LVMH Prize winner Soshi Otsuki is bringing Japanese salarymen style to the world

Through his eponymous brand, Tokyo-based designer Soshi Otsuki has managed to craft elegant tailoring that feels nostalgic and contemporary all at once. His work draws on the cultural contrasts of Japan’s late-1980s “Bubble Era” — a period when extravagant consumerism and Italian power suits epitomized the excesses of an inflated economy that soon collapsed into the “Lost Decade.” Ten years on from its inception and his label Soshiotsuki is finally gaining higher-tier industry recognition. It won the 2025 LVMH Prize earlier this month, securing a 400,000 euros ($470,300) award and a year-long mentorship with the luxury conglomerate. Previous winners of the LVMH prize, launched in 2013, include trailblazing talents Grace Wales Bonner, Marine Serre, and Marques’Almeida. Otsuki launched his brand in 2015 after graduating from Tokyo’s Bunka Fashion College, swiftly catching the industry’s eye and earning a spot on the 2016 LVMH shortlist. Citing influences as varied as traditional Japanese performing arts, military and workwear uniforms, and ecclesiastical dress, Otsuki reimagines traditional European luxury codes of Western tailoring through a Japanese lens. Here, Jing Daily speaks to Otsuki about infusing his designs with heritage, success in the U.S., and winning the coveted LVMH prize. Jing Daily: How does your experience of Japanese culture and heritage shape your design philosophy and brand identity? Soshi Otsuki: I bought my first piece of clothing with my own money at age 15. It was a polo shirt for 2,000 yen ($14) at a shopping mall, which felt expensive at the time. Later, after watching fashion shows online and being stunned by their artistry, I found myself saving up to buy a 50,000-yen ($338) polo shirt. As for Japanese culture and tradition, I joined the tea ceremony club in high school and went to see Kabuki and rakugo (comedic storytelling). These worlds felt incredibly deep, almost intimidatingly so, which gave me a kind of complex. That very feeling pushed me to seek a new kind of tradition from my own perspective. JD: Your collections are inspired by salarymen and Japan’s Bubble Economy. What intrigues you most about these? SO: In the era before smartphones, people all looked straight ahead as they walked. That’s a sight that feels deeply tied to that time and strangely captivating. Although I never lived through that era, I feel a sense of nostalgia for it. As for salaryman culture, I’m drawn to its formality and the way it once quite literally supported the nation. JD: Where do you see the greatest growth potential for your brand? SO: I believe there’s growth potential everywhere. At the moment I especially sense it in the United States, though tariffs remain a significant hurdle. JD: What’s the best kept secret about Japanese culture? SO: Japanese culture finds beauty not only in what’s visible, but also in what’s hidden or imperfect, like ceramics repaired with gold through kintsugi, or the unseen patterns on the lining of a haori. That quiet aesthetic of depth beneath the surface strongly influences my tailoring. JD: What unusual ways do you stay inspired? SO: Perhaps it’s unusual, but I often organize my thoughts while alternating between a hot bath and a cold plunge. JD: Your work often looks back on eras that you weren't part of. Do you think we need an element of nostalgia to truly appreciate fashion? SO: For me, yes — nostalgia is necessary. But I don’t believe it’s essential for everyone. JD: What do you think has changed most about how people dress in Japan today, compared to the 1980s? SO: People have become far more free in how they dress. JD: Winning the LVMH Prize brings incredible global attention. What’s your immediate priority for the brand now? SO: Relocating the atelier and recruiting new staff. JD: What would be your dream collaboration? SO: Giorgio Armani.

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Soshi Otsuki is bringing Japanese salarymen style to the world