What kind of store is Paperboy in Paris, which Beams has joined hands with?
During Paris Fashion Week in June, BEAMS held a pop-up store at "paperboy" in Paris. Paperboy is a sandwich café that is currently attracting the most attention in Paris, and a capsule collection by the two was sold at the pop-up store, creating a big buzz. However, in Japan, Paperboy is still unknown to many people. Behind this initiative was the friendship between Shingo Arai, the buyer of BEAMS, and James, the owner of PAPERBOY, through sneakers. Let's learn more about "Paperboy" from the conversation between Mr. Arai and James.
. owner of "Paperboy." After working in various fields such as cooking, photography, modeling, and stylist work, he launched "Paperboy" in 2014.
Shingo Arai
. Buyer for BEAMS. He is also known as a passionate sneaker freak and has been involved in many sneaker-related projects at BEAMS in recent years.
Paperboy is a place where people meet people and you can feel the culture (James).
. first of all, let me ask you about "Paperboy". How and when did the store start?
James.. started 4 years ago. . the original idea for The Paperboy came from wanting to create very good street food . . but now it's more than just a sandwich store, it's a label of sorts. . The team is made up of people from different genres, some people paint, some make music, some make videos, and so on. Although we are based in Paris, we are involved in many events and collaborate with many different brands. I do a lot of things with Nike in particular. We cater events, of course, but we also host the parties themselves.
James, are you from Paris?
James.Yes, I am . I was born and raised in Paris. My father was born in Tunisia. . There are so many people in Paris whose parents' generation is from Africa.
How did you come up with the name "Paperboy?"
James.. I love Japanese culture, but I also love America. Every movie I saw as a child featured a boy handing out newspapers (=Paperboy), and I think that in America in the 90s, there was such a scene, and I think everyone could identify with those boys. . I was born in 1984, and when I was a child, there was a game called PaperBoy by Nintendo. . There is no big reason like that, but various small reasons and elements are packed into the name "PaperBoy. One day, I was with a friend who draws, and we talked about drawing PaperBoy, and when this logo was finished, I thought, "This is it! I thought, "This is it!
What is the 11th arrondissement in Paris where your store is located?
James.I think it is an artistic area. Between the fashionable area of the Marais and the skateboarding area, there are a lot of street artists living in the 11th arrondissement. . I think this is the hottest place in Paris today. There are a lot of cool kids and artists, and there is always something happening in the area.
The "paperboy" seems to be very close to the fashion scene, what is your background?
James.. partly because I love food, but also because I went to culinary school when I was younger. After culinary school, I worked in the fashion industry and did a lot of different jobs. I worked at a photographer agency, I worked at a modeling agency, I was a stylist for a bit, I lived in New York for 6 months, then I lived in London for 2 years, I did a lot of different things, but one day I decided I wanted to have some kind of place. . a place that mixes everything I've seen around the world, food, fashion, and everything else. The Paperboy is a sandwich store, but it's also a place where people meet and where culture can be felt.
new wellI have the impression that there is always someone at "Paperboy" whenever I go there.
James.Just recently, Virgil Abloh brought his entire family from Chicago for sandwiches. It's a very small store, but as Shingo (Arai-san) said, it's like there is always someone there. He treats the customers like friends, and I think it really is a comfortable place for everyone. Of course it is a place to eat, but I want it to be a cultural spot that goes beyond that.
The way the group is organized, with a powerful person in each part, is similar to that of "Beams" (Arai).
How did you connect with them?
new wellJames and I have a mutual friend, and he told me that a guy named James wanted a pair of Nike's "PRESTO" shoes that I was involved in planning for the 40th anniversary of BEAMS, and that he would be in Japan soon, so he asked me to meet him. I met him for the first time, and he told me that he was running a cafe in Paris and that he was going to be there soon, so I went to "Paperboy" for the first time. I was also interested in "Paperboy," and James loves Japan. We hit it off in that way.
. That led to the idea of doing something together.
new wellWe have been talking about the possibility of doing something someday since we started talking privately, but now we are getting a little more serious about it. When I go to Paris on business, I can meet interesting people at Paperboy. They are musicians, artists, fashion people, athletes, etc. . Virgil and Kim Jones have been there, so it's really connected to fashion. And the logo was really catchy, so I thought it would be a good fit for BEAMS, too, so I presented it to them. There are plenty of good sandwich stores, but there is no other store where the store staff is so attractive and each has their own appeal, and I thought it would be interesting if we could do something together.
James.We thought "BEAMS" was the best in many ways. I love Japan, but I especially love BEAMS. One day I met Shingo, and we had a great feeling for each other, and after talking a few times, he asked me to do something together, and that's how this project came about. I am not a fashion person now, but a food person, but it is very interesting to cross street food with street-style clothing. Especially, it is very interesting to combine a sandwich brand and a big brand like "BEAMS". It is very original. Simply collaborating a Parisian brand and a Japanese brand is fine, but I think this is a much more interesting experiment.
How long did it actually take from planning to realization?
new wellIt's three months at a really rapid pace (laughs). . That is why we were a little limited in the items we could make this time. We only made items that could be handled by our production background. But I think it turned out just right for the first batch.
It was very fast-paced, wasn't it? How was the launch in Paris?
new wellIt was still amazing!
