A new book on BEAMS, edited with director Motoki Yoshikawa. Chapter 1: "TANY of IMA:ZINE and the styling

Yoshikawa: It's a roundabout way of saying that the clothes are made in a laboratory for urban activities (laughs). (Laughs.) To put it very simply, we have a lineup of clothing that combines the essence of the outdoors with a modern twist.

However, such thematic clothes are only a part of our offerings, which blend the mood of American casual, which has always been a specialty of BEAMS, with the atmosphere of today. Therefore, the styling we have put together this time expresses the American casual style of BEAMS with a sense of the current times.

Valley: . The items have a strong American casual color, don't they?

Yoshikawa: American casual is the basic style. Denim is often used, coveralls have recently been gaining attention on the streets, and cardigans are an essential element of the trend.

Valley: Yes, I do feel the cardigan is gaining momentum.

Yoshikawa: Recently, mohair cardigans have been selling like hotcakes, but they would be too hot in August and September, wouldn't they? . That's why we are using materials that are easy to wear during the current season.

Valley: As expected. That's how I feel about Kikkawa.

Yoshikawa: . Yes, I do. However, I feel that silhouettes are becoming more and more difficult. Oversized clothes have been very popular for the past few years, and although the original "BEAMS" items were made very large, we have been receiving an increasing number of comments from our staff that they are "too big. On the street, I have seen styles of 20-somethings that are becoming more relaxed in terms of size.

Valley: Yes, you're right, it could be.

Yoshikawa: However, once you make something too big for our generation, it's hard to get it back (laughs).

Valley: . My body is getting bigger, and it's easier to wear big clothes.

Yoshikawa: In that sense, we are polarizing. So, depending on the item, I try to find a balance between the size of the item and the size of the other items. It is not a matter of making everything bigger.

Valley: . That is the difficult part. There are many young girls in my store, and some of them don't wear shorts in the summer because of their thin bodies. There are also girls who don't want to show their skin. In terms of size, some of them say that they are thin and want to wear shorts that fit them as snugly as possible.

On the other hand, in our generation, as I mentioned earlier, people are getting bigger and bigger and want to wear comfortable clothes, and the demand is very extreme. That is why there is no right answer. You must have a lot to think about, don't you?

Yoshikawa: . I have the problem of not being able to narrow it down to a single item because it has become so diversified. However, if we become too much of everything, we lose sight of what is important, so we have to be careful not to lose sight of the original style of BEAMS. The same goes for our styling proposals.

Yoshikawa: Going back to the subject again, for example, the styling of this season's cardigan reflects the experiences I have gained and seen since I joined BEAMS. I have been wearing military pants for a long time.

Valley: You were the icon of Yoshikawa (laughs).

Yoshikawa: Yeah, yeah (laughs). So I'm wearing this cardigan with military pants.

Valley: Ahhhh..! I've seen this exact outfit 15 years ago.

Yoshikawa: It wasn't that long ago, was it? (Laughs.) So I brought some of my personal belongings that I wore back then. I wore a striped cardigan from "Lema Meyer," military pants, and Alden loafers on my feet. When I was about 20 years old, my seniors were dressed like that. He would wear military pants with a blazer and leather shoes. I thought that was a nice look.

Valley: I used to wear "Lemma Meyer" as a copycat myself (laughs). (Laughs.) But I was a cynical person, so I wore a pullover instead of a cardigan. It was a very multi-striped one.

Yoshikawa: Therefore, the stripes on the cardigans have been changed to something easier to wear while retaining the school-like feel, and the military pants have been changed to a more comfortable fabric instead of a stiff one, which is what we are trying to achieve this season.

Valley: I see . . it's hot again today, even though it's September. . but T-shirts aren't enough, or maybe it's time to dress differently from summer. So what should I wear? When you have to decide what to wear, a cardigan like this one comes in handy.

Yoshikawa: This one is made of a fabric with an uneven texture on a dare, so that it can be worn cooler because it has less skin contact surface.

Yoshikawa: Sweat pants in general have a very unfashionable silhouette, but these pants are specially ordered with " Gramichi " and have a very beautiful silhouette. . I used to wear these with coveralls when I was in high school. I used to do this myself when I was in high school.

Valley: By the way, I did this myself, too (laughs).

Yoshikawa: Vintage coveralls also have a strong vertical faded look, so we aimed for a flat faded look while processing. We dared to make them look less vintage.

Valley: . and again with a corduroy collar. The faded color and the corduroy material are perfect for each other.

Yoshikawa: If the fading was too serious, it would look a bit fake. Nowadays, I think it would be easier for young people to wear something like this. It's like regular old clothes. In the past, there was a tendency to think it was cool to keep the color close to the real thing, but times have changed since then.

Yoshikawa: Yes, I did. I thought it might be a little heavy.

Valley: . The white inner lining is also blending in with it.

