Asian menswear is in a particularly interesting place right now, with a new crop of designers across the region bringing a compelling sense of freshness to the category. Across it, a stronger sense of authorship is coming through, with references that feel personal or culturally rooted and a level of consideration that has not always had space within menswear. In a space long shaped by narrower ideas of how men should dress, that shift feels especially worth noting.
From Singapore to Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, India and Japan, these six labels offer very distinct takes, yet each one reflects where menswear feels most alive at the moment. For some, that comes through craft techniques or folklore, reworked with a sharper eye on the present. Elsewhere, it appears in silhouette or the way an everyday piece is cut and worn, pushing familiar wardrobe codes somewhere more interesting. New visual languages are also taking shape, expanding the conversation across the category and showing just how much range Asian menswear holds right now.
Below, meet the six Asian menswear designers worth keeping firmly on your radar.
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Temma Prasetio
Founded in 2015 at a time when menswear received little attention within Indonesia’s broader fashion landscape, Temma Prasetio emerged with a clear objective: to centre men within the conversation. Established by East Java-born designer Temma Prasetio, the label addresses masculinity from a distinct vantage point.
“I wanted to create a menswear-focused label that empowers men to feel confident and develop a strong personal identity through the way they dress,” Prasetio explains. The brand comprises two lines: the Main Label and the Ready-to-Wear offering. The former reworks Indonesian textiles into pieces that reposition heritage craft within modish dressing, while the latter is designed to encourage men with their own style, leaning into modern designs that are defined by clean lines that retain a sense of masculine sensibility. His perspective, driven by a “desire to challenge stereotypes and redefine how men engage with fashion”, shows through boxy cuts and thoughtful layering that form the backbone of his work.
His latest Ready-to-Wear collection, titled Timeless Structure, extends that vision through tweed, semi-wool, suede and linen rendered in muted earth tones. The collection reflects what he calls “timeless design”, which is expressed through silhouettes, styling and detailing intended to remain relevant across generations.
Entering a new phase, Prasetio is looking to integrate artistic expression more deeply into his work while also revisiting familiar Indonesian fabrics through “alternative methods and processes” beyond weaving techniques. “I aim to re-interpret these materials in a contemporary menswear context while continuing to expand the narrative of Indonesian craftsmanship on a global stage.”
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Kartik Research
Based in New Delhi, Kartik Research is another name that is steadily gaining traction in the Asian zeitgeist. Founded by Kartik Kumra, the label translates India’s vast craft traditions into distinctly intricate pieces. As an LVMH Prize semi-finalist, at its core is a commitment to material integrity and slow production. Rather than conforming to familiar luxury archetypes, Kumra shares that he wanted “to reposition luxury as a function of effort and skill more than anything”.
It all started when Kumra returned to India and began travelling across artisan clusters researching regional embroidery and printing traditions—journeys that ultimately shaped a vision of dressing that resists rigid conventions. In his view, there has been “an excessive alignment with a very specific type of tasteful menswear”, something he counters through plant-derived dyes that fade beautifully with wear, fully hand-stitched embroidery and fabrics woven on antique wooden looms. The studio moves within that framework, presenting what he describes as “a much more vibrant version of masculinity”, where dressing can mean “adding more character” and “having more fun”.
That outlook also surfaces in the label’s recent collection, informed by Kumra’s research into Raag, a ’70s Ahmedabad-based brand rooted in handwoven textiles. Its presence within the city’s community offered a point of reference, as Kumra reflects, “a reminder of what it looks like when a brand develops real spiritual gravity”.
Looking ahead, the ambition remains to build “a true global luxury house from India” while continuing to deepen the wider universe that defines Kartik Research.
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Graye
Homegrown label Graye is centred on the idea of the modern-day uniform. What began as a menswear-only offering has since broadened into unisex territory, extending its tailored codes through adaptable shapes that move easily between wardrobes. Co-founder and creative director Xie Qian Qian describes the brand as creating seasonless pieces that feel “calm, intentional and quietly strong”
“I’m less interested in gender and more focused on function, proportion and presence,” Xie explains, grounding her process in a way that prioritises how the garment is utilised. “The silhouette must work, the fabric must last and the details must have a reason.”
