A deep dive on vintage American outerwear

How this BEAMS buyer wrote a book after digging through thousands of outerwear catalogs.

Apr 23, 2025

Obsessions with outerwear

When Shigeru Kaneko makes a book, he doesn’t just document—it’s an excavation. The BEAMS PLUS buyer has a knack for turning obsession into artifact, and his latest project is no exception: a meticulously researched, beautifully photographed deep-dive into the world of vintage outerwear.

From REI to Eddie Bauer, expedition parkas stuffed with life-saving amounts of down to garments built for function, long before fashion came calling.

But what makes this book special isn’t just the jackets—it’s the research behind them.

Kaneko traveled to visit our good friends at Utah State’s Outdoor Recreation Archive, where he sifted through thousands of original catalogs to cross-reference model names, specs, materials, and stories.

It’s the kind of research that feels rare in today’s style world, where speed often wins over depth. This isn’t just a lookbook—it’s a love letter to purposeful design.

And a reminder that the best gear tells a story.

We caught up with Kaneko to highlight his obsession with the word “expedition,” how a single Sierra Designs parka changed his collecting path, and why down jackets from the ’60s and ’70s still matter.

This is a conversation about outerwear, identity, utility, and the joy of discovering what products are made for.

PS — give Shigeru a follow on Instagram!

What was it like visiting Utah State’s outdoor recreation archive? How did that experience influence the process of putting your book together?

The Outdoor Recreation Archives was more impressive than I had imagined. The number of catalogs related to classic outdoor gear is enormous. They have 6,500 catalogs in storage, and every single one of them is precious.

My mission this time was to check the model names, uses, and specifications of the items I'm featuring in my book by looking at their catalog pages from that time.

Going through this process allowed me to understand the story of the brands intended for those items, making me realize their appeal even more and feel more drawn to them.

Also, I felt that the 1950s to 1970s were when many outdoor brands were established, and each brand's originality was particularly strong.

Where do brands like REI and Eddie Bauer rank in your pantheon of outerwear, and what makes their vintage down jackets stand out compared to the ones made today?

In the case of Eddie Bauer, it's a brand that makes you feel proud as a down brand and a pioneer who produced the world's first down wear. At that time, they were also a military contractor and undoubtedly the central down wear brand in America.

Their characteristic as an American brand is that they were making down jackets for field use such as hunting and sports, which is very American. The fabric selection and details are interesting, different from alpine down wear.

Regarding REI, I feel that they were quick to start manufacturing based on European alpine series. The appeal is the mood in which Europe and America mixed during this era.

You’ve mentioned having an obsession with the word ‘expedition.’ Can you elaborate on that? What sparked your love for clothing and how does it tie into this concept?

I started using the word "EXPEDITION" about eight years ago when I began collecting vintage down jackets stuffed full of down. In Japan, everyone called those kinds of down jackets "EXPEDITION PARKA" or "EXPEDITION JACKET."

However, I believe there's a uniform culture in American outdoor wear. That is, clothing is seen as a tool. The clothes and belongings you wear change depending on where you're going and what you're doing.

If you consider this a uniform culture, the wear and gear change depending on where you're going on an EXPEDITION, so I believe only jackets stuffed with a massive amount of down could be called "EXPEDITION WEAR."

That's because America is overflowing with clothing for adventure (the outdoors).

How long did it take to complete the book, from conception to finish?

So, the Outdoor Recreation Archives contacted me in 2021, saying they had many materials related to outdoor wear, and I had many vintage outdoor wear items, suggesting we do something together.

So, my initial goal wasn't to publish a book; the book is just a milestone along the way. Please look forward to the many "EXPEDITIONS" beginning with this book.

I can't tell you about those things yet! But hopefully I will announce it to you soon.

Did you pull from your own vintage collection to include in the book, or did you source these items? What was the sourcing process like?

These items are all selected from my personal collection. I chose them considering the balance of brands and the balance of items.

The sourcing process involves visiting vintage clothing stores and using auction websites in Japan and the United States.

I started collecting vintage outdoor items in the first place because I used to collect denim and workwear in my twenties. Many workwear brands were established during the American Frontier era, each with unique and appealing detail designs.

However, around ten years ago, vintage denim and workwear prices soared. At that time, I encountered a down jacket at a Japanese vintage clothing store that became a turning point for me. That down jacket was the Minaret Parka, Sierra Designs' top-of-the-line EXPEDITION model that first appeared in 1968.

When I wore it, the volume was beyond imagination, and it was truly a piece of gear equipped with the specifications to protect life in extreme conditions. I was captivated by those specs.

Outdoor gear has catalogs, and the more I searched, the more amazing down wear I could find, and I was completely drawn to its appeal.

Just like workwear, the unique details of each brand and the life-saving specifications resonated with my love for clothing.

As the chief buyer for BEAMS PLUS, can you give us a glimpse into your day-to-day responsibilities? What does your job entail?

My daily tasks include visiting exhibitions, negotiating bespoke items, discussing events, directing photo shoots for SNS-exclusive releases, doing Instagram Lives, recording "Pladio," the Beams official radio program that airs every Saturday, and conducting research.

When sourcing vintage jackets, pants, and accessories, what key criteria do you look for in those items?

My big prerequisites are that the size is wearable and the condition is good. Comfort and fit are part of the item's appeal, so I don't buy items I can't wear myself.

How often do you find that vintage items you source inspire the current BEAMS PLUS collections? Could you describe that creative process?

Each season, several models from my archive are sampled and become BEAMS PLUS products.

When BEAMS PLUS items are produced, it varies. Sometimes we sample the fabric, sometimes the pattern, and sometimes the details.

But all of them are items created from the story that the original piece holds. That distinction is a very important point for BEAMS PLUS.

What was your favorite part of creating this book?

I really enjoyed the photo shoot for the opening page, where I was wearing the EXPEDITION PARKA myself. They all have an incredible amount of down, and their voluminous look always excites me whenever I wear them.

Having a person wear the down jacket clearly shows its volume, so we decided to use a styling approach with people wearing the items instead of just product shots for this book.

Also, it was fun to shoot this time with a more conceptual approach, using items like glasses, caps, masks, and gloves in the styling.