For Shinsuke Nakada, heading the men’s casual division at Beams, history is important. “We do exhaustive research on the historical background of a product—when and why it was made,” he says. “We try to figure out why it was designed the way it was. And then we try to find something we can improve. A way to modernize it. Our goal is to make something look still classic yet updated with high-end, modern materials.”

Beams is known for recreating classic American clothing with a modern, Tokyo twist. “The designs always draw inspiration from casual American attire, but we try to add ‘Tokyo-ish’ as much as we can,” says Nakada. “We make clothing that can be worn for a long time. After 10 years, a father can pass it along to his son because the design is classic, he can wear it without any problem.” Nakada, who has worked for Beams for 16 years in a variety of positions, has long been fascinated by American culture.

“My parents lived in Chicago before I was born. Both of them loved American culture. The first bike they bought me was a BMX. In junior high, the vintage boom and American apparel hit Japan. Actually, when I think about it, I was always surrounded by American culture.” Nakada sees lots of similarities between Japan and America. “Both countries have been making things for a long time and they use this experience and skill to make quality items,” says Nakada. He sees the Japanese as having deeply observed American culture with a great respect. “I personally think that we Japanese know more about American culture than American people,” says Nakada. He adds wryly: “It makes me happy when overseas tourists come in and say that we look more American than Americans!”

In addition to Ball and Buck, Bollman is the founder of American Field, an American-made marketplace and platform for brands that make goods in the USA. American Field celebrates these companies and provides opportunities for them to meet the world via two-day markets. The company was founded in 2012 but has grown tremendously, with outposts in Boston, Nashville, Atlanta, DC, San Francisco and Brooklyn.

When asked to explain what he does, he says: “Whatever I’ve been asked to.” Then he laughs heartily. It’s easy for Nakada to talk about what inspires him about his work. “Beams is a company that has only been around for 40 years, but we’ve managed to collaborate with big brands, brands that are pioneers,” he says. “It is really exciting to work with long-established companies and to make something together.”