BEAMS marks 50 years with JanSport and Eastpak hybrid backpack

BEAMS marked its 50th anniversary with a backpack that trades in pure recognizability: the JANSPORT x EASTPAK x BEAMS Hybrid Pack, sold exclusively through BEAMS America. Announced on February 26 and released on March 3, the bag stitches JanSport’s Right Pack to Eastpak’s Padded Pak’r, turning two campus icons into one half-and-half accessory with enough novelty to feel fresh and enough familiarity to sell on sight.

That is exactly why mash-up bags are working so well right now. They are useful first, which keeps them from reading like costume pieces, but they also carry a built-in visual joke: two logos, two histories, one object. BEAMS pushed that idea hard, recreating the original models’ materials, pocket shapes, suede leather bottom, zipper pulls, shoulder straps and interior details, including a key clip and PC sleeve. The result lands in the sweet spot for streetwear retail, where a bag has to function at the train platform and still look sharp in a mirror selfie.

The price backs up the positioning. BEAMS listed the Hybrid Pack at ¥22,550, tax included, while BEAMS America set it at $260. The color lineup kept the story tight and collectible: green/navy, gray/gray, black/black and a BEAMS BOY navy/red version. Those combinations do the work of the collaboration itself, mixing familiar backpack codes into something that feels archival without becoming precious.

The drop also sharpens the case for BEAMS’ North America expansion. BEAMS America launched in 2025 as the brand’s e-commerce arm, after BEAMS established BEAMS America, Inc. with Pacific Fashion Works, LLC and mapped out a Los Angeles pop-up and a broader physical push. The site now says BEAMS Malibu is coming soon, with more details promised for Spring 2026. That context matters because BEAMS, which traces its start to 1976 and frames itself as born in Tokyo and inspired by Los Angeles, is building a retail identity that matches the product: cross-cultural, easy to wear, and designed to travel well.