What Is Sizing Like at Needles?

By Ella Blake — Fashion Stylist | Tellar Fashion Hub — Always honest, unbiased & unsponsored

Needles runs small — as a Japanese brand, it sizes according to Japanese standards, which typically means you'll need to go up one to two sizes from your usual UK size. If you're a UK 10, you're almost certainly looking at a Medium, and in some styles, a Large. I learned this the hard way when my first Needles track pant arrived and I genuinely thought they'd sent a child's size. Reader, they had not. That was a me problem.

Needles — the Tokyo-based label founded by Keizo Shimizu under the Nepenthes umbrella — is one of those brands where you have to know the rules before you shop. The tailoring is considered, the fabrics are exceptional, and the proportions are deliberately offbeat. But if you go in blind and order your usual size, you will be disappointed. Here's what to actually expect.

Needles Size Conversion: UK to Japanese Sizing

Needles uses a simplified XS–XL (or sometimes numeric 1–4) sizing system based on Japanese measurements. Here's how that maps to UK sizes:

Needles LabelUK Women's SizeEU SizeUS SizeChest (cm)Waist (cm)XS / 1UK 634280–8362–65S / 2UK 836484–8766–69M / 3UK 10–1238–406–888–9270–74L / 4UK 12–1440–428–1093–9775–79XL / 5UK 14–1642–4410–1298–10380–85

Ella's rule of thumb: When in doubt, size up. I'm a UK 10 across most brands and I wear a Large in Needles bottoms. The brand's silhouettes are intentionally relaxed and wide-leg — a larger size gives you the correct drape, not just a better fit.

Garment by Garment: What to Expect

Track Pants & Bottoms

The iconic Needles track pant — the butterfly-embroidered, side-stripe style that's been everywhere from Harajuku to Hackney — has a relaxed, wide-leg cut. Even so, the waistband runs quite snug. I always advise going up at least one full UK size here, and two if you carry weight on your hips. The leg length skews long, which actually works well with chunky trainers or loafers.

Shirts & Overshirts

The Hawaiian shirts and their embroidered overshirts are arguably more forgiving because they're cut with an intentionally boxy, oversized silhouette. Your usual size might actually work here — but if you want that genuine billowy Japanese proportioning, size up one. Shoulder seams tend to drop deliberately, so don't panic if the shoulder point isn't where you'd expect it to be.

Knitwear & Sweatshirts

Needles knitwear runs true to Japanese sizing — which again means tight by UK standards. A snug fit is sometimes the intended aesthetic, but I'd still recommend going up one size for comfort and for the correct drape across the chest and shoulders. Their mohair knits in particular come up very narrow.

Jackets & Outerwear

Here you may want to size up two, especially if you're planning to layer underneath. The cut is structured and slim through the body — not the place to try to make your usual size work when there's a chunky knit going underneath. Check the sleeve length too; Needles sometimes cuts shorter than expected, which can look intentional or slightly off depending on your frame.

Tips for Shopping Needles Without Getting It Wrong

Always check the specific garment measurements, not just the size label — Needles' fit varies considerably by style and season
Stockists like END Clothing, Dover Street Market, and Oi Polloi often include detailed flat measurements on their product pages — use them
If you're buying second-hand (which is very common with Needles — the resale market is enormous), ask the seller for pit-to-pit and length measurements before committing
Needles' women's and unisex lines share the same size system — unisex styles will generally fit more generously through the body
The brand is stocked seasonally; once something's sold out, it's often gone for good, so don't wait if your size is available

How Does Needles Compare to Similar Brands?

Needles sits in a very particular corner of fashion — it's not quite luxury, not quite streetwear, but something wonderfully its own. If you love the aesthetic but find the sizing or the price point tricky to navigate, here are some alternatives I genuinely rate across different budgets.

High Street Picks

For that eclectic, pattern-led energy on a more accessible budget, I'd look at:

Urban Outfitters — consistently the closest high-street match to Needles' vintage-inspired, louche aesthetic. Their track pants and printed shirts often scratch the same itch at a fraction of the cost
Anthropologie — brilliant for the embroidered and hand-finished details that Needles does so well, particularly on blouses and lightweight jackets
Cos — if you love Needles for its considered tailoring and interesting proportions rather than the prints, COS delivers that in spades, with sizing that's far more predictable
Topshop — a solid bet for the wide-leg trouser silhouette and relaxed shirting that Needles popularised, at prices that won't make your eyes water
All Saints — captures that slightly dark, textural edge that runs through a lot of Needles' outerwear and knitwear
Mango — particularly good for relaxed, slouchy bottoms and boxy overshirts in interesting textures
H&M — their designer collaborations occasionally nail the Japanese street aesthetic; their mainline wide-leg trousers and printed shirts are genuinely strong value
Zara — trend-forward enough to carry a lot of the silhouettes Needles does well, especially through their Studio and limited lines

Premium Picks

Reiss — elevated tailoring and interesting fabrications, with far more consistent UK sizing than Needles
Ted Baker — for the floral and print obsession that Needles does with such flair, Ted Baker does it with a British twist and sizing that's far easier to navigate
Me&Em — exceptional quality basics and relaxed trousers; less conceptual than Needles but beautifully made and sized generously

Independent & Niche Picks

Hikerdelic — a brilliant Manchester-based label making wild-printed, Japanophile-adjacent outdoor and street pieces. If you love what Needles does with colour and nostalgia, Hikerdelic is doing the same thing in a very British key. Their sizing is refreshingly standard UK too
Bode — the New York label beloved by anyone who collects Needles. Extraordinary printed and repurposed fabrics, same artisanal energy, sizing is similarly sized down but the pieces are made to be oversized so it tends to balance out

Never Get Sizing Wrong Again — Try Tellar

Needles sizing is notoriously tricky — but this is exactly the kind of problem Tellar.co.uk was built to solve. Tellar is the UK's leading clothing sizing tool, matching your exact measurements to over 1,500 brands instantly — so you always know your true size before you buy.

Measure once — bust, waist, hips, or use an existing brand size you trust
Use the Store Size Lookup tool to find your precise size at Needles, COS, Reiss, Arket, Everlane and over 1,500 others
Always free — no downloads, no sign-up, works in-browser in seconds

There's also the Tellar Fashion Hub — a library of free posts from our team of stylists. Honest. Unbiased. Independent. Never sponsored.

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