Why are all the good clothes exclusive to Japan?
Taking a trip over the ocean to check out styles and brands that I wish we were able to purchase in North America.
Once in a while the internet feed blesses me and I end up coming across an item that I just know is going to be an instant hit. It’s the perfect color, has a great shape, ideal details or whatever it might be, you just know that this is an item that many people will want when they see it. But then after doing some research, you end up finding out that it’s a Japan exclusive release that will most likely never see life in North America and all of a sudden you just feel defeated — unless you physically travel for it.
This is how I felt when I recently stumbled upon this Japan exclusive L.L.Bean Field Coat — an amazing color that is filled with cool details but it’s not as easily purchasable for us here in North America and that makes me sad. Sure, I can try to find a vintage option that might look similar, but sometimes time is money and I just want the thing that’s in front of me.
But it doesn’t just stop there. It’s no secret that many North American brands simply have better options available over at their other divisions located in Japan and other Asian countries — why though??? I just want cool stuff, and sometimes I see too much heat that’s Asia-exclusive and it drives me nuts.
Ok, it’s not all bad because there are ways you can acquire these items thanks to worldwide shipping and proxy services like FromJapan — If you have the extra money and want to cop those exclusives, then FromJapan is going to be your go-to if you’re trying to buy something from a store that doesn’t offer shipping to your country. Long story short, you give your money to FromJapan directly and they will make the purchase on your behalf and ship the item to your location for an extra charge. I’ve used them plenty of times and it’s a really fast and easy service that actually doesn’t cost that much. I haven’t used it in a bit though so that may have changed since, but worth checking out anyway!
I was recently going through some old catalogs, other resources and of course some window shopping through the internet for inspiration and found a bunch of fire pieces that will most likely be next to impossible to get here in North America. So what did I do? I compiled them to share with you today because I don’t want to suffer alone — plus, it’s always good to look at stuff for style inspiration *insert the Kevin Garnett why would you show me something I can’t have meme here* so not all of it is bad. Maybe one of the readers will luck out and find one of these items on the secondary market or maybe someone already has one of these rare items and just wants to share how it feels to be a winner.
UMBRO KOREA
Umbro is already so sick, and the secondary market is filled with a bunch of heat but have you ever taken a look at what’s going on over at Umbro Korea? Amazing selection of athletic basics with a mix of ready-to-wear lifestyle pieces that I wish we had a chance to buy over here.
This is just the tip of the iceberg too, I definitely recommend going through their website just to see what they have to offer because their selection is pretty wild — browse at your discretion though, because I’m not responsible for the fact that I am showing you something you can’t have.
I also recently stumbled upon this teaser for an upcoming pullover from Umbro that is an absolute need in my wardrobe — little is known about the item though, whether it’s coming to North America, Korea or even their Italian subdivision is still up in the air. I’ll be sure to update you once I know more information, but for now, let’s just enjoy this teaser courtesy of Gregorio.Nordio on IG.
L.L.BEAN JAPAN
Another brand that’s a culprit of having more fire in Asia than North America. From time to time I’ll browse the Japanese counterparts just to see what’s cooking, and I’m always disappointed because I end up finding garments heat I can’t purchase over here.
Don’t get me wrong, the American L.L.Bean is filled with a bunch of great options that are easily accessible for us, but when I’m comparing the two I find myself liking the stuff being made over in Asia way more — this could be partially due to the fact that the Japan product photography is superior to Americas, making it much easier for me to be influenced to purchase a certain item.
BEAMS PLUS
Ok, now I know that we have Beams Plus at home and it seems as though the shops here are getting larger product orders season after season, but it’s still not enough!! The variety of styles available to purchase through Beams Japan is actually kind of nuts, and it’s something that everything should experience if you are ever travelling to Japan. Luckily Beams website does offer worldwide shipping, but you know how it goes with those duties, you might as well put in the application for that second job to cover the costs before you even consider visiting the website.
The thing is, Beams has dozens of sub-labels all delivering unique items that we’ve never even heard of — I mean nobody talks about them so I get it. If you really wanna know you should browse through the Beams Japan website to explore some of their rare sub-labels that don’t make their way to the North American markets.
One thing I do find really cool about their website is that each product will come along with a bunch of fit pics from community members and employees, allowing you to see the item in a less product-shot-focused vibe and more of an organic approach. Take this Double Twill Coat as an example. Cool to be able to see how different people style specific pieces, allowing for your imagination to run wild and most likely convert you into a buyer quicker.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Of course there are also brands out there that just don’t sell outside of Japan, which is a shame, and even though you can workaround it through proxies and other shipment services, sometimes it just doesn’t make sense financially. At this point, I just admit my defeat and simply enjoy the visual content I can find — I do this to myself though because of all of the overseas magazines I acquire that end up showcasing their regional styles that are just not available to us. Am I going to stop? Probably not, but I do enjoy seeing what’s out there and how style is translated in different parts of the world.
I also find that we are so used to seeing the same thing in North America that a lot of the time we don’t end up hearing about different brands, collaborations or collections that would do really well here.
Here are a few snaps of said catalogs that might have some items you might have never seen before — I need to get a scanner to do this properly, because I have a lot of these, but these iPhone shots will have to do for now.
As you can see there’s just a lot of cool stuff that we don’t even get to see on our feeds regularly, and maybe that’s ok too because not everything is a hit so I get it. I think being able to cross-reference and compare what’s going on between different regions helps open up your mind to different ideas of style.
This is a topic that I go back and forth between, and obviously there are countless brands that we don’t even know about that are doing their thing. But I think at the end of the day, getting to see this stuff, even though we can’t purchase it as easily, is still good for the soul and our personal style exploration.
That L.L. Bean coat. 😍 I’ve added “check out L.L. Bean store in Japan” to my to-do list next time I’m there! The Beams Plus stores I checked out in Tokyo were so cool, but you’re right, they have so many sub-labels, and shopping in person was sort of difficult to figure out what made each of them different. Can’t wait to go back!
Did you find the answer?