Japanese design and Canadian outerwear engineering – a match made in jacket heaven
The upcoming BEAMS x Arc’teryx collection is the sort of brand hookup we can get on board with. In a market increasingly saturated with nonsensical cash-grab collabs, this is one of the rare few that makes perfect sense.
The new collection is composed of three iconic Arc’teryx pieces – the Beta SL jacket, Mantis 2 Waistpack and Mantis backpack – reimagined by BEAMS in a patchwork autumnal palette of beige, brown, off white and burnt orange.
Why is this collab worthy of note? Well, for a change, BEAMS x Arc’teryx isn’t a case of two hyped-up brands blindly attempting to capitalise on one another’s success. These are both solidly established and well-respected labels in their respective fields – BEAMS being one of the biggest and longest-running fashion and lifestyle retailers in Japan, and Arc’teryx being one of the outdoor-apparel industry’s foremost outerwear innovators.
A long relationship
It’s nothing out of the blue either. This latest collection marks the 23rd year BEAMS and Arc’teryx have been collaborating. The duo first came together to celebrate BEAMS’ 25th anniversary back in 2001, and they’ve been releasing limited collaborative collections on an almost annual basis ever since.
In other words, Arc’teryx and BEAMS have been linking up since long before Gore-Tex shells became fashionable. And likely long before most people in the wider fashion community had even heard the name Arc’teryx.
Unfortunately, these joint collections have historically only been available in Japan. This made them extremely difficult to get hold of for anyone outside of the country. However, that all changed a couple of years back when the brands made their 2022 collection available worldwide.
The good news is that this most recent batch of co-branded pieces will be available globally too. Just be prepared to act fast when they finally drop on September 25th.
