This season we've once again worked with Japan’s and wander on a range of technical clothing for life outside. Following on from the patchwork nylon collection for SS24, this time around things have definitely taken a toastier turn—with a range of thick sherpa fleece, winter-proof down jackets and corduroy climbing pants.
But before we get to the new stuff, it maybe makes sense to have a bit of history behind and wander for those who aren’t fully familiar…
It could probably be said that the most interesting creations come from the fusion of two seemingly contrasting elements. From car design to cookery, juxtaposition is what leads to something new. and wander is a prime example of this theory in action—it’s outdoor clothing, with a fashion designer's eye for tone, texture and pattern.
This juxtaposition or contrast or whatever you want to call it runs right through the history of the brand—back to when co-founder Mihoko Mori was growing up in Sapporo on Japan’s Hokkaido island. This is a big city—the largest in Japan north of Tokyo, with a population just shy of two million—but catch a bus a few miles out and you’re in a world of hiking trails and ski resorts (which is probably why the 1972 Winter Olympics was held there).
Mori’s father was a keen mountaineer who would often take her camping, while her grandmother ran an atelier—designing and creating clothes by hand. She might have been inspired by her grandma to work in fashion, but that early love of the natural world was always there.
Meanwhile, Keita Ikeuchi was swimming, fishing and building dens in the forest that surrounded his town in the Kanagawa Prefecture. Japan might conjure up neon-soaked images of an Akira-esque Neo Tokyo, but it’s also a country of snow, streams, mountains and trees—with nearly 70% of it covered in woodland. This means that even those who live in the midst of the concrete sprawl are never that far from nature, and, like in Germany or Scandinavia, outdoor activities are often a casual part of normal life. By his teens Ikeuchi was into style—streetwear and vintage Americana—but would spend his school holidays backpacking around the country.
After studying design, both Ikeuchi and Mori worked at Issey Miyake’s Tokyo studio—helping to continue the legacy of the pioneering designer after he had stepped down from day-to-day duties in the late 90s.
This might sound like a far cry from making outdoor gear, but Miyake was very much a believer in both form AND function. Taking inspiration from Isamu Noguchi (the artist/designer/architect/renaissance man who applied a playful eye to everything from desk-lamps to public space) Miyake was more like an architect than a fashion designer—researching fabric and fit to create innovative clothing for modern life.
Not your average fashion house, the Miyake Design Studio was the perfect place for Ikeuchi and Mori to hone their craft, but there was one downside… all this work at one of the most forward-thinking brands around made the regular outdoor clothes they’d wear for their weekend camping trips feel a little underwhelming. In 2011 they decided to do something about it and start making the kind of clothes they wanted to wear… and wander was born.
Since then, the brand has proudly gone its own way. While mountaineering gear is often made to stand out from the natural world—with clashing colour combinations devised for visibility—and wander's designs compliment it, with muted earthy tones not a million miles off the olives and navy blues often found on classic military gear. They approach shape differently too—and the unique relaxed cut found on their outerwear is a long way from the neat, fitted shape of modern Alpine jackets.
Technical yet wearable… maybe the clue is in the name. This is gear for wandering, rather than for striving to the peak. Whilst some outdoor brands sell themselves on the most extreme conditions—making clothes for seemingly only the hardiest, most masochistic explorers—and wander make clever, modern clothing for what they call ‘the pleasure of playing in the mountains’.
Which brings us nicely to the new Gramicci x and wander range. Taking inspiration from the utilitarian clothing worn by the rock climbers of 1970s Yosemite, this is hard-wearing gear for everyday life in the great outdoors.
We’ve long been fans of heavyweight sherpa fleece, and the much-loved outdoor fabric has been put to good use here—not just on the winter-ready JQ Tape Fleece Jacket, but also on a five-panel cap, some particularly useful fleece gloves and a fleece dress.
And then there’s the fully-insulated Down Jacket—a serious piece of cold weather outerwear made from a cotton-like nylon fabric with a water-resistant coating. The Down Vest applies the same fabric to a prime layering piece—just right for throwing over a fleece when a bit of extra reinforcement is needed.
As for legwear, and wander have applied their eye for technical fabrics to a few of our classic shapes. That means lightweight, water resistant versions of our EQT Pants, Voyager Pants made from 320D ripstop and a unique take on our Gadget Pants, crafted from quick-drying corduroy.
Combining a few of our signature features (like the jacquard webbing often found on our integrated belts) and some of and wander’s (from reflective labels to that natural colour palette), the collection sits right in the middle of the venn diagram between both brands. Get wandering.
The Gramicci x and wander collection is available now.
