Brilliant Japanese Retailer BEAMS Finally Sets up Shop in America
BEAMS, the pioneering Japanese retailer, is finally coming to America. For the first time, BEAMS is opening a store in Los Angeles, dedicated entirely to classy menswear line BEAMS PLUS.
Though it's far from the only corporate multibrand store in Japan, BEAMS is easily the most famous. SHIPS, founded in 1975 as MIURA & SONS, is technically older than BEAMS, which launched in 1976, but that still makes BEAMS a pretty established institution.
And BEAMS PLUS, its flagship menswear imprint, is by far its most well-known offering.
I've always thought that was a bit of a shame, as BEAMS is arguably at its best as a physical space, where curated third-party goods mingle with the many in-house lines in a big-budget version of the "select shop" model that Japan does so well. Of course, there's no denying the popularity of BEAMS PLUS.
Launched in 1999, BEAMS PLUS is stocked internationally and even racked up a couple recent collaboration with similarly far-reaching imprints with Brendon Babenzien's J.Crew and Palace Skateboards.
It specializes in genial menswear of the most recognizable variety, like militaristic M65 jackets, chambray shirts, ivy-inspired "go to hell" pants, and pleated slacks.
As such, there's no better singular BEAMS line to step out from Japan into the literal wild West.
The short-lived BEAMS PLUS Los Angeles store will operate from November until mid-December as part of its 25th anniversary festivities, though its perhaps also testing the waters for further expansion. Currently, BEAMS operates a vast assortment of stores in Japan and a few spaces across Asia, including Taiwan, Bangkok, and Beijing.
But of the many large Japanese select shops, only STUDIOUS has planted a flag in America, opening a temporary New York flagship store in 2024.
BEAMS previously experimented with a space in Los Angeles back in 2019, when it opened a pop-up within recently shuttered retailer Fred Segal. Other much-loved Japan-only imprints have tinkered with temporary American outposts, like Goldwin's THE NORTH FACE PURPLE LABEL but those tend to be short-lived oddities.
The international release of BEAMS' widely adored Arc'teryx collaborations has quietly, continued, though so erhaps if enough foot traffic flocks to BEAMS PLUS Los Angeles, BEAMS may consider something more permanent. If only!
