Drake's x BEAMS F Cut Their Anniversary Capsule From Tweed and Okayama Selvedge
An in-store More Variations event runs alongside the launch, offering made-to-order ties and shirts cut from archive fabrics.
by Sophie Caraan · HypebeastSummary
Drake's and BEAMS F have built a capsule collection produced entirely by Japanese factories rather than the London label's usual supply chain
A tweed jacket, a denim coverall and straight-leg denim pants form the core of the range
The launch coincides with an in-store event offering made-to-order ties and shirts cut from archive fabrics
Drake‘s and BEAMS F have released a capsule collection that hands the London label’s designs to a roster of Japanese manufacturers. Built to mark BEAMS’ 50th anniversary, the project runs Drake’s house codes through BEAMS F’s editing process and then through domestic production partners the retailer works with closely, keeping the original design language intact while shifting where and how the garments are actually made.
The tweed jacket is the clearest demonstration of what changes when the maker changes. The model traces back to hunting outerwear, a category typically built with a looser, more casual hand, but here it has been sewn by Ring Jacket, one of Japan’s most respected tailoring factories. The result pulls a country silhouette toward the precision of a suit jacket, with construction standards that belong to a tailoring house rather than a sportswear one.
The denim pieces follow the same logic. Both the coverall jacket and the straight denim pants use Japanese selvedge sourced primarily from Okayama, the region that anchors the country’s denim industry, and both were assembled at Niimi Sewing Center, a factory that specializes in the format. Selvedge fabric of that type demands slower, more deliberate sewing to hold its character, which is precisely the argument for routing the pieces through a specialist rather than a general apparel line.
Running alongside the drop, BEAMS F is staging a More Variations event at its Tokyo store, stocking pieces that do not normally reach the shop floor and opening made-to-order services for ties and shirts cut from archive fabrics.