One to recalibrate, the other permanently. Both groundbreaking Japanese labels

Left: Hiromichi Ochiai. Photo: ochiaihiromichi/Instagram. Right: Yosuke Aizawa. Photo: yosukeaizawa/YouTube

The respective announcements came just a day apart. First, it was Hiromichi Ochiai from Facetasm who announced on Instagram yesterday that he is taking a break to “carefully return to clothes with a renewed state of mind” to “envision the future beginning of Facetasm”. A day later, Yosuke Aizawa from White Mountaineering similarly shared on IG that he will be stepping down from his role as creative head of the brand he founded after the men’s autumn/winter 2026 show in Paris on 24 January. He said, “I have decided to descend from this mountain and let the brand pursue the next summit.” He gave no reason for leaving or inform what he will be doing next. Japan’s fashion scene just lost two of its best storytellers

Mr Ochiai founded Facetasm in 2007 to recalibrate the world’s view of Tokyo style through a decidedly non-conformist lens. While few may remember that he was the first Japanese designer to be selected as a finalist for the much-followed LVMH Prize in 2016, many may recognise his work for Family Mart’s debut clothing line, Convenience Wear seven years later. By then, Facetasm had opened their flagship store in Aoyama, one of Tokyo’s best curated neighbourhood for Japanese fashion as we know them—a refusal to conform. Facetasm became an ‘established’ Tokyo brand. On his plans for the brand after the hiatus, he shared on a IG post: “We are now imagining the future of Facetasm in an atmosphere filled with hope. I am confident that it will be a future filled with smiles.”

White Mountaineering was launched in 2006, a year before Facetasm, well ahead of the Gorpcore craze. Mr Aizawa, a graduate of Tama University with a degree in textile design, had been a Comme des Garçons alum, under Junya Watanabe,m, before he started his own label. White Mountaineering became a critical success even when it was not as massively recognised as Sacai, the label by fellow CDG employee Chitose Abe. Many followers of White Mountaineering are understandably also fans of Junya Watanabe, but for WM’s roots in outdoor gear, technical fabrics, and functional silhouettes. Those late to it’s appeal received a brand intro in 2021 when it collaborated with Uniqlo. Both Hiromichi Ochiai and Yosuke Aizawa attract devotees who appreciate Japanese precision and the reimagining of basics. They will be missed, as we become, more and more, at at the mercy of the unimaginative.