Founded in 1976, retailer BEAMS has not only grown into a fixture in Tokyo‘s ever-evolving retail landscape, but also built a prominent presence in high streets across Japan and in a string of leading Asian shopping destinations such as Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing and Bangkok. But it’s in the Japanese capital where even the most jaded of shoppers can indulge in BEAMS‘ widest range of offerings and expertise. Since its inception, the retailer has had a presence on Meiji dori, a bustling shopping artery in the city’s Harajuku area, and this evolved over time into a whole cluster of sophisticated store concepts in one building. Home to BEAMS T, BEAMS Records, BEAMS Women, International Gallery BEAMS, arguably the best known concept to overseas shoppers, and now also BEAMS F, the four-storey building has seen a slight reshuffle and partial renewal to better adjust to the shifting requirements of its discerning clientele.

Supervised by interior design director Ryota Ishii and interior architect Atsushi Sekiya of BEAMS Creative, an affiliated design company, the International Gallery BEAMS store has been revamped. The extensive offerings of both international and home brands now shares the second floor with BEAMS F, an expert suiting haven which also carries an eponymous collection of elegant casual menswear, and last but not least, repair shop BEAMS 工房 (pron.: beams kobo) for convenient in-house repairs and adjustments. By blurring the boundaries between the two distinct segments, shoppers gain extra room for experimentation that’s very much aligned with today’s more liberal views on fashion and identity. Although both sections have a distinct look and feel, a seamless connection is forged by way of white marble flooring on both sides and the use of other compatible natural materials, such as wood and glass.

Also, the design is captured by clean lines, and as such, it was quite easily adaptable to both a contemporary and classic styles. Mind you, materials from floors, ceilings, shelves and other shop fittings from both previous shops have been retained and reused to create new settings with a familiar atmosphere. So, what’s on the shelves? Well, International Gallery BEAMS is a store that lives up to its name, stocking a wide range of tightly curated and exceptional mix of high-end and niche brands from across the planet, including Studio Nicholson, Toga Virilis, Maison Margiela, The Inoue Brothers, Raf Simons, Jil Sander and Alden. As said, BEAMS F is all about formal wear, in addition to matching preppy leisure garments, and unsurprisingly, the brand list is just as curated and similarly impressive, including brands such as Luigi Borelli, Drakes, Mackintosh, Cesare Attolini, Felisi and John Smedley.