.95 for a hoodie when I looked. Its shipping policy quotes 8 to 20 business days to Europe and does not say where parcels are sent from. I could not find a UK site. If you want something closer to home, I have written up the UK-based alternatives.
What importing costs
If you order from outside the UK, GOV.UK's rules apply. For goods worth £135 or less, the seller should charge UK VAT at the checkout. Above £135 you pay the VAT to the delivery company, and customs duty can be charged too, worked out on the price plus postage, packaging and insurance. The courier contacts you before it delivers.
Buying from UK stock avoids all of that. It is the main reason to check END., Dover Street Market London or BAPE's UK site before ordering from Tokyo.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Japanese streetwear brands are available in the UK?
UK-based Japanese-inspired labels include 5C5V (5c5v.co.uk), which is my own brand, MKI Miyuki Zoku, The Japanese Clothing Co and Superdry. For the Tokyo labels, NEIGHBORHOOD and WTAPS are stocked by END., Cav Empt by Dover Street Market London, and BAPE has its own London shop and UK site.
Is Japanese streetwear expensive?
The Tokyo labels are. On 7 October 2026 a T-shirt cost between £45 and £105 at UK shops across NEIGHBORHOOD, WTAPS, Cav Empt and BAPE, and a hoodie between £185 and £399. Japanese-inspired labels cost less. At 5C5V, hoodies start at £54.95, T-shirts at £34.95, caps and beanies at £29.95 and framed art prints at £79.95, all made to order.
What is the difference between Japanese and Japanese-inspired streetwear?
A Japanese streetwear brand is designed and run from Japan, such as NEIGHBORHOOD, WTAPS, Cav Empt or BAPE. A Japanese-inspired brand is based elsewhere and borrows Japanese language, imagery or ideas. 5C5V, MKI Miyuki Zoku, The Japanese Clothing Co, Superdry and Kidoriman are all Japanese-inspired.
Keep reading
- What is Japanese minimalist streetwear?
- The meaning behind the kanji on every 5C5V collection
- Japanese streetwear brands that ship to the US
- UK-based alternatives to Kidoriman and imported Japanese streetwear
Written by the founder of 5C5V. I design every collection from Copenhagen, built around five Japanese cities and the virtue each one stands for. Questions about a design, sizing or an order? Email matthew@5c5v.co.uk. It comes straight to me. More about 5C5V.
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