85% matchCav Empt
Tokyo graphic-heavy technical streetwear, rave-adjacent
What changes: Darker dystopian print language, less oversized-slouch tailoring
Brand profile
is-ness
Tokyo unisex label blending oversized silhouettes, technical fabrics and club-culture color, founded in 2001 by DJ-designer Tomomi Kishita.
TokyoOrigin
UnisexFocus
StreetwearStyle
$$$Price
4 brands like is-ness like Cav Empt, A-COLD-WALL, Nanamica →
What to know about is-ness
A DJ's record collection, dressed
Founder Tomomi Kishita managed a Harajuku shop and has DJed for years, and that club-culture history shows in collaborations with Paradise Garage and Nu Groove Records.
Cut away from the body
The house silhouette is oversized and loose rather than fitted, built from technical fabrics and slouchy outerwear like reversible fleeces, and sold unisex.
Older than most streetwear peers
Running since 2001, it began as a design group working across music, art and technology, which explains the graphic-heavy output at its mid-to-high price point.
If you like is-ness
85% match
72% matchA-COLD-WALL
Club-culture roots pushed into brutalist technical outerwear
What changes: Higher price, sculptural rather than slouchy fit
70% matchNanamica
Same Tokyo tech-fabric craft, far quieter palette
What changes: Restrained utility styling, no club graphics
66% matchSalomon
Trail-tech footwear that finished the same club-kit look
What changes: Footwear/performance specialist, no apparel identity
Brand facts
is-ness is a Japanese unisex label founded in 2001 by designer Tomomi Kishita, a former Harajuku shop manager and longtime DJ. The name references existence itself, and the brand started as a design group fusing tradition with contemporary sensibility across music, art, technology and fashion. Collections pair oversized, body-away silhouettes with colorful graphics, technical fabrics and slouchy outerwear such as reversible fleeces. Kishita's club-culture roots drive frequent collaborations, including projects with Suicoke, Billionaire Boys Club, Paradise Garage and Nu Groove Records. The label operates its own online store alongside Japanese and international stockists.
- Founded
- 2001
- Origin
- Tokyo, Japan
- Price
- $$$
- Typical prices
- Trousers $306–$364 · Jackets $454–$894
- Focus
- Unisex
- Styles
- Streetwear, Techwear