meanswhile Autumn/Winter ‘21 Lands at This Thing of Ours

by Ali George Hinkins

To those in the know, wearing meanswhile is a silent badge of honour.

As the outdoors remains a focal point for many to fall back on, meanswhile is a label that honours the aforementioned with precision. All eyes are on the Japanese label, meanswhile, as they further their exploration of Function Follows Form and Form Follows Function. While it may seem a little contradictory, they somehow balance the polar opposites without compromise on either form or function, just like they’ve set out to do. 

I think what makes meanswhile so interesting is that they’re a full outfitter; by that, I mean they excel across the board from outerwear to bags, shirting and bottoms, without a drop in quality or weak spots. While it seems that some brands are focused on quantity over quality, meanswhile, again, proves they can do both without compromise. 

All braced for the impending bitter weather, Naohiro Fujisaki’s label, founded a mere 7 years ago, explores functionality in a discrete yet aesthetically pleasing manner for Autumn/Winter. With the clothes engineered to act as ‘Tools for Purpose’, each piece serves a function in our daily operations, whether that be outerwear for protection against the elements or for pure looks alone. 

This Thing of Ours’ sharp offering of meanswhile includes a healthy array of indicative goods across outerwear, headwear, bottoms and tops including the Down Muffler, Padding Flight PT and Crisp Luggage Vest. With the outerwear, there is a multi-pocket cargo vest as well as an insulated down jacket both serving their individual purposes. Following on, headwear is as unique as ever with the Suede Split Hat that nods to the outdoors - it is a wide brim design that when adjusted cinches the side flaps closer to your ears. meanswhile’s Corduroy ‘Fat Wrap’ and Padding Flight bottoms both make reference to traditional Thai garb and military-inspired flight trousers - two of many fields that underpin their multifaceted direction. To round things off, we look at the Open Hooded Sweatshirt and Split Yoke Longsleeve top which are both composed of 100% cotton and are designed to be versatile pieces. 

As an outerwear fantasist myself, it’s only right that I carefully draw your attention carefully to the Padding Down Jacket - an insulated staple in anyone’s arsenal and a stunning example of meanswhile’s technical prowess. At base level, it is an extremely heat retaining garment with 750 fill power - in Layman’s terms: the measurement of fluffiness and quality of a down product - which is some next level insulation, in part thanks to a combination of Thinsulate technology and down fill. The construction of this is quite special; the rear panel, often prone to extensive ‘crushing’ from sitting down in the car, for example, incorporates Thinsulate to counteract this. Creating a durable barrier against wear-and-tear is a translucent ripstop nylon outer layer. To round this piece of outerwear beauty off, two hand-warmer pockets are located on the upper chest with two side-entry pockets located further down. We have this jacket in a choice of either ‘blackberry’ or ‘moon’.

Currently, This Thing of Ours is the only stockist of meanswhile in the U.K so you’re not going to find these pieces anywhere else..

Shop meanswhile Autumn/Winter ‘21 now. https://thisthingofours.co.uk/collections/meanswhile