The Confusing Case of and wander x Zara
Japanese outerwear brand and wander has been relentless in its efforts to make sublime yet functional hiking gear, utilizing recycled polyester, organic cotton and other eco-conscious textiles. They know good materials — a fact that makes and wander's new collaboration with Zara all the more puzzling.
Inspired by the colors of a sunny snow day, and wander and Zara have teamed up for a new winter wear collection. Available January 16, the collection includes a mix of slope-ready garments like waterproof nylon jackets and anorak fleeces alongside cutesy après ski accessories like cushioned tote bags and puffer headscarves.
The goal of the collection, it seems, is to offer and wander’s quality and durability at Zara prices. If that sounds contradictory, well, that's because it is.
and wander's founders Keita Ikeuchi and Mihoko Mori met while working as designers for Issey Miyake. The two quickly bonded over their shared obsession with the outdoors, and teamed up to launch an outdoorwear brand centered on technical details and innovative materials like quick-drying Polartec and ripstop nylon. Their attention to quality materials seems quite at odds with Zara’s approach, which tends to favor lower-cost fabrics like polyester and acrylic.
The founders’ intentionality, meant to encourage an appreciation for nature, exists in direct opposition to Zara's planet-exploiting practices, making it hard to get super excited about this collaboration.
On one hand, it's nice to see an indie fashion brand get more recognition. No one can deny the financial upside to collaborating with a brand as big as Zara, which reported an increase in sales at the start of Q4. Can we really fault a small brand for expanding?
On the flip side, and wander's nature-conscious ethos is what makes it such a refreshing fashion disrupter. This collaboration sours the brand's existing MO. It’s great that more people will be able to access and wander's innovative outdoor wear, but the less-than-savory practices of fast fashion giants make it hard to reconcile this collab as a total win.
