More than 150 years of denim heritage give Levi’s an authenticity few rivals can replicate, but the brand is not relying on history alone. In Japan, and elsewhere across Asia, the brand is investing in larger, more immersive stores and expanding beyond jeans towards a broader denim lifestyle proposition, while strengthening its direct relationship with consumers. That combination of heritage and reinvention helps explain why Levi’s word of mouth travels so well.

In our Brand Conviction Index, in Japan Levi’s is beaten in the apparel category by only the top-ranked Uniqlo. While its customer base is tiny at present, its recommendation rate is six times as high, and its advocacy rate is nearly five times as high. 

Perhaps surprisingly, despite facing homegrown competitors, New Balance tops the ultra-competitive sportswear category in Japan. New Balance has turned its retro-running heritage into contemporary relevance across Asia, bridging performance credibility and sneaker culture. Its strength is particularly visible in Japan, where localised products and retail execution helped cut through to consumers.  

In our Brand Conviction Index, four times as many consumers recommend New Balance as currently buy the brand. This reflects advocacy at regional scale rather than a single-market sneaker trend. It enjoys a consideration rate of three times its customer base.

Asics has built its position in Asia around its strength in performance running, while expanding its reach through Sportstyle. Founded in Kobe, the brand has deep historical roots in Japan. That reputation, along with high engineering standards, has resonated strongly with both local consumers and international shoppers. 

Japan is the brand’s standout Asian market, where our Brand Conviction Index shows a recommendation rate almost five times higher than its current customer base, indicating advocacy extends well beyond existing buyers. Growth in its core business and expansion into adjacent product categories are helping the brand reach more consumers across the region.

Amazon is shopped by around two in five Japanese customers, a ratio that dwarfs its recommendation rating, suggesting the brand may have reached a degree of maturity in the market with limited growth potential. 

That said, consideration remains several points higher, suggesting existing customers are satisfied with its offer and will likely return. Customer conviction is grounded in the fundamentals Amazon has made synonymous with its name: Range, convenience, reliable delivery and low-friction service. Amazon’s advantage is not simply scale, but the trust that turns a marketplace into a shopping habit.

Mizuno has a small customer base in its Japanese home market, but its recommendation base is considerably larger. Our Brand Conviction Index shows that more than four times as many consumers there recommend the brand as currently buy it. This aligns with Mizuno’s position as a specialist sportswear brand, with technical performance, fit and Japanese craftsmanship central to its proposition.

The brand is also expanding beyond Japan, with sales in Asia and Oceania rising recently. Football was a particular growth area in South Korea and Southeast Asia, while running and Sportstyle also contributed to its regional expansion.

Japanese consumers increasingly treat sportswear as daily attire: 50 per cent own sports-brand clothing and 14 per cent wear it regularly, valuing comfort, functionality and the ‘casually cool’ aesthetics that align with Adidas Originals’ streetwear appeal. This cultural integration, paired with localised marketing and eco-conscious store design, fuels advocacy beyond athletic niches into mainstream fashion. 

Three times as many consumers recommend Adidas as currently buy from the brand, reflecting the brand’s ability to move between performance sport and street culture. Adidas is growing in popularity in Japan, where it has about 80 stores and an extensive network of wholesale partners.

Nike proves conviction can scale. Across a diverse Japanese sportswear market, almost three times as many consumers recommend the brand as currently buy its products – a strong rate of advocacy in a crowded market dominated by local brands.  

That strength reflects more than global recognition: Nike combines performance credibility with culturally tailored products, athlete partnerships, community sport and increasingly localised digital experiences. As local rivals gain ground, Nike’s challenge is to preserve the global status and emotional pull that made it distinctive while remaining culturally relevant to increasingly confident Asian consumers.

Muji has been described as “one of the most culturally significant and financially stable retail giants in Japan,” acting as an essential backbone of modern Japanese daily lifestyle shopping. Mixing homewares with affordable lifestyle fashion, stationery and food, the brand has traditionally traded as a ‘no-brand’ mini department store. Muji operates about 720 stores in its home market and has been in business for 46 years. 

The retailer has adopted an entirely anti-marketing strategy and rejects conventional demographic targeting, instead embedding itself into its customers’ lifestyles. That unique approach is reflected in our Brand Conviction Index, where Muji enjoys an advocacy rating of nearly 1.5 times its customer base. 

While owned by global giant Nike, Converse is managed in Japan entirely separately from its parent by the Japanese trading conglomerate Itochu Corporation. In this market, Converse is positioned more like a high-end fashion label than a purely athletic brand. Because of this unique licensing landscape, its store footprint, product designs, and consumer engagement are different from what consumers see in the rest of the world. The brand highlights hyper-localised co-creation and customisation initiatives. 

Such an approach has enabled Converse to build a loyal customer base: The brand’s recommendation rate is six times its modest ownership rate, and its consideration rate is three times.