LL Bean is on fire. The humble Maine-based outdoor brand can’t stop winning when it comes to collaborations, having just dished an insanely good lookbook with BEAMS and now dropping a couple special editions of its all-purpose Bean Bag with NEIGHBORHOOD.
Not that LL Bean has ever lost its grip — there used to be a loooong waitlist for its signature Bean Boots, after all — but LL Bean has practically transcended over the past few years as the young, hip, and trend-hungry adopted its timeless appeal for themselves.
As such, it’s incredibly common to see the classic Bean Bag AKA Boat ‘n Tote in downtown New York, typically paired with lightwash jeans and adidas Sambas.
Over in Japan, though, LL Bean is a perpetual staple. There’s even a separate, Japan-only branch appropriately named LL Bean Japan. Funnily enough, it’s operated by LL Bean’s American headquarters, so LL Bean Japan could theoretically be imported overseas if its parent so wished.
In the past, we’ve seen custom Bean Boots and even LL Bean-themed Converse exclusive to Japan and, now, there’s a bevy of special goods launching for the reopening of LL Bean’s Shibuya flagship on May 6.
You’ve got smaller team-ups between LL Bean and gear brand Sanzo Komuten, American watch company Benrus, Taiwanese camp company HXO Design, and then the NEIGHBORHOOD stuff.
NEIGHBORHOOD isn’t the streetwear powerhouse it once was though it certainly needs no help moving product.
In fact, the LL Bean collaboration fits well within NEIGHBORHOOD’s wheelhouse, considering that the Japanese brand operates an gardening-focused sub-label called Specimen Research Laboratory, or SRL.
Not that LL Bean x NEIGHBORHOOD is terribly outdoorsy, given that it simply comprises overdyed dad caps and Boat ‘n Totes.
But it’s neat enough and its further proof of the LL Bean renaissance currently underway.
