Overview
Reiwa dress is defined less by a look than by a change in how clothes are acquired. Fast fashion is still the default, but resale, rental and secondhand have moved from the margin to ordinary practice, and the questions being asked about clothing are about volume and disposal rather than silhouette.
Key garments and style
Everyday wear is casual and functional: the chain-store basics that Uniqlo and its competitors established, worn with streetwear and technical outdoor pieces. Genderless styling has moved into the mainstream rather than remaining a subcultural position, with unisex sizing and men’s ranges in cuts previously marketed to women.
The kimono is being handled differently by people who did not grow up wearing it. Vintage kimono, cheap and abundant because families are dispersing collections, are worn with contemporary clothes and shoes, and rental services put one on for a day rather than a lifetime — treating it as clothing to use rather than an heirloom to preserve.
The pandemic years accelerated the comfort end of all this, and the office wardrobe has not fully returned.
Transition
The period is open and the direction is not settled: what is clear is that Japanese dress is now argued about in terms of sustainability and gender as much as of style.