Few brands do classic menswear quite like Japanese retailer BEAMS, which channels all kinds of retro shapes into BEAMS PLUS, its premium line. BEAMS PLUS Spring/Summer 2022 is basically exactly that, just done perfectly and showcased in a neat lookbook.
First revealed on BEAMS' socials in mid-February, the new BEAMS PLUS goods are only just now arriving in-store but you probably wouldn't notice if you didn't frequent its dozens of Japanese stores on a weekly basis.
Crisp shirts, trim cardigans, tropical wool suits, gurkha shorts, washed indigo denim — nothing fancy here, and that's just how BEAMS PLUS likes it.
It's funny that such a tame line has taken off internationally. Presumably, if you aren't already savvy to BEAMS' killer collabs or many Japanese stores, you may not even know that BEAMS PLUS is merely one of many BEAMS brands.
Not only does BEAMS operate the simple BEAMS line and BEAMS PLUS, it oversees BEAMS BOY (a womenswear line, confusingly), BEAMS F (suits), Ray Beams (adult womenswear), Demi-Luxe BEAMS (trad-leaning womenswear), International Gallery BEAMS (trendy in-house line and curated imported brands), and B-MING By BEAMS (casualwear for all genders, ages, and lifestyles, to name only a few.
And, yet, BEAMS PLUS is the one that enjoys the greatest global reach.
Barely any other BEAMS labels are stocked internationally while BEAMS PLUS is currently stocked at stores like SSENSE, Shop Lost & Found, Goodhood, Canoe Club, and END..
Curious but, then, it also kinda makes sense.
BEAMS PLUS is really the most distinct of all the BEAMS collections, channeling militaria, workwear, suiting, and heritage menswear into a cohesive blend of easygoing shapes, informed by quality textiles and the occasional collab with a likeminded label.
The end result, as evidenced by BEAMS PLUS SS22's effortless blazers, striped shirts, patterned anoraks, and loose linen pants, is approachably simple but hardly basic.
