Test: Meanswhile, the Japanese nugget of “functional wear”

Meanswhile holds a special place in my heart.

It is one of the brands that symbolizes everything I expect from a Japanese brand: a unique proposition, a taste for functionality, and multiple influences nicely balanced.

And in this article, I wanted to test one of their jackets, along with Jordan who wanted to put together two outfits with it.

A few words about the birth of this brand: it was created in 2014 by Naohiro Fujisaki who already had a long experience in design, since he was a production assistant at White Mountaineering, a Japanese brand with beautiful outdoor influences.

Very early on, Naohiro likes to hunt for vintage pieces and customize them. He is someone who loves accessories , he quickly learns to create backpacks as well .

By founding Meanswhile, Naohiro wanted to design clothes that would make everyday life easier: warm in winter and breathable in summer .

It is very influenced by styles where functionality is paramount : military clothing, outdoor clothing and also work clothing.

And besides, the heart of Meanswhile — and what I deeply love about this brand — is this obsession with functionality , which gives the impression that each piece contains a surprise to discover . Indeed, each garment is designed as a tool for everyday life.

But Naohiro likes to visually twist this feature, he doesn't want it to be too obvious .

Its founding principle remains unchanged: clothing design should be guided by its practical use in the real world.

Rarely have I found a brand that gave me the impression of understanding my tastes and desires so well, that mixes military, tailoring, outdoor, and workwear influences so well, without ever overdoing it.

Some random examples:

• just a nice pair of wool pants with an adjustable waist ? Sure!
• an outdoor shirt that you can finally wear in the city ? A formality!
• A beautifully reinterpreted military parka ? Come on!
• A double-breasted blazer that opens like a kimono ? With pleasure!
• an M65 jacket with an integrated Dyneema hood ? No problem!
• A Dyneema shopping bag ? They have it!

This is just a tiny part of the extremely rich collection of meanswhile, where each garment tells a story, is astonishing, surprising, in always very soft pastel colors, which mainly recall nature.

The beauty of such a palette is that the pieces mix beautifully and easily with each other, without thinking.

At a time when the boundaries between urban and outdoor clothing are becoming increasingly blurred, the stars have never been so aligned for meanswhile, which is positioning itself as the leader in “functional wear”.

Here is a presentation of the iconic pieces that have forged the brand.

X-Pac® Modular Backpacks

The X-Pac/Spectra® "Outside" (right) is the very first bag that led to the creation of the brand in 2014. It has evolved over the years to become more and more practical for everyday use and has been available in several versions with different fabrics and materials. Each piece can be worn alone or combined with others, the idea being to best adapt to the user's needs.

The "4Way Jacket"

This jacket has been available in several versions (grey and beige in particular) designed with different materials throughout the seasons and years. Most jackets of this type only offer two reversible sides. This is where the 4Way jacket stands out: if you turn the jacket over and fold it under the hems, it reveals two other sides.

The "zig-zag anorak"

This anorak has also been released in several iterations of colors and materials, and has seen some small design variations over the years. The zig-zag straps or ribbons along the neck have become one of the brand's most iconic design details!

Now that we have drawn a portrait of Meanswhile, let's go into detail, with the test of their “field shell JKT” jacket, a waterproof jacket, also called " hardshell" , entirely made in Japan.

Long story short, it's a hooded jacket with a waterproof membrane (it's a three-layer fabric) made in Japan.

And let’s start with the fabric.

The (pretty) fabric: a waterproof and breathable membrane

From the outside, it is a technical fabric with a slightly “peach skin” appearance, rather unusual for a waterproof fabric.

It is pleasant to the touch and avoids the “plastic” look characteristic of outdoor rainwear.

You should know that I have a love-hate relationship with Gore-Tex type membrane fabrics.

While they are undeniably effective in the rain and wind, I quickly get too hot when I walk a little more briskly. That's why I like to limit them to purely urban use.

And there, it is a garment that was very useful to me during the last vigorous rains.

Meanswhile doesn't say anything about the origin of this fabric, but knowing the brand - and given this high-end velvety feel that is unusual for this type of material - I am 99.99% sure that it is a Japanese technical fabric, probably from Komatsu.

A small warning though: it will never be as breathable as Ventile or a Paramo garment, but the windproof properties are much more significant.

As soon as I'm too warmly dressed under this jacket, the temperature rises quickly. There are no miracles: a membrane, no matter how breathable, is still a plastic film around your bust (and that's also what makes it so waterproof and windproof, I repeat!).

But no problem, Naohiro thought of everything … This brings me to a point that I really appreciate about this jacket…

Large openings for ventilation

Yes, that's Naohiro's clever twist: this jacket has large zips on its sides that create large openings at the armpits, but also on the hips.

A very simple detail, but one that allows you to easily slip your hands into your pockets:

It's a finish that Naohiro must have spotted on some tactical clothing: indeed, this kind of side slit allows easy access to his handgun stored at the waist.

Jordan also likes to have fun with this cutout:

Let's continue with the design of this jacket.

The design of this jacket is simple to describe: clean and functional .

On the outside, there are 2 zipped hand pockets, all that is most classic. Note the presence of a zip with a self-locking slider of the YKK brand. That is to say that if the zip is placed in one position, it cannot open.

Then there are two classic flap chest pockets, with a lower placement than traditional chest pockets. This makes them all the more pleasant to use, even if the snap button, all metal, is necessarily less secure than a zip.

And finally, there are two zippered pockets on each bicep that come straight from the military world.

Oh, I forgot: all the zips are YKK!

Note the welded seams to ensure waterproofing , with the brand's motto written on them:

Welded seams in urban clothing are rare and expensive and there aren't many brands that customize them, so I applaud the initiative!