Valley: Indeed . If you take off the coveralls, the styling is completely different. That is amazing. It changes the scene. The two-sided styling is amazing.

Yoshikawa: If the silhouette of the pants were too wild, they would be too loose. . We styled them in a way that makes the most of the "Gramichi" brand's clean lines.

Yoshikawa: . I'm wearing a special-order lager shirt from "Champion," shoe-cut plaid pants, and "Dr. Martens" shoes. . I was inspired by European youth culture, reminiscent of the mood of "Trainspotting" or Jamiroquai, or something like that.

Valley: . I really feel the Euro youth culture. The silhouette of these pants is beautiful.

Yoshikawa: . I think there is a Euro-ish taste here. I think the combination of the collared item and the collar gives the outfit an elegant touch. The "Dr. Martens" on the feet are also a key point, as they have a streetwise feel, but the black color also gives a tightening effect.

Yoshikawa: Yes, that's right. I wanted to mix culture, not make it a gory London style . . That's what BEAMS men's casualwear does best.

Valley: . If you change the pants, it becomes a completely different culture. I think the key to this styling is the fact that it is made by "Champion. Both Euro and American casual can be worn because of the size and elegant color of the lager shirt. I think you are very good at adjusting the balance between the two.

Yoshikawa: I'm wearing a pair of duck fabric coveralls that can be worn like a shirt over a thermal hoodie, with camouflage military pants and German trainers. So I'd like to ask Tani, what do you think is the point of this?

Valley: I sense a similar Euro youth culture flavor as before, though, when you bring German trainers.

Yoshikawa: Nice try! The tops have an American touch, and the pants and shoes bring a European touch to the mix.

Valley: Let me start over again with the questions (laughter). Let's see, this is a mixed bag.

Yoshikawa: Because the pattern of the pants is strong, I keep the rest of the clothes in beige or white to keep them calm. Unlike American military wear, European military wear is elegant. The tops add a bit of a rugged feel, and I try to find the right balance.

. This is styled to reflect this season's theme. Coveralls are tough items by nature, but the use of light-weight fabrics makes them easy to wear. The silhouette is also adjusted to be wider in width and shorter in length so that the wearer can enjoy layering.

Valley: I can kind of see Yoshikawa's musical roots, too , can't you?

Yoshikawa: Now that I think about it, maybe. I always liked 90's four beat music, and I used to listen to Underworld, Prodigy, and Massive Attack. In particular, I liked the rave culture that took place in Manchester, England at the end of the 1980s, and this may have been reflected in my subconscious.

Valley: . When I saw this, I thought to myself, "This is linked to the feeling that young people are now becoming interested in rave culture.

Yoshikawa: The British rave culture also started under the Thatcher administration, when the economy was in a very bad condition. New culture is born in such a situation, isn't it? Even now, there is a pandemic, and the world is unstable. So I have a feeling that something new will be born again. The same goes for the hippie culture. The Meiji Restoration was the same.

Valley: When I saw this style, I felt the culture of sound, or rather, I felt that it was the way we dress when we go dancing.

Yoshikawa: Looking at pictures of raves in the 80's, I knew there were people wearing military pants. Since they were outside, they were dancing without lockers, so military pants with storage space would be very useful. And the fabric is tough. So I'm glad that you saw my styling in that way.

Valley: German trainers are fine, but if it were me, I'd want to wear "Air Kukini" or "Shox" by "Nike" with them. . It's some kind of styling that gives a sense of sound.

Yoshikawa: You've gone beyond my description.

Valley: What Yoshikawa just said, you should definitely write it down (laughs).

Yoshikawa: . Lastly, let's go authentic. A black watch B.D. shirt, chinos, and a pair of Drizzlers. In today's terms, it is a city boy style, but it is modernized with a sense of size.

Valley: I like the three eyelets on the "Timberland".

Yoshikawa: They've been popular again for the past few years. Also, the glasses are on point, don't you recognize them?

Valley: This is the one I bartered with him when I left "BEAMS" (laughs). (Laughs.) The frames are all silver.

Yoshikawa: Some people look good in these glasses and others don't, but the model looked good in them. Wearing these glasses makes them stand out more elegantly, doesn't it?

Valley: . The atmosphere changes again when I wear sunglasses, doesn't it? . Then I unbutton my button-down to make it look a bit naughty.

Yoshikawa: That's what Tani used to do, right? (Laughs.) He would deliberately unbutton the collar on one side. He used to get in trouble with his boss for that.

Yoshikawa: Don't be selfish (laughs). (Laughs) But I think it's okay to play around like that. . Especially when it comes to this kind of royal attire. Just changing the shoes changes the mood, and changing the eyewear or cap is also a good idea. It's because it's a royal style that it's possible to play with it. This way of dressing will never disappear.

Valley: It will never go away. I guess there is always a sense of security. I think it is easy for fathers and mothers to recommend them to their sons. Like, "I'll buy it if it's this one" (laughs).