Japan is well known for petite fashion since a huge percentage of people in the country have a smaller frame. This made accessibility to Japanese plus-size fashion challenging for so many years. Thankfully, with the rising popularity of curvier Japanese TV personalities — Naomi Watanabe being the most prominent — more and more plus-size fashion brands are slowly starting to emerge. And it’s good news not just for locals but also for foreigners who want to try out Japanese fashion. Scroll on to find plus-size Japanese fashion brands that should be on your radar.
Punyus
Since we mentioned Naomi Watanabe, let’s start with her fashion brand. Punyus, which means ‘squishy’ or 'bouncy' in Japanese, was founded in 2014 by the 33-year-old TV comedienne and artist. According to Naomi, the term is mostly adoptable to women, making it an ideal name for the brand's identity. The brand’s style ranges from casualwear to more boldly designed pieces and covers 120 (which is smaller than SS) to 6X sizing. Punyus doesn’t label itself as a plus-size fashion brand because it wants to cater to as many body types as possible, which is Naomi’s vision as a body positivity advocate.
GU
GU is the place to be if you’re looking for staples that cover casualwear, officewear or even activewear. Their minimalist pieces are reminiscent of the light and dark academia aesthetic, which is trendy today. GU also does collaborations from time to time, their most recent featured the hit anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba. The brand’s sizes go up to 3XL for women.
