Women's And Wander Jackets, Fleece & Knits

and wander was started in Tokyo in 2011 by two Issey Miyake designers who went camping, couldn't find anything they wanted to wear, and made it themselves. The name means to roam rather than to summit, and that's the level it's pitched at: proper mountain fabrics, cut so you don't look like you're about to abseil. We've got the Pertex and Alpha AIR jackets, the shaggy knits and the boa fleece. There's more in coats and jackets and fleeces.

Women's And Wander Jackets

The Pertex Shield rain jacket is the one for actual weather: Pertex is a lightweight fabric that packs down small, and this is the piece we'd take if the forecast was bad. The Alpha AIR hoodie is the opposite idea, a light insulated layer that breathes while you're moving, so it suits a cold morning walk more than standing still at a bus stop. The loose-fitting rain jacket is the easiest to wear over a jumper. Then there's the boa side of the range, jackets and vests in deep-pile fleece, which are the ones that end up worn for the school run rather than the hills. These aren't cheap, and the fabrics are the reason.

Shaggy Knits, Fleece and Wool

The mix-colour shaggy knits are the pieces people stop you about: a sweater, a hoodie, a cap and a stole, all in the same brushed multicoloured yarn. They shed a bit at first, as anything this hairy does, and they're warmer than they look. The back-pile zip-ups and the high-loft fleece gloves and neck warmer do the plain version of the same job. The wool socks are the quiet bargain of the range and the thing we'd buy first if we were testing the brand out.

Where And Wander Came From

Keita Ikeuchi and Mihoko Mori were both designing at Issey Miyake when a colleague talked Ikeuchi into a camping trip. He liked the camping and disliked the clothes, and neither of them could find Japanese outdoor wear worth buying. So in spring 2011 they started their own, bringing pattern-cutting from a Paris collection brand to a category that hadn't had much of it. The name is the point: wander, as in roam about on foot, rather than chase a summit. Look at the hangtag and you'll find one to three mountain symbols, the brand's own scale for how serious a piece is, one mountain meaning everyday, three meaning proper mountain kit.

There's more in coats and jackets, fleeces and Gramicci.

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