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REI Co-op Archive Inspires Beams Expedition Parka Collaboration

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REI Co-op Archive Inspires Beams Expedition Parka Collaboration

REI Co-op has revitalized its 1986 Expedition Parka through a collaboration with the Japanese brand Beams, emphasizing its outdoor heritage.

Archives have become a focal point in brand storytelling. That’s how REI Co-op and Japanese brand Beams brought new life to REI’s iconic 1986 Expedition Parka, staying faithful to the original while adding details that honor the co-op’s outdoor heritage.

Founded by outdoor enthusiasts Mary and Lloyd Anderson in 1938, REI Co-op has a long history to draw on. Its living archive, established in 2019, provides the brand a way to connect its history to its evolving product line. WWD has followed REI’s evolution for decades: in 1978, its sister publication The Daily News Record, or DNR, described REI’s Seattle store as “a toy store for big kids.”

In a recent Zoom conversation with WWD, REI’s Will Dunn, brand archivist; Scott Mosher, brand creative director, and Lauren Arthur, lead apparel designer discussed how the Beams collaboration and the archive continue to inspire product development and storytelling.

The interview excerpt below features Dunn, Mosher and Arthur, and has been shortened for context.

” It’s cool to see your brand and your brand story through someone else’s eyes. When I first met Keita “Gonzo” Kobayashi, influential menswear buyer for Beams, he said, “Of course we want to work with you. …I thought, we have been around a long time, and we have these pieces that are ubiquitous in the outdoors. This was an opportunity to shine a light on one of those.


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