Hey there, Bas here!
Welcome back to my second blog. I’m grateful for all the positive feedback—especially about the styling tips. I love the interaction. Today, I’m diving into one of the biggest influences on our designs: Japanese fashion. If you’ve ever wondered about the unique silhouettes and unexpected design choices in our collection, let’s get into the world of Japanese aesthetics and how they shape our pieces.
Why Japanese fashion inspires me
Japanese fashion has this captivating, fearless approach to shape and form that deeply inspires me. The way they work with fabrics and silhouettes—pushing boundaries, breaking rules—creates pieces that feel effortless yet stand out. It’s a major reason why Japanese aesthetics shape so much of our collection.
What I love is how Japanese designers can take something simple and make it extraordinary just by adjusting measurements or altering proportions. For them, the silhouette or color is the logo. You can often recognize a Japanese piece without a single brand mark—that’s an art form in itself. And as you know from my last blog, proportions are everything.
A little fun fact of something you’re not aware of
Let’s talk about something you probably see everywhere now, but may not know the origin of. The Tobi pants. These cropped, wide-leg pants were originally designed for Japanese construction workers who needed mobility and comfort. Over time they became a streetwear icon. The funny thing is that today, the essence of Tobi is visible in almost every modern streetwear brand. We’ve taken inspiration from Tobi to create pieces that feel fresh yet wearable, with a unique approach to proportion.
Credits: Matsuda Tadao (photographer)
How Japanese influences show up in our collection
Let’s get personal. I’m a huge fan of draped fits—those perfectly loose, flowing pieces that hang smoothly around your body without wrinkling. It’s a classic element of Japanese style, and honestly, one of the most challenging but rewarding aspects of design for me. Achieving this look requires precise fabrics and exact measurements; if the fabric doesn’t drape or the fit is off, the whole look falls flat. Getting it right is all about harmony.
This approach influences so many pieces in our range—denim, pants, sets, sweaters, and more. We’re building a unique Don’t Waste Culture aesthetic, where Japanese-inspired proportions are instantly recognizable. Seeing our non-branded pieces spotted as DWC is a huge personal win for me. It’s all in our DNA, and that’s something that can’t be copied.
How to style
Oke, the fun part! Which items are influenced and more important, how can you style them? Like I said, the silhouettes are key in creating Japanese influenced outfits. When styling, I already have a clear picture of what I want to present when wearing. And with these kind of products it has to fit right. So I play with sizes.
Generally I wear size M (1.79m, 79kg). But to create a fully boxy outfit I’ll size up to L in certain pieces. For example for our heavyweight Boucle sweater ‘Laban’. This sweater is made from a heavyweight brushed boucle fabric, with an oversized fit. The armholes are big and cut straight so the shoulders will hang beautifully. I wear an L to create a balanced look with my pants, which gives a cozy, warm fit perfect for winter. To complete this, I pair it with our draped black oversized Oishi pants in M, which have a wide mid-thigh, knee and hem, echoing the Tobi pants.
Other items which are heavily influenced by Japanese fashion are our draped sets. We have them in 3 colors, black, olive and brown. Heavily oversized, in a perfect rayon blend to drape over the body. The fabric/silhouette ratio is crazy and these are personally my favourite sets this collection. It’s the definition of a DWC piece where we play with silhouettes and proportions which is our logo.
I wear this set in M for both the top and bottom, and I’ll tell you, I almost always wear it as a full set. It just hits right when worn together. Oversized in all the right ways, with a perfectly balanced silhouette, it’s this blend of street style, elegance, and maturity that’s calm and understated, yet still stands out. When I wear it, I keep it simple—pick the right shoes, maybe add a few accessories, and I’m ready to go. The black set is even polished enough to wear to important meetings while still making an impression.
Here’s a tip: stick to the intended size for this one. Going smaller will change the silhouette completely, and it just won’t look or feel the same. Maybe it takes getting used to, but trust me, in six months you won't be wearing anything else.
The last set I want to highlight in this blog is our Japanese denim set. Unlike the draped styles, this one isn’t super loose because of the heavy 13oz denim, but the Japanese approach is all there in the design. The pattern cutting was key here.
I’m all about standing out with basics by focusing on silhouette, and this set nails it. I wear an M in both the top and bottom—the top is intentionally oversized, heavy denim that’s roomy enough to layer over a hoodie or sweater. The bottoms are double cargo pants, giving them a straight fit that contrasts the top’s structure. I usually wear this as a set, but the bottom also works well with our tailorwear pieces (like we talked about last week) or with an oversized top, like the Laban sweater above. When pairing with a sweater, I’ll size up to keep the balance with the wide-leg cargo. This set speaks for itself; the silhouette does the talking, so you don’t have to overthink it.
And as always, the right shoes make all the difference, especially with that wide hem. My personal favorites this winter? I like pairing it with snow boots for a bold look, but platform sneakers, hiker boots, or loafers also finish it off cleanly. Just keep the shoe choice interesting but subtle—just like the outfit.
A personal end note
This blog is all about showing you why silhouettes are essential to our brand’s aesthetics. I hope it gives you insight into my inspiration and how we bring that into each collection. Personally, I’m all about the fit over logos, so I felt it was worth sharing.
Let me know what you think of those fits! And let me know what kind of content or styling tips you’d like to see next. DM me on @bazinas with your favorite looks inspired by this blog, or if you’d like my feedback on any styling questions!
Oh a little (big) sidenote: You know what time of the year it is. Keep an eye on your inbox. Something huge is on its way.
I’ll be back soon!
Lots of love,
Bas – Founder
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