Not long ago, Adam Cheung was sipping matcha and pretending to read a book when he noticed two guys outside dressed like… well, like Japanese construction workers. We’re talking ballooning trousers, bandanas, and those signature split-toe tabi shoes. Except they weren’t near a building site. Or Japan.

Turns out, this wasn’t some one-off fashion fluke. Everywhere Adam looked — TikTok, Instagram, even Pinterest — guys were suddenly channelling their inner tobi shokunin (the skilled Japanese tradespeople who work high up on scaffolds). Their outfits: cropped jackets, nikka-bokka pants that billow like parachutes, tabi boots, and sweat-catching headwraps. Built for site safety and summer heat, these looks are now turning heads far from any crane or concrete mixer.

“It’s functional, breathable, and just looks cool,” says stylist Brooke Crum. “It started as necessity, but now it’s a vibe.”

Fashion-forward Japanese brands like Visvim and Neighborhood took the look to the runway. Meanwhile, TikTokers in London are showing us how to dress like a Tokyo scaffolder without ever lifting a hammer. Even American artist Daniel Arsham dropped a collection inspired by the trend.

The style, while undeniably trendy, also carries serious cultural weight. Japanese workwear is steeped in values like discipline, mastery, and brotherhood—think the Zen of zip-off overalls. And that ethos resonates, even across oceans. “You’ve got a whole fashion community nerding out over pocket placement and silhouette ratios,” says Tokyo reporter Ashley Ogawa Clarke. “And honestly? Nobody wears baggy pants better than a Japanese builder.”

Of course, Western brands like Carhartt and Dickies still dominate the workwear game. But if you’re looking to level up from your basic cargo shorts and Detroit jacket, the tobi look might be your next move. It’s comfy, functional, and just weird enough to make you look like you know what you’re doing—even if you’ve never touched scaffolding in your life.

And the people actually wearing this gear to work? They’re cool with it. “If people like the style, why not?” shrugged Kachi, a real-life construction boss in Tokyo.

So next time someone walks by looking like they stepped off a site in Shibuya, give ‘em a nod. Whether it’s fashion or function, there’s room for everyone on the scaffold of style.