We know, we know, And Wander isn’t exactly an unknown name—it’s stocked by a number of prestigious retailers—but it’s also not exactly a household one, either.

Founded in 2011 by Keita Ikeuchi and Mihoko Mori—a duo with experience at Issey Miyake—And Wander seeks to establish a bridge between the great outdoors and the fashion world. Its wares are crafted for camping and hiking, but finished with the thoughtfulness and detailing one would expect from fashion-forward brands. They’re high-performance enough to take with you on a camping trip—but also unique enough to feature in a glossy magazine’s editorial.

Over the last decade, And Wander has established itself as something of a cult favorite thanks in large part to its exceptional outerwear. The brand’s Hi Loft vests and diamond quilt down jackets have become something of an Instagram favorite in recent years, popping up on popular—and influential—accounts like OrganicLab.zip or HiddenNY. It’s a brand that you’re likely to see on influential industry insiders or those who take pride in wearing brands before they’re popular.

Eventually, though, that begets mainstream popularity. And Wander is poised to endear itself to an even broader swath, thanks to its aforementioned Hi Loft and diamond quilt, but also because of the never-ending thirst for newness and the precipitous rise of gorpcore in the last 18 months. There’s a long track record of success for Japanese outdoor brands—particularly those that have existed in the same space as And Wander, straddling both mountaineering and city life. Add to that And Wander’s cool, and the brand is set to follow in the footsteps of Snow Peak and be the latest Japanese outerwear brand to blow up.

We’ve waxed poetic about Auralee before, but it’s hard to not heap praise on the Tokyo-based brand.

Founded in 2015, by Ryota Iwai, a graduate of the prestigious Bunka Fashion College, Auralee has distinguished itself by offering luxurious designs that aren’t tied to a specific moment or trend. “Trends may come and go—what stays is personal style,” Auralee declares on its website and Iwai, himself, has doubled down on that, telling WWD that Auralee doesn’t seek to “impose our image on people, but to create clothing that allows people to express themselves.”

Auralee’s clothes get better the more you see them. At first glance, they look like your run-of-the-mill staples, rendered in muted tones with silhouettes that are perhaps a little on the baggier side—and definitely on the more expensive side. But the closer you get and the more you inspect them, the more you realize that Auralee’s garments are truly unique.

The brand’s commitment to sourcing the finest materials to create original, innovative fabrics has elevated Auralee’s profile, with the brand now seen as something of a savant in the field. The brand has been an industry darling in Japan, winning prizes and co-signs. On an international level, Auralee has already secured a New Balance collaboration, as well as a slew of prestigious stockists.

Auralee will continue to grow and gain new fans, though it’ll do so slowly and sustainably. It’s poised to be a mainstay in the luxury realm for years to come, rather than a flash in the pan.

Chances are that you’re already familiar with Beams, the Japanese menswear giant, and its Beams Plus label. Beams Golf, the company’s golf-centric diffusion line (in case that wasn’t obvious), is definitely not as well known as Beams Plus, but you’re likely going to be hearing more about it during Spring/Summer 2021

Much of that owes to the growing popularity of the prep aesthetic. Over the last year, prep has made an undeniable comeback—as evidenced by brands like Rowing Blazers and the revival of the loafer. Golf, too, has been on the upswing. You might not have realized it, but take a closer look and there are Instagram pages dedicated to golf style and golf trick shots and golf memes gaining traction. It’s golf with an almost anti-establishment edge.

And that’s kind of what Beams Golf offers, though, as always with Beams, the range extends from the classic sweater vest to the more eclectic graphic pile fleece—divided between the more traditional Orange Line and the more playful Purple Line. Like almost everything Beams does, the golf line offers a unique combination of fashion and utility, there’s a design language and silhouettes that are familiar to customers, but infused with a “Beamsian” irreverence.

The brand’s Winter 2020 collection garnered a lot of attention, partly due to the strength of the offering—which was bold, playful and yet just classic enough, not dissimilar to what one would find from Rowing Blazers or Noah, say—but also to the aforementioned embrace of prep-adjacent golf clothing.

We’re not saying that you’ll be dressing head-to-toe in Beams Golf, but the brand is likely to provide a gem or two to those looking for something a little more out there, but still rooted in classic menswear.

Even if you’ve already heard of the other brands on this list, chances are that you’re not familiar with CMF (Comfy) Outdoor Garment—and, if you are, then you know how slept on the brand is.

The Tokyo-based brand is actually more than a century old, dating back to 1915, but existed in relative obscurity until it was acquired by renowned Harajuku retailer LOSTHILL, which has brought a newfound energy to the brand.

