Why it belongs in ORBIS
Tokyo streetwear label founded in 2001 by DJ and designer Tomoo Kinoshita, blending music, art, and traditional Japanese sensibility into oversized, graphic-driven pieces; also runs a linked music imprint, ISNESS MUSIC.
Is-ness was founded in 2001 by Tomoo Kinoshita, a Tokyo-based designer who had worked as a DJ since the 1990s. is-ness describes itself as a design group fusing tradition with a modern sensibility across the keywords contemporary, technology, art, music, and fashion. The clothing itself is built around oversized silhouettes and bold, colorful graphics, including the balancing-circle motifs the brand has become known for. Alongside apparel, is-ness runs ISNESS MUSIC, a linked project fusing the label's music-industry ties with its fashion output.