WORK
As the name states, these are clothes created for people who work, and are broadly divided into Euro workwear, which of course originated in Europe, and American workwear. What entices BOY is the durability and rustic appearance of the American style. The origin traces back to the time of the gold rush, a time that also fostered many legends and folktales. In answer to the demands of gold miners who flocked to California in search of gold discovered there around 1848, overalls emerged as the standard. The original overalls were work trousers with a bib. They were made from durable canvas, also used as material for tents and other such equipment. Eventually, the more rugged denim was adopted, and overalls gained in popularity. The durable jeans that Levi Strauss, founder of the Levi’s®︎ brand, developed and sold amassed enthusiastic support from workers in the Southwest. You might also know that the roots of the work shirt stem from the heavy-duty clothing made by Levi’s®︎ to be worn by men working the mines. It was also around this time when many of the work clothes brands that we continue to wear and love even today were established in the United States.
For BOY, along with the rustic appearance, what appeals to us is the fabric and details created for people who work. These work clothes oblige us to dress as we want in our own style with a full understanding of that legacy.
PURE CANE SHIRT
CHAMBRAY SHIRT
DENIM PANTS
DENIM SHORTS
WESTERN SHIRT VEST
PATCH PRINT
JACKET & SKIRT
PATCHWORK APRON
PATCHWORK BAG
BANDANNA
BANGLE,
BARRETTE & RING
ROOTS
The Pure Cane shirt is workwear worn by those performing manual labor. This distinctive shirt has done away with any unnecessary embellishment, yet it still retains certain peculiarities. Our shirt, which we designed for this season, has graphic printing on the front and back. The authentic Hawaiian aloha shirt brand, Kahala, created this vintage original. Sometime in the early 1960s, Kahala was asked to come up with a shirt as a promotion for the California & Hawaii Sugar Company, which had sugarcane fields and refineries in Hawaii. Duke Kahanamoku was asked to design the shirt. He was well-known in both Hawaii and the continental US since before the war and actively promoted Hawaiian culture and activities. Thanks to his notoriety on the continent, companies often sought out his name to put on a range of products. The original shirt is also historically significant for its contribution to the continued development of the sugar industry, a significant source of revenue for the island. Because only very few were made at the time, these shirts are extremely rare. This reproduction signifies how popular this shirt is among collectors, who trade these rare originals as well as other vintage cotton aloha shirts. Graphic printing promoting a brand is added to a substantial portion of workwear. Our engagement focuses on the body of the garment where the print is. We sought out a distinctive look that you wouldn’t find on ordinary workwear. This is one item that we want to hold onto.
Every year, we roll out Aloha shirts for summer, but, for this year, we came up with something quite unusual. This design depicts an illustration once printed on a sugar sack. Our inspiration comes from a shirt designed as a uniform for sugar farm and refinery representatives when they appeared at events or other occasions. The 1980s was a time when it was quite vogue for clothing designers to take apart bags used for transporting rice to get the material for making shirts and pants. That was exactly what we had in mind too when we created this novelty shirt. And, it is the name of the man himself Duke Kahanamoku, who produced the original version, that we wanted on our vintage reissue. This is the first time ever that BOY has reproduced this particular shirt. What a wonderful story it has! That’s also our MO, isn’t it?!
ROOTS
Chambray is a cotton plain-weave fabric made with colored yarn in the warp (vertical thread) and white in the weft (horizontal thread). The uniform combination of colored and white threads produces a thin but durable cloth that has a marbled appearance, but does not easily show color loss. While there are a variety of theories about its roots, we know it dates back to the 1500s to a “cambric” weave made in the French town of Cambrai. Chambray shirts were designated as military wear for the U.S. Navy in the beginning of the 20th century. Naval seamen, who had to perform a lot of heavy work on board, spurred the shirt’s reputation for durability, which ordinary people then adopted as a workwear staple. This shirt has been an archetypal uniform for workers in the United States. The BOY chambray shirt project is based on a vintage 1950s shirt worn as workwear. We wanted to create a chambray shirt specifically for us that has a particular fit as we prefer to wear men’s small sizes. We selected black chambray on account of its value on the vintage market. Years ago, the color black didn’t have such an acceptable image and wasn’t used much for clothing. This is one garment that embodies the BOY style, shining the spotlight on vintage items, it’s not every day that you see.
