Artists who are indispensable to the "BEAMS T" brand participated in the event.
In 2021, BEAMS T will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Looking back on its beginnings, the brand was launched in 2001 under the theme of "ART FOR EVERYDAY" with the idea of expressing art using the T-shirt as a canvas. At the time, the idea of wearing art was not something that was common among the general public, and it was considered a novel and unusual existence. This was, of course, in a good way.
Twenty years have passed since that time, and wearing art has become a standard practice in the fashion scene, and it is no longer unusual to see T-shirts and other goods released at solo exhibitions in the art world. It is no exaggeration to say that one of the factors that have contributed to the current culture of art and fashion is the fact that "BEAMS T" has continued its activities while keeping the original concept of the company in mind.
The first special event to be held at the memorable beginning of the 20th anniversary is a joint art show featuring nine invited artists. The participating artists are Yusuke Hanai, Yu Nagaba, NAIJEL GRAPH, Kosuke Kawamura, Mayumi Yamase, UND (FACE, SHINKNOWNSUKE), HIROTTON, TAICHI WATANABE, Yabiku Henrique Yudi's 9 groups.
This lineup started with the idea of bringing together artists with a connection to "BEAMS T" to hold a joint art show at "BEAMS T HARAJUKU". At the venue, newly drawn works by artists who are indispensable to the "BEAMS T" brand will be exhibited, along with special items.
Yusuke Hanai Hoodie ¥10,120
Osao Nagaba Sweatshirt ¥10,120
Nigel Graf Long T ¥7,480
Kosuke Kawamura Long T ¥7,480
UND (FACE, SHINKNOWNSUKE) Sweatshirt ¥10,120
Mayumi Yamase Hoodie ¥11,550
HIROTTON Sweatshirt ¥9,350
TAICHI WATANABE Long T ¥7,480
Yabiku Henrique Yudi ¥11,000
Two groups were picked up for the next 10 years.
The artists participating in this year's art show are all well-known to everyone today. They are well known to art lovers and fashion lovers alike.
However, this is not the case for all artists with long careers. In particular, TAICHI WATANABE and Yabiku Henrique Yudi are two up-and-coming artists who are gaining wide recognition as up-and-coming artists. This is in keeping with BEAMS T's long history of picking up young artists.
One of the missions of BEAMS T is to discover artists who will become the masters of the future. Up until now, BEAMS T has introduced many artists to the world for the first time, and many of them have gained worldwide recognition. Famous artists such as Mr. Hanai and Mr. Nagaba, who are participating in the art show, have been collaborating with us since before they were known to the public, and have been holding pop-ups and exhibitions for more than 10 years.
The buyers have their own sense of style, but there is also feedback from the staff on the front line. This is typical of "BEAMS T," where staff members are very close to each other.
As part of the process, there is a firm discussion as to whether the direction matches and whether it reaches the people who are looking for it. In any case, "BEAMS T" is a label that specializes in art, and it treats the T-shirt as a canvas on which art is applied. The idea remains the same: to make art more accessible to people by having them look at the T-shirts.
The essence of the artist will be conveyed through the exhibition.
At "BEAMS T HARAJUKU" events, original artworks are often displayed along with T-shirts printed with the artworks. The reason for this is that we always wish to be a presence that conveys the appeal of art through fashion, even to the younger generation who first came into contact with art at these events.
Around 2001, there were few people who bought artwork as a hobby, and art galleries were too expensive and difficult to visit. For those who liked fashion, art seemed a bit distant. This is probably why they chose to show art in apparel stores.
The essence of an artist is his/her work, and it is the intention of "BEAMS T" to show this essential side of an artist when working with them, who are not making T-shirts for the sake of making T-shirts. This idea has not changed over the past 20 years.
The initiative with "SAYHELLO" was a turning point for the company.
So, looking back at the history of "BEAMS T," how has it evolved over the years?
Since its launch in 2001, the company has been selling only T-shirts with art on them for a while, displaying and selling each type with a caption explaining the work and showing it in the same way as a work of art. The T-shirts are available in one size, M only. To make the prints look beautiful, they also had their own T-shirt folding machine that could fold all the T-shirts into the same shape. The T-shirts are sold in original boxes and shoppers, as if the artwork were being handed to the customer.
Going back about 10 years, BEAMS T did not feature as much street art and culture as it does today. However, this changed drastically with the 2013 SAYHELLO pop-up ("SAYHELLO GIFT SHOP @ BEAMS T HARAJUKU").
Harajuku Ton-chan Street, as seen on Beams T's Instagram page.
Street culture has an underground flavor that can make one feel a bit inaccessible. However, BEAMS T realized that "SEIHALO" was bringing this culture into the mainstream, even though it uses a street-derived method of printing on existing T-shirt bodies and selling them. This was also aided by the timing of the rise in popularity of simple logo items. Witnessing such a scene changed the course of "BEAMS T" as well. It can be said that this was one of the turning points that led the company to its current style.
The fact that it sold out quickly with an unbelievable lineup was left on "Beams T"'s Instagram.
One event that comes to mind that epitomizes the trend of the time is the ANTI SOCIAL SOCIAL CLUB pop-up that we held in 2016. The brand, which many people know, was extremely popular worldwide at the time. The store had a long line of customers, and all items were sold out by the end of the evening. The store was forced to continue operating with nothing left in the store. This event is still talked about today as the longest line in the history of "BEAMS T".
I want to do an art show that is the same as before.
The street trends that took place in the early 2010s had a major impact on BEAMS T. From there, the brand frequently featured avant-garde street fashion and proposed entertainment and sports as something unique to BEAMS T. From there, the brand frequently took up avant-garde street fashion, and began to propose entertainment and sports as unique things that only BEAMS T could do.
As a result, the current presentation style has gradually changed to include three pillars: street, sports, and entertainment, in addition to art. However, if the emphasis is too much on any one area, it will lose its "BEAMS T" character. We pay close attention to this balance.
Based on this history, this joint art show is a straightforward implementation of the theme that we have been pursuing since the start of the company. We chose an event that would convey the essence of "BEAMS T," without changing the location or developing anything other than wear, and that would reaffirm that what we have been doing up until now was not mistaken.
This is how the "BEAMS T" 20th anniversary joint art show is being held. Seeing that it is titled as the first show to mark the anniversary, we can imagine a second show as well, although details have not been announced. There must be something in the works, so let's wait and see what happens next.
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