In a private room at "Shoryu"

Fashion Fanatics Feast

YAMAZAKI YujiThe photo probably makes it look like we're eating in a hot spring, doesn't it? (laughs)

AONO KenichiWell, it's a naked kind of camaraderie, isn't it? (laughs) Mr. Kubo, you like spicy food, right?

KUBO HiroshiActually, I'm surprisingly not good with it (laughs).

SHIMAZU YoshiyukiWe all really love BEAMS, don't we?

KuboIf you don't love BEAMS, you can't work here. With so many clothing stores and companies out there, the fact that I can stay at this company for so long must mean I really like its culture.

YamazakiThere must be something about it.

ShimazuStylists feel the same way (laughs).

KuboOr maybe it's just that they're pretty laid-back? (laughs)

ShimazuThat's true of President Shitara as well, isn't it?

KuboHe's genuinely laid-back, in the best way. The fact that he's so unpretentious makes him even better (laughs).

AonoHe really is unpretentious.

KuboThat's part of why we can follow him.

ShimazuAnother reason for today's gathering was to ask Mr. Aono about BEAMS RECORDS, but did you want to do it, Mr. Aono?

AonoI released a compilation with Victor that sold well. Then the president asked me, 'How about doing music too?' I love music, so I wondered if doing music as part of BEAMS' business would work, and I also strongly felt that I didn't want to use music as a mere promotional tool for clothing. When I told the president I didn't want to, he said, 'Do whatever you like,' so I started it.

ShimazuYou were fortunate.

AonoIt started in '99, so it's been 8 years. We haven't exactly set the world on fire (laughs). What I remember most about you, Mr. Shimazu, is seeing you in the incredibly small DJ booth at INKSTICK, a DJ bar in Shibuya, playing Astrud Gilberto. It left a strong impression on me – 'Wow, that's cool.'

ShimazuThat was when I couldn't go to London and got stuck in Paris, feeling a bit melancholic (laughs).

KuboThat sounds very much like you, Mr. Shimazu.

YamazakiAre you not DJing anymore these days?

ShimazuI still go out to listen. I've been wondering what to do with my old records, though.

AonoLet's sell them at Rumors! And before you put them up for sale, please show them to me!

ShimazuI have original single pressings of Gainsbourg, among others.

AonoRecently, I had dinner with Tomoki Tsushima and others, and influenced by the people there, we only talked about clubs like that and the late '80s.

ShimazuBack then, the term 'select shop' didn't even exist yet, did it? (laughs)

AonoThe term 'select shop' didn't really resonate with me.

KuboBecause it was too literal, right? (laughs)

Chopsticks and glasses move with gusto

ShimazuMr. Kubo, why did you join BEAMS?

KuboMy older sister went to Bunka Fashion College, and her classmates included Mr. Shimizu from Nepenthes and Mr. Takahashi from Hybridge International, who often came over to our house. When I was in junior high, there were always strange shoes like L.L.Bean gumshoes lined up by the entrance, and people dressed oddly coming and going (laughs). One of them got into the industry and suggested I try working part-time. That was the start. Once I joined, the fact that they had so many clothes I liked was enough. I bought a lot using the employee discount, so I had no salary left. We were all in debt to the company (laughs).

ShimazuThere's no one more obsessed with clothes than BEAMS, and I mean that as a compliment. Lately, there aren't many people like that. Everyone's too intellectual.

AonoThere were a lot of people who were just thinking about 'What should I do tomorrow?' (laughs).

ShimazuExactly, exactly. I was like that too. Mr. Yamazaki, what was your reason for joining?

YamazakiI was working part-time at a local clothing store that was a BEAMS wholesaler. So, partly wanting to hang out in Tokyo, I moved here and... that's how I ended up at BEAMS.

ShimazuAnd you, Mr. Aono?

AonoMy mother was a pattern maker, so I liked clothes. I was in a band and didn't have any part-time jobs through university. Then, one summer during my first year, my mother told me, 'You really should get a part-time job,' and Harajuku was having a sale. As I was walking around, I saw a 'Part-time help wanted' sign at BEAMS.

ShimazuAh, I remember that sign at the entrance.

Mr. Kenichi Aono

AonoI thought, 'This is it,' and without anything prepared, I went in and said, 'Excuse me. I'd like to work here...' That was the start. It was the summer of '87. Mr. Kurino and Mr. Mizunoya interviewed me. I was hired as a part-timer, and they said I'd probably be assigned to Casual but they'd let me know later. By chance, there was an opening at International Gallery due to Jiro Adachi (now at United Arrows) injuring his leg. When I went to the Gallery, Mr. Kubo was there, and a few months later, Mr. Yamazaki came over from wholesale to sales.

ShimazuSo, Mr. Aono, you've been here for 20 years too.

AonoIf I had been assigned to Casual, I might have quit along the way. You understand, Mr. Shimazu, but the Gallery had a strange, unique atmosphere back then, didn't it?

ShimazuYeah, it had a pretty good vibe.

AonoIt was like, 'I'm the best, I'm more important than the customer.' I think that atmosphere suited me (laughs).

ShimazuNow that we're talking about it, Ken Takakura used to come to the Gallery, didn't he?

YamazakiHe did. Once, after we had changed the display after closing, Ken-san brought us canned coffee as a treat. It was incredibly moving.

KuboThe day after Ken-san shopped here, his fans would often come and buy the same clothes. Koichi Iwaki and Shinichi Mori were also customers at the Gallery. Recently, stylist Tsuyoshi Noguchi commented in a magazine about the Gallery and its customers, which made me happy.

ShimazuThe Gallery's customers were the beginnings of what we now call celebrities. Shall we have some hot pot?