The B.D. shirt is symbolic of American traditional wear, and, in our opinion, the chambray shirt holds the same status among workwear. For the chambray shirt that we specially ordered from orSlow, we thoroughly examined the essence of what workwear is and insisted our shirt incorporate all those precise details. The BEAMS BOY chambray shirt is a tough triple-stitch with a flapped pocket on the left front and a pen pocket on the right and, of course, round cat eye buttons. Anticipating that wearers will tuck in the sleeves so that they don’t get in the way when working, we made them a little longer. Of all these features, the showpiece is the color. The BOY chambray shirt comes in black, which has always been popular in the vintage market.
Check out our online shop for more inspirations
SHIRT VEST
JACKET & SKIRT
JACKET & SKIRT
Although not a backpack, BOY also created a jacket and skirt outfit stitched with patches. Our design is a reworking of the all-in-one garment from the same era, separating it into two pieces at the waist. It was precisely because we contemplated how the patches would look that we decided to go with a skirt rather than slacks. What’s more, we think it will be even more fun when you add your own patches and create a customized set for yourself.
APRON & BAG
But, what constitutes an apron for BOY? We sent out a special order for an apron that incorporates our ideas of what one should be. The first requirement is big pockets. They must be large enough for “THE INDEX:BOY” booklet to fit in, and we also want enough room to stowaway some sweets to eat in our spare time at work. We didn’t go for rugged material, but patchwork cloth. Still, it has the warmth of a handicraft depicting its American essence. Don’t you think this apron is just perfect for us?
Our bandannas are printed to represent blackjack, the common name for an irregular handkerchief that appears to be a rare vintage item and the source of our inspiration. Blackjack refers to a patchwork of cloth remnants sewn up into a bandanna. Originally, bandannas were made by stitching together plain fabric, which was then printed so the entire bandanna would have the same pattern. But, BOY sewed together different floral patterns, each one-fourth the total size, to create a single bandanna. The one-fourth signifies the quarter of a century this year since BOY was established. There are a total of five color arrangements. Quite a few blocks are used to make just one color. We had to repeat the process over and over to highlight each color, perfecting the rich and extravagant print.
BARRETTE & RING
BARRETTE & RING
For the lineup, we wanted to devise something would be practical and make bandannas a familiar part of our daily experience, so we selected bangles, rings, and barrettes in two color schemes, navy and red, the core bandanna colors anywhere in the world. We used a polyester resin for the bangles and rings, and acrylic for the barrettes. These materials give the items a nice texture and light feel reminiscent of spring and summer. We were particular to size each item just right and round any corners. If you take the bold step of adorning all these items at the same time, it might be a bit rambunctious, but it’s definitely a “DO” for BOYS super in love with bandannas. Even though you’re wearing these accessories, don’t forget your bandanna.
- JP
- EN
Twenty-five years ago in 1998, the first BEAMS BOY shop opened in Harajuku.
The concept is simple. As expressed in the name, BEAMS BOY was created for boyish girls attracted to men’s clothing who want to blend it into their look.
What is it about essential men’s clothing that we are drawn to?
It’s the deep-rooted heritage.
Clothing with a well-defined genealogy carries a story in the enduring details and evokes a warmth produced from its unique fortitude and continuing embrace.
More particularly, those clothes were created for a specific purpose and continue to pass on their folklore along with meticulous craftsmanship.
And, we want to walk along our journey amidst those clothes.
That is our creed.
We have created our own unparalleled value in five core categories spanning heavy-duty items for work,
military and sports that have always been dearly loved ever since their creation in addition to the Ivy League and Preppy looks exemplifying the American traditional style.
These five categories are the core of what it means to be BEAMS BOY.
Knowing where someone or something originally comes from, the roots planted before the heritage that we see, is part of the fun of the fashion story.
Moreover, with a knowledge of that background, we then produce our own arrangements.
Our hope here is to pen a bible of sorts for crafting your own style, a style that is encompassed by that heritage and focus.
If you see something that piques your interest, open to that page and discover.
The more we learn about heritage, the story behind an article of clothing, the fonder we become of it.
The coordinates that we find are a delightful joy.
“THE INDEX: BOY” is a stylebook that brings you a behind the scenes look at this history for a better understanding of BEAMS BOY clothes.