James.We had a really good turnout, a lot of people came, and it was nice. We tried to keep it private, but there were still a lot of people there. Next time we will make it a bigger event. The collection was well received and the sales were great. Almost all of the products were sold out, and I was really surprised by the response to our first collaboration. People from all over the world contacted us through Instagram, wanting to buy our products.
Please tell us about the items you produced for this project.
James.The packaging for "paperboys" is usually black and white, but we have incorporated colorful colors in this design to evoke fresh food in a variety of colors. . Orange is also a "BEAMS" color. And since this is a collaboration with BEAMS, we wanted to use a design that evokes Japan, so we also incorporated katakana characters. Katakana is also popular in Paris, and I wanted to incorporate it someday.
new well. The logo was also all made for this project. The logo was originally straight, but we made it arched. The colorful letters are of course partly because of the fresh ingredients as James just mentioned, but also because our weapon of choice is "crazy," so we chose colors that reflect our awareness of the word "PRESTO," which is how we came to be connected with James. We chose the color scheme with "PRESTO" in mind, as it was the first time I got to know James. In addition, we used the "B" of the "BEAMS" font for the "B" to create a sense of collaboration.
The special Nike "Air Force 1" was also talked about on social networking sites, wasn't it? Was that a Paris-only release?
new wellThese are really made to give away to my relatives. Each shoe case has the name of each person on it. It seems that this look is created by dyeing after several processes.
James.Nike was supporting this project. They said, "We will send you a pair of sneakers, and you can use them however you want. We only made about 20 pairs in total, and we and the BEAMS team are the only ones who have them.
I see . What is your impression of "Paperboy," Mr. Arai?
new wellI really think they are very "beams" like.
James.Yes, I agree , I think so too.
new wellThere are many different kinds of creators, each with their own strengths, and the collective nature of the group is similar to that of "BEAMS". We are in the "fashion" field and they are in the "food" field, but I thought it would be fun to create something with both of them. Anyway, I could smell the same thing.
So, what is your impression of "Beams" from James' point of view?
James.I think it is very modern. It's a little streetwise, but it has a modern feel. All the collaborations that BEAMS has done so far have been great, and they do it in a really smart way. I can't really put it into words, but I just love BEAMS. . I would say that "Paperboy" and "BEAMS" are very close.
Hood is both artistic and open (James)
In Japan, people in the fashion industry may be involved in the restaurant business, but the expression itself does not often combine fashion and food and drink, so a style like "Paperboy" seems very fresh to me. Was the current stance something you intended when you started "Paperboy"?
James.Yes . From the beginning, we wanted to create a cultural place. Our approach is to mix food with culture. Food is artistic and open at the same time, so it is actually very easy to mix it with other elements. For the collaboration with BEAMS, I made a box with all kinds of orange food, which is the corporate color of BEAMS. That's what I enjoy most about my work, I want to give the sandwich a brand. I think the story of what you eat will be very important in the future. I don't cook in the kitchens of famous chefs, and it's just street food, but street food is very tasty and easy to make. I want to put a story behind it. To give a story to a sandwich, I want to give meaning to the ingredients in it.
Was the focus on sandwiches from the beginning?
James.. yes, that's right. From the beginning, we wanted to create a place where we could show our backbone. . Our approach is to mix food with culture. Food is artistic and open at the same time, so it is very easy to mix it with other elements. For the collaboration with BEAMS, I made a box with all kinds of orange food, which is the corporate color of BEAMS. . That's what I enjoy most about my work, I want to add branding to the sandwich. I think the story of what we eat will be very important in the future. I don't cook in the kitchens of famous chefs, and this is just street food, but street food should be very tasty and easy to make. But that is exactly where I want to put the story. To add a story to the sandwich, I want to give meaning to the ingredients.
What is the most popular menu item at Paperboy?
James.There are four staples on the menu. Salmon tataki on brioche , spicy pastrami , egg sandwich , and the turkey sandwich . These four are the permanent menu items, and the rest change weekly or monthly. Those four are steadfast.
Do you have a favorite menu item, Mr. Arai?
new wellI like the salmon tataki one. Also, they serve fruit juices and acai bowls, which are also delicious. It's all really good.
James.We are always striving for a balance of food that is not only healthy, but also satisfying and tasty as a meal.
. Finally, what is your vision for the future?
James.I would like to do a food event in Tokyo , and I would also like to set up a store in Tokyo. . A store with a street-like atmosphere, but one that sells street food, not streetwear. Of course I would like to collaborate with "BEAMS" again, and I would also like to do another event with them in Paris. over September and October, I plan to close the store and go into a renovation period to make it a bigger store, so please look forward to it.
new wellFor us, this time it was a small package, but now that we know what people in Paris want and what we should make to make them more happy, we would like to present a larger collection on a larger scale next time. Besides, James really wants to do "Paperboy" in Japan, so I think it will be interesting if "BEAMS" can get involved in any way. I think it will bring together pieces that have never existed at BEAMS before.
Paperboy x Beams" Collection
PaperBoy×BEAMS" T-shirt ¥4,800+TAX, Long T-shirt ¥5,800+TAX, Hoodie ¥9,800+TAX, Cap ¥4,500+TAX, Bandana ¥2,000+TAX, Sakosh ¥3,500+TAX *. Some items are already sold out. . Please be forewarned.
