A commemorative photo before entering

Cultivating the World's Most Stylish Nation

Yoshiyuki ShimazuHappy New Year.

Three peopleI look forward to working with you this year as well.

ShimazuFinally, I've managed to keep my promise with you, Mr. Aono (laughs). I often run into everyone else on the street. Today, since you've all become important figures in your companies, I'd like to hear about the future of BEAMS. To be precise, last year was the 30th anniversary, right?

Kenichi AonoWe have a party at the end of this month to mark the culmination of our 30th year.

ShimazuI hear BEAMS is doing well.

AonoSales were good for the company in '06.

Hiroshi KuboNostalgic items like outdoor brands have been revived, and Beams Plus is particularly strong.

ShimazuMr. Aono, how about OPENERS?

AonoI've only just started my serialization, so I'm hoping for a good response. I read your serialization, Mr. Shimazu, and Mr. Shigematsu's as well. Those are interesting.

Mr. Kenichi Aono

ShimazuReading Mr. Shigematsu's serialization brings back vivid memories of each era: BEAMS F was established in '78 with Hirofumi Kurino on the shop floor, then International Gallery BEAMS opened in '81 with Mr. Okubo as store manager... In the past, fashion was easier to categorize than it is now. Currently, it's become about finding icons of trends, for example, 'rock style' has grown into a huge market in the same direction, and there are no new breakthroughs. That's something I want to ask everyone about today. Simply put, I think there are fewer professionals now than before. It's true that fashion magazines are also capitalizing on the market, but editors are only thinking about what sells, not their own passion. Especially since the bubble burst.

AonoIt's all marketing now. After the 80s and past the mid-90s, the world started moving forward through marketing.

KuboWe're expected to deliver results.

Mr. Yoshiyuki Shimazu

ShimazuBut even within that trend, there was the 'Ura-Harajuku boom,' which was actually a globalized phenomenon happening simultaneously in America and Britain. Considering that, there are no more 'events' like the UK's 70s movements.

KuboBut even with this market-first approach, Japanese people have become more stylish, haven't they?
ShimazuThey are definitely the most stylish in the world. No doubt about it.

Mr. Yuji Yamazaki

Yuji YamazakiMr. Shimazu, you have a long history in Harajuku, don't you?

ShimazuI wrote about it in OPENERS, but around the time BEAMS was founded, children were playing jump rope on Takeshita Street, and where Laforet Harajuku now stands, there was a church. Harajuku was a dusty, rural place, yet it had a strangely foreign feel. BEAMS was just there, a solitary presence. I remember it well because I was in America in '76. Then, International Gallery opened in '81, and it was a jumble of various things (laughs). But I also remember how not trying too hard became a style.

AonoAll three of us came from galleries and worked together.

ShimazuI think the first thing I bought at the gallery was a Margaret Howell swing top.

Three peopleOh?

ShimazuIt had a check lining and was quite expensive.

AonoShirts were around 22,000 or 23,000 yen back then.

Mr. Hiroshi Kubo

KuboAt the gallery, we had Marcel Lassance, Howell, Paul Smith...

AonoAnd Pinky & Dianne too.

KuboRight, we carried them.

ShimazuLet's take a break and have a drink!

Let's Talk at the New Year's Party (2)to be continued

Mr. Hiroshi Kubo
BEAMS Co., Ltd. Men's Division, General Manager
Creative Director
Born 1962, 25 years at BEAMS. From Yokohama City.

Mr. Yuji Yamazaki
BEAMS Co., Ltd. Product Division, Men's Department II, Section Chief
International Gallery BEAMS Buyer
Born 1966, 19 years at BEAMS. From Nagasaki Prefecture.