and wander can be best described as your favorite brand’s favorite brand. Since 2011, the Japanese outdoor label has gained the attention of fashion leaders and hype brands alike. It stems from their philosophy that the clothes we wear should play from mountains to city streets and everywhere in between — a concept that’s more difficult to achieve than it sounds. and wander designs simple, clean, and stylish silhouettes with outdoor technical fabrics. The result is a combination of form, function, fashion, and maybe even harmony?

and wander has been using a range of Polartec fabrics since 2016 to create beautiful pieces with a design language of their own. Their recent applications of Polartec® Alpha®, a fabric originally developed for US Special Forces, borders on haute-couture heights. Look no further than their 2021 Apex Award-winning piece, Alpha Air T.

In their Spring/Summer ‘22 collection, And Wander features Polartec® Power Air™, our anti-microfiber shedding platform, in an elegant silhouette we haven’t quite seen before. This thirst for unique designs can be traced back to And Wander’s beginnings.

Like so many great stories, and wander started from a need in the industry. Designers Keita Ikeuchi and Mihoko Mori were working for high-fashion Japanese brand ISSEY MIYAKE when they fell in love with climbing and the outdoors. But they weren’t the type to climb 6,000m peaks every weekend. They were interested in casual outdoor outings. A morning hike, a one-day camping trip, all the things you can do over a weekend and still make it back to Tokyo without looking like you just climbed Everest. But they couldn’t find the middle ground in retail stores. It was either city casual or hardcore mountaineer. They wanted to fix that.

In 2010, Keita asked Mihoko to join him in a new endeavor. and wander was created with the philosophy that we should play in the mountains as we do in the city. To just go somewhere, anywhere. It’s reflected in their beautiful, lightweight, and durable clothing. It’s why Polartec has become a great collaborator for their designs.

“Polartec’s broad variety of products allows us to select the optimum fabric with the right functionality for what we want to make. Also, even if the user washed the garment multiple times, it does not easily form pills nor wear out. By utilizing this durable fabric, and wander items can be used for many years by our consumers, and consequently, we can indirectly help reduce environmental impact. In that sense, we believe that Polartec’s fabrics are well-suited and aligned with and wander’s vision of clothing design,” said Keita Ikeuchi and Mihoko Mori.

No design better represents the and wander philosophy than their newest city-to-mountain styles for Spring/Summer ‘22, an all-new Power Air collection in a jacket, pullover, and dress silhouette. Polartec® Power Air™ knit construction encapsulates fibers in a series of pockets. These pockets trap air to retain warmth and reduce microfiber shedding more than 5x fewer than other midlayer fabrics. All Power Air fabrics are made with at least 50% recycled PET plastic, creating a collection that fuses fashion, performance, and sustainability.

The collection also features new long/short sleeve t-shirts and tights made with Polartec® Power Dry® fabric technology. Our bi-component knit construction is engineered to deliver superior mechanical wicking performance. This set of Power Dry styles offers the most advanced next-to-skin moisture management and comfort.

Polartec is proud to meet and wander’s high standard of quality and style. Check out the new Spring/Summer ‘22 Collection.