Can the Brand Behind the Perfect Arc'teryx Jacket Outdo Itself?
You can't really undersell how big the BEAMS Arc'teryx jackets really were. Put yourself in a post-COVID-lockdown mindset, when outdoorsy stuff was the hottest thing imaginable. Some people called it gorpcore. Everyone was wrapped up in it. Arc'teryx jackets and Salomon sneakers had become status symbols.
And the grail of grails was a BEAMS Arc'teryx jacket.
Anyone can buy an Arc'teryx jacket. But only the plugged-in few could buy BEAMS' ultra-rare "patchwork" Arc'teryx jackets, whose mashed-up color-blocking became a boiling-hot commodity even as outdoor gear got so gentrified that even the world's largest luxury houses began tapping in. (remember Gucci x The North Face?)
BEAMS knows good taste, as I well know. And that extends to even its non-Arc'teryx outdoor gear.
The Japanese mega-retailer's longstanding partnership with performance label Wild Things is little-known outside of Japan but perhaps this latest edition will shake some things up.
BEAMS has remixed the Wild Things Denali Mountain Parka into something kinda close to its much-loved Arc'teryx outerwear. Two iterations wear slightly off but similar monochrome shades that offset the Wild Things parka's militaristic form into something a little louder. It's simple, sure, and nowhere near as wild as the high-contrast Arc'teryx jackets but BEAMS has been doing subtler stuff for several seasons now so this is of a piece.
Wild Things is a 45-year-old tactical outfitter created by New Hampshire mountaineers that went on to become a widely respected outdoor imprint and, eventually, an actual military supplier. In Japan, it's pretty much just adventure-leaning streetwear. Not that Wild Things Japan doesn't back up its aesthetics with actual utility. It's just far more fun than its station might imply.
And, no, BEAMS' Wild Things collabs ain't gonna surpass its Arc'teryx team-ups. The Arc jackets are just too perfect. But the Wild Things jacket ain't no slouch. If nothing else, it's a convincing argument for looking beyond the most obvious product to find the great stuff that comes after.
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