BEAMS, Tokyo, Japan

Crockett & Jones is a shoe manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer with over 140 years of experience, heritage and longevity… This would not have been possible without the loyalty we receive from our customers. Some will buy our shoes directly from a Crockett & Jones retail shop, but the majority will browse our shoes in one of our wholesale retailers found around the world. These retailers are great ambassadors and friends of the Crockett & Jones family, with some relationships dating back to the 60s, spanning three generations of Jones'.

Starting in Japan, we would like to introduce you to our Extended Family, starting with - BEAMS, Japan.

BEAMS

1982

For those of you who have not had the pleasure to travel to Japanese shores, it should be on your to-do list. Japan is awe-inspiring for a plethora of reasons. It offers some of the tastiest and healthy food in the world, the Japanese people are polite, welcoming yet very focused on the matter in hand and its cities are vibrant and enchanting with an air of efficiency.

The Japanese take high-end (luxury) retailing very seriously indeed, with notions of 'England of old'... 'Service', 'Quality' and 'Exclusivity' sit at the core of what is the most competitive market in the world for Crockett & Jones shoes.

BEAMS, one of a handful of premier retailers in Japan, offers a retail experience beyond most. Beautifully scented, immaculately designed stores, staffed by proudly stylish employees can be found in all of the main districts in Tokyo. Each store is uniquely created whilst unmistakably remaining a concept of BEAMS. Crockett & Jones produces a unique selection of dual branded footwear in collaboration with a team of very talented buyers - For more information see BEAMS.co.jp

How long have BEAMS and Crockett & Jones been working together?

We started placing orders with Crockett & Jones in the late 1980s, so approximately 40 years.

Since we began offering the C&J brand to our customers, we have never missed a season – We have been placing MTO orders every season for the last 40 years, so it can be said that Crockett & Jones is the No.1 long-selling British shoe brand in the history of BEAMS F business.

Why have you chosen to stock Crockett & Jones Shoes & Boots?

Crockett & Jones products are well loved and have become very popular with our customers. We consider this to be because C&J offers proper craftsmanship and has a long-standing history as a highly regarded English shoe brand, as well as having the flexibility and willingness to tend to the development requests from retail clients like us.

Some of the traditional British shoe brands refused to take special (MTO - Made To Order) orders. Crockett & Jones allows us to make changes on lasts and they give us a little freedom to make small pattern changes. These design details are often unique to BEAMS and gives us the stand-out products we need in our competitive market. Mr Jones accepts special requests as much as C&J can whilst giving us his own advice and ideas. This means our collaboration is mutually beneficial to both businesses. The buyers of BEAMS are always thankful to him and the Crockett & Jones team for their careful attention to detail for what is the best for our brand (BEAMS). We are pleased that they always help us find a way to service our requests to offer our customers something new that has relevance.

We originally researched Crockett & Jones in late 1980s when we were growing our footwear offering. At the time, there were not so many English shoe companies who accepted MTO orders. However, C&J had made a name for making MTO collections for various British bespoke brands from that time, so we were very interested in working with Crockett & Jones directly. Today, we still proudly order special items for our shops each season.

Which style(s) do you think is the most iconic from the Crockett & Jones Collection?

There are so many styles we have ordered over the last 40 years, so it is a bit difficult to choose one style. If we must pick up one (in 2019), it would be the Cavendish 3. This is our best-selling model for the last couple of years, so we could say that this is now an iconic model from C&J.

The original style Cavendish was already available from Crockett & Jones as a stock item, but this last '325' was not suited to the Japanese foot. We requested for C&J to look into this fitting issue for the Japanese market, which Jonathan did with great accuracy and benefit to our customers. They offered a narrower heel cup and slimmer back-part from arch to heel and when C&J delivered our samples, both BEAMS and Crockett & Jones were very happy with this update last, Last No.375.

Crockett & Jones handled this last modification with expertise (even this tiny change) inline with our requests, and because they understand the styles that represents the season and the reasons we request these changes, the results are perfect.

If you have any particularly fond memories of your time working with Crockett & Jones, we would love to hear and share them.

When we visit the Crockett & Jones factory in Northampton, we are given the privilege to see their huge archive collection (upstairs) and also their 'current' MTO collection in the famous showroom.

It was really impressive for us all to see so many historical samples. At the time we thought this was a very rare occasion/opportunity to be able to see so many archive samples (nowadays) in one location. We thought they should open a Crockett & Jones shoe museum for all to see!

We can see that this great historical background and their experiences as a Northampton shoe maker have made Crockett & Jones one of the strongest manufacturers and brands in their field.

3-25-14-1&2F, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan. | www.beams.co.jp | @beams_official