With its recent line designed with the festive period in mind, she shares: “We wanted pieces that feel elevated for visiting and hosting, yet still make sense in a normal week.” The focus remains on engineered shirts and structure, seen in wrap-inspired cuts, paired with relaxed pants and oversized Bermudas. Rendered in crisp whites and charcoal tones, the collection is built to carry through seasonal rituals while integrating into everyday wear through breathable fabrics suited to a tropical climate.
As the studio evolves, Xie remains focused on “pushing material innovation and product systems”, exploring “lighter performance fabrics”. The intention is to deepen the Graye world by making it more complete and refining a framework of dressing built for everyday wear and movement.
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Huntilanak
Following its recent debut collection, which unveiled a haunting yet arrestingly intricate visual language, Huntilanak signals a unique avant-garde voice emerging from Malaysia’s evolving design landscape. Founded by Ryan Alexander Tan, the label draws from Southeast Asian folklore, craft traditions and subcultural references, filtering them through a process-led and materially driven approach.
The ESMOD Kuala Lumpur graduate frames his practice through “Southeast Asian culture, folklore and craft, re-interpreted through a contemporary and experimental lens”. The work is described as “dark and highly textural”, guided by ornamentation as narrative. Even the name reflects that impulse—‘hunty’, drawn from drag vernacular, meets ‘kuntilanak’, the Indonesian vampiric spirit—establishing a framework where cultural references are reshaped into a living design vocabulary. His process is instinctive and material-led, often beginning with surface experimentation and unconventional textiles that are rarely associated with menswear.
The debut offering functions as a condensed introduction to this universe, anchored by the now-signature Monster Jackets and a series of distressed textiles developed in collaboration with artist Silas Oo, later embedded with crystal embellishment, “creating a tension between decay and preciousness”. The designer also reworked traditional songket through a distressed treatment informed by sashiko, altering its usual presentation through surface manipulation.
Moving forward, Tan adds: “I’m interested in pushing deeper into material innovation and craft collaboration”, expanding his label into a broader creative environment grounded in regional techniques and material inquiry
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Aesir Studios
Vietnam is fast becoming one of Asia’s most closely watched fashion hubs, with its menswear scene firmly part of that vanguard. Among the labels at the forefront of it all? Aesir Studios, founded in 2020 on a shared vision between Vietnam and Germany.
David Le, co-founder and designer, describes the brand as rooted in “bold self-expression”. The project began from what he calls “a personal desire to create something authentic” after recognising a gap in the contemporary market. Much of it, he felt, was “either overly restrained or overly performative”. In response, the brand focuses on deliberate construction, refining silhouettes and intentional detailing.
That intent is clearly visible in the new Aesir Studios x Marlon Noah collaboration—the construction supports adaptability and, as Le puts it: “Each piece can transition across moods and settings, encouraging mixing and re-interpretation rather than fixed looks.”
As the brand evolves, its focus extends further into lived experience. “We’ve reached a point where our focus naturally shifts towards people and the stories that exist within everyday life.” Looking ahead, Le adds: “We’re interested in pushing new constructions, exploring unconventional forms and playing with unexpected material combinations,” signalling a continued investment in construction-led design.
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Ssstein
Kiichiro Asakawa’s route into Ssstein began in Tokyo with a multi-brand store, Carol, opened in 2016, where vintage sat alongside a tightly curated mix of labels from Japan and abroad. Through deconstructing and remaking vintage garments— then delivering pieces directly to customers—he found a slower satisfaction in making and that practice eventually became Ssstein.
Asakawa describes the label through a sense of “quiet strength and dignified beauty”, with design that stays “minimal and simple” while remaining attuned to detail. The work focuses on everyday basics, refined through “careful product development, distinctive pattern making and nuanced combinations of materials”, with proportion doing much of the work; silhouettes sit slightly more relaxed than standard, shaping the way each piece falls and sits on the body.
For his fall/winter 2026 collection, he shares that the approach remains consistent, built from “impressions from everyday life—things that feel subtly beautiful or interesting in daily moments”, gathered as fragments that evoke a specific mood. Particular attention went to construction, including subtle hand-finishing and hand stitching, alongside knitwear development. “We carefully adjusted elements like shrinkage, tension and yarn structure to create knit fabrics that feel soft yet maintain their shape.”
Asakawa frames Ssstein as an evolving journey—“doing what I truly want to do and gradually building on it”— with the next step focused on reaching more people, while womenswear development begins to take form through a fresh direction.
The April issue of Vogue Singapore—Vogue Man ‘Pursuit’—is available online.
