This Brand's Quiet Textures Are Louder Than Any Logo
They say the devil is in the details, but ssstein’s Spring/Summer 2027 outerwear is downright angelic.
The Japanese brand — once considered to be one of the country’s best-kept secrets until its designer, Kiichiro Asakawa, won the Rakuten-sponsored "FASHION PRIZE OF TOKYO” in 2025 — has been steadily carving out a name for itself internationally, and its latest runway show proved why.
Inspired by the meditative quiet of early mornings (but still working in some of the season’s best suiting), the collection’s styling carried an almost sleepy serenity — shirt lapels, coat collars, and pants lay almost lazily atop one another, poking out here and there — and the clothes came in earthy shades of burnt orange, soft yellow, and many shades of beige.
It was a strong showcase of just how well ssstein’s clothes look in motion, but as we made our way from the runway to the showroom, it was the outerwear that had us hooked. Zip sweaters hid away fur linings, and the sulfur-dyed cotton work coat we were already obsessing over got a refresh, swapping its brown leather collar for a sleeker black one (and, on the red colorway, a delicious strip of brown suede leather inside the zipper cuff). Other coats and jackets from the collection mixed fur collars with strips of leather underneath, or were given suede butthole fixtures — dialing in the flourishes to an almost whisper.
Asakawa’s eye for detail and texture carried over into transformative fabrics, from deerskin that was drum-dyed for deeper color and a more supple finish through to an exclusive nylon from Italian textile company Olmetex that was garment-washed for softness and a natural puckering.
The collection also introduced a cotton-hemp denim fabric featuring ring-dyed yarn, washed corduroy from the Italian region of Pontoglio, and an exceptionally soft linen that cropped up throughout the shirting and trousers.
Letting the details do the talking has been the M.O. for Asakawa since the start of his brand. As he pointed out to Highsnobiety backstage at last year’s SS26 presentation, ssstein has always specialized in elegantly understated garments "easy to throw on without feeling like you're trying too hard."
With this collection focused around the stillness of morning, it was the exquisitely understated confidence of ssstein’s outerwear that spoke the loudest.
Highsnobiety has affiliate marketing partnerships, which means we may receive a commission from your purchase. Want to shop the products our editors actually love? Visit our SHOPPER page and subscribe to the newsletter for recs on all things fashion, footwear, and beauty.