So the functionality of this jacket is there. I just regret the absence of an interior zipped pocket, but the zipped pockets on the arms are a good alternative.

When worn, yes it is big, yes we have space, but we get along very well with this space.

We feel that Fujisaki-san wanted to pay homage to an outdoor style with this slightly loose cut. In addition, the Japanese like this kind of very comfortable silhouette, which is found in many Japanese brands. They are much more relaxed (and accustomed) than Europeans to exploring these volumes.

This magnitude has two advantages:

• This allows the interior to be well ventilated, which is not a luxury given the fabric used.
• and it's the perfect piece to wear all your chunky knits and mid-layers underneath.

As someone who got into this type of cut late (which earned me a few jokes at the office), it's a great way to ease into it if you've never tried a fit like this, where you instinctively want to go down a size.

I really like this silhouette of a jacket with volume at the biceps, but which tightens at the wrist.

By the way, the tightening tab at this location was well thought out: the velcro base is very wide and the “strat” is very easy to handle. This may seem like a super silly detail, but when put together with the rest of this jacket, it contributes to the feeling of having a meticulously thought-out garment.

A few words about the hood

On a rain jacket, this is a highly important detail. Here, it has a classic adjustment at the back of outdoor jackets, and two adjustments at the front. We just regret that the cord stoppers at the front are hidden in the fabric, which makes them inconvenient to find and activate.

A stopper from Coahesive would have been just as suitable and discreet for example.

Without reaching the perfection and the fineness of adjustment of a hood of a Paramo garment, it is a very functional hood, with a nice hold thanks to this fabric which holds well.

How to wear it?

This is the great success of this jacket: the mix of modern outdoor and timeless military. It can therefore be worn in many different ways: I tried to propose an outfit with white The Observer pants and a BonneGueule sweater (but twisted with a Cobra buckle belt and a silk scarf of secret origin) and also a more techwear outfit with Acronym pants.

It's really up to you, and you get a great taste of the versatility that timeless designs allow.

How does Jordan wear it?

"I'm not used to wearing techwear. I tend to take a wool coat with an umbrella (which I'll forget on the bench of this bar on the other side of town). Well, I say that, but recently I couldn't do without my Raincho because it rained and rained so much in Bordeaux. Seriously, where does all this rain come from?

In this context, I must admit that the wool coat has its limits. And that techwear, whose stylistic flavor I have always had difficulty appreciating, today appears necessary in my eyes.

When I put the jacket on, I immediately appreciated the volume, the possibility of opening the jacket on the sides like a Mercedes Papillon and the placement of the pockets. But in short, the style!

I suggest two outfits that are completely wearable on a daily basis."

Outfit 1: Metro-work-hike

"As soon as I got my hands on this jacket, I wanted to pair it with my favorite corduroy pants. They're brown. Enough to debunk the adage that says brown and black don't go together. It's all about texture and hue.

The black of the jacket is washed, as if bleached. And the brown of the pants is rich.

The black hiking shoes are for the nod to the techwear side of the jacket. And also because it's a small trend that we're seeing at the moment with a lot of brands.

The shirt is visible under the sweater to highlight the difference between the two shades (the sweater is green and tends towards brown). This white line under the sweater allows you to better read the silhouette: otherwise it is difficult to know where the hips are. Here we see that the pants are longer than the bust, which gives a more dynamic look."

"Without the pink color of the cap, we had something that worked but was a little forgettable. Not that it's a bad thing in itself. But here, this plum comes to deliciously rub against the green, the brown and the black. And the velvet in which it is made, sends the same visual warmth as the sweater and the pants. Where we have a welcome contrast of texture with the smoothness of the jacket and the leather. Even if the latter is grained and that this grain comes to support that of all the other pieces with the exception of the jacket.

In short, as always, good behavior is about bridges and breaks."

Cap: BonneGueule
Shirt: Rugger Glove
Sweater: Bronson Mfg
Pants: Big John
Shoes: Morjas
Vest: Meanswhile

Outfit 2:

"At the very beginning, I wanted to do a monochrome of black, with 501s as pants and black loafers. And just the touch of chic with the scarf. And the more rock touch with the tinted glasses.

But it didn't work. Especially with the pants. I don't know what was wrong, but it was wrong.

So, on the spot, I made some adjustments. The top remained the same with my black turtleneck, the gray vintage scarf and the glasses (and the mustache well fixed under the bottom of the nose obviously).

But I revolutionized the bottom, to bring contrast. Beige Paris BonneGueule pants. Which I wear all the time at the moment ."

"And I finished with our Canberra boots which are very pleasant to wear. And which we want to mistreat a little so that they reveal their true personality over time.

In short, it's an outfit with a very simple base (turtleneck + chinos + boots) that I twist with volume (the pants) and accessories that aren't really hiking-inspired (the blue-tinted glasses must be as useful for hiking as a bag of cement)."

Pants: BonneGueule
Boots: BonneGueule
Sweater: Uniqlo
Scarf: Vintage
Glasses: Oscar Magnuson

For a little less than €600 (price of the jacket alone. Expect around €750 all-inclusive - shipping, customs, and possible bank charges for a payment in a currency other than the euro -), with an entirely Japanese manufacturing , you have a very beautiful “shell”, designed by one of my favorite designers, functional, and finally, impeccably thought out and made. To put into perspective with waterproof jackets, made in China, at more than €1000 from other techwear brands …

As you can see, it's a piece that I quickly became attached to, that I wear all the time, but whose material clearly reserves it for autumn/winter use, with moderate physical activity. In short, it's perfect for urban use!