CMF Outdoor Garment’s offering includes the same gorpy and tech-packed pieces that you’ve come to love from brands like Snow Peak or the above-mentioned And Wander, but the brand has embraced an almost performative quirkiness to create garments that are unlike anything else. Even the name is quirky! Shorts feature cartoonishly large pockets; vests look more like backpacks or tote bags on the rack, but end up being incredibly flattering when worn; outerwear features oversized quilting, or takes the form of a kimono, or uses ergonomic, curved zippers; the fleece more akin to a teddy bear than the deep pile everybody else is doing. CMF also offers a handful of non-outdoors staples, though, like boxier dress shirts and graphic T-shirts.

On the whole, the best way to describe CMF Outdoor Garment would be to say that it’s as if Go Out, the iconic Japanese magazine that showcases clothing for the great outdoors with exceptional style and panache, was channeled into a single brand.

Once CMF Outdoor Garment starts popping outside Japan with more frequency, it won’t take long before it’s everywhere.

Bed j.w. Ford started out in 2010 as an idea between two drinking buddies, Shunpei Yamagishi and Keisuke Kosaka, who would later become the label’s designer and visual director respectively. First featured on Dry Clean Only back in May 2016, the young brand has since been making waves. At the time of Grailed’s studio visit, Yamagishi and Kosaka had been gearing up for their first runway show at Tokyo Fashion Week. Fast forward a year, and Bed j.w. Ford has shown in Tokyo, Paris and at Pitti Uomo, collaborated with Larose Paris and developed a small cult following in the West.

These are impressive strides for the pair, who both possess no formal fashion training. Instead, the two are spurred on by their longstanding appreciation for designers like Ann Demeulemeester, Dries van Noten, Helmut Lang, Haider Ackermann and Shin Murayama.

True to its influences, Bed j.w. Ford loose, draping silhouettes rendered in luxurious suedes, silks and crushed velvets come with a heavy dose of poeticism. Taking things even further, under the website’s ‘About’ section is simply the entirety of William Ernest Henley’s poem “Invictus.” “The poem is one that has had a great influence on us and on the way we see our brand,” the pair explained to Metal Magazine. “It’s about following your heart, even when the whole world seems lost – and we make sure to carry that idea of determination with us in everything we do.”

Doublet was founded in 2012 by former Miharayasuhiro footwear and accessories head Masayuki Ino and Takashi Murakami, who, while better known for his art, is also an accomplished pattern maker. In less than a decade, the brand has already emerged as one of the leaders of the next generation of conceptual Japanese fashion, while also taking home the LVMH Grand Prize in 2018.

But despite the international recognition, Doublet hasn’t exactly set the fashion world alight from a consumer popularity perspective. You’re still more likely to see some of Doublet’s contemporaries—like Bed J.W. Ford or Facetasm—on the street than you are the LVMH winners. Still, it’s stocked by the likes of Dover Street Market and SSENSE, and a handful of other prestigious retailers, who have embraced the brand’s irreverent takes on well-known silhouettes and infusion of pop culture references.

While that may sound a little passé—who hasn’t done pop culture streetwear with a twist, particularly in Japan?—Doublet has actually distinguished itself as much for how its clothes are made and what they’re made from, as for what they look like. Clare Waight Keller and Nicholas Ghesquière both applauded Doublet’ craftsmanship and innovation as members of the LVMH jury.

In that respect, it’s not dissimilar to Auralee. In fact, it’s best to think of Doublet and Auralee as representing the leaders of the next generation of Japanese fashion, one with more conceptual—and in-your-face—garments and the other with more toned-down, evergreen designs.

So while Doublet might be known—it hasn’t reached its full potential, nor its peak popularity.

Founded in 2005 by Ichiro Nakatsu, OrSlow has established itself as one of Japan’s foremost purveyors of reworked workwear and sturdy denim, rooted in classic, timeless silhouettes. OrSlow’s entire aesthetic and philosophy boils down to that idea of timelessness—reimagining old silhouettes and not necessarily trying to keep up with the trends. So committed to this idea of timelessness is Nakatsu that it’s embedded in the brand’s name.

It’s one of the reasons that OrSlow has been slow to receive the same acclaim as other Japanese brands that trade in Americana-inspired wares. The brand isn’t in the business of loud self-promotion, nor are its clothes the kind that make an immediate visual impact—like say Kapital. Instead, OrSlow has kept its head down, working on classic silhouettes, in classic colors, with an unflinching focus on craftsmanship and quality. The brand’s label doesn’t figure prominently, either. OrSlow makes authentic, but anonymous clothes, because, in a way, what would do more justice to the craftsmanship and quality than letting the clothes speak for themselves.

What really sets OrSlow apart, though, is the brand’s relative affordability, as we’ve been somewhat conditioned to expect $500-plus price points for Japanese-made heritage Americana. Well-made, thoughtful heritage wear that doesn’t break the bank and gets better with age—what’s not to love?