[INTERVIEW] eye_C Magazine

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," as the old saying goes.

But what about utility?

In our language and in our lives, function is treated as an inherent trait — not something to be judged, but an objective property of a creation. A 4WD is unquestionably practical. A rain jacket has countless uses. Yet on a sunny Sunday cruise, it is the “impractical” things — a nimble convertible, a thin linen shirt — that prove the most capable.

Is it function that lies in the eye of the beholder? Or is something else at hand?

For AW21, Tokyo-based meanwhile once again unearthed an old adage to explore the possibilities between beauty and utility. Titled “Form Follows Function / Function Follows Form,” the collection pursues the belief that new value can be found in existing concepts — just as humanity’s earliest ancestors took hints from the shapes of stones and turned them into tools.

In doing so, it challenges the very essence of technical clothing design.

Function Determines Form

“Form follows function” — the words of American architect Louis Henry Sullivan.

“As a designer, this phrase has always been in my head,” says Naohiro Fujisaki, creative director of meanswhile. “I thought about what its opposite, ‘function follows form,’ might mean in light of our concept.”

That concept is the label’s founding principle. meanswhile was born in 2014 to explore “clothing as tools” — an idea that echoes a philosophy Sullivan would likely have cherished.

Like many in the technical apparel world, Fujisaki’s interest in functional design began with time spent outdoors. “That’s probably what got me interested in equipment and gear,” he says. “I liked investigating how things were made — ‘Why is this part shaped like this?’ ‘Why is this fabric used?’”

He went on to study at a fashion college, but in truth, his reason for taking that path was less a passion for clothing than a wish to narrow down what he would make. “I did like fashion, but more than that, at first I simply had a strong desire to make things. I was looking for a way to put my knowledge, my past experiences and the inspiration I’d gained outdoors into form, and at that time I chose clothing, which I was most interested in.”

His studies brought Fujisaki a new perspective: clothing as costume. Garments that had been practical began to look like something artistic. “What role does clothing play? Is it enough to make something that stands out? I thought about things like that.” “The first thing I made from scratch outside the classroom as a fashion student was a wedding dress.”

With both a technical grounding and a fashion sensibility, Fujisaki became interested in the interplay between the two fields. “That’s when I came up with the concept of ‘clothing as tools.’”

“At the time, there was no backpack on the market with all the functions I wanted, so I thought I had no choice but to make one myself. It took three years from concept to completion, and with the birth of that backpack, I started meanswhile.”

Form and Substance

In the 10 years since Fujisaki made his first backpack, meanswhile has blossomed into one of the freshest technical apparel lines in the world.

Hard to find outside Japan, and not sold in North America until last season, the brand holds a certain mystique even among enthusiasts. It is not merely hard to get; it is paradoxical. Alongside novel concepts, its pieces take on classic forms. Complex functions are hidden behind simple exteriors. Yet however complex they may look, they are always, without question, designed for function.

“My design process usually starts with deciding the purpose of the item. For outerwear for mountaineering, for example, I think about what functions are needed and design from there. How will the arms move? Then I consider a pattern that won’t restrict that movement. Will it be worn in wet conditions? If so, it needs a water-repellent fabric. I add and subtract according to need. Through that selection, it is ultimately reflected in the design.”

Like contemporaries such as EASTLOGUE and Mountain Research, meanswhile draws inspiration from vintage military and outdoor wear, reconstructing its rugged functionality to suit modern life. But meanswhile has a composure about it, as if the clothes themselves demand to be different from everything else.

The brand’s latest collection could be called the culmination of this.

For AW21, Fujisaki reversed his usual design process, starting from vintage military references (form) and imagining new functions for them. He then experimented with materials and functions to realize them without changing the silhouettes. GORE-TEX, fleece, Thinsulate and Toray’s poly-nylon textile “ARTIROSA” are used throughout.

“In everyday life, I keep asking all kinds of questions — why this shape, why this material,” says Fujisaki. “It’s not that I’m searching for functional elements; it feels more like I’m training the underlying way of thinking every day.”

This season’s loop-zip MA-1 is one example. Bomber jackets are often worn open and, depending on the weather, can be zipped up firmly. The usual way is to close both front panels with a single center zipper. On this bomber jacket, however, a simple single zip is no longer needed. Instead, it has paneled double zips like a backcountry ski shell (with added pockets).

How do panel zips function on a bomber jacket? That depends on what is being asked of them.

“What matters is whether a function serves its intended purpose. But I

believe that combining different elements creates new expressions. A function that is useless in one situation may be useful in another. What’s important is to keep experimenting.”

meanswhile’s latest collection is both a challenge to the traditional ethos of technical apparel design and an evolution of the very reasons the brand is admired in the first place.

Function may be in the eye of the beholder. As for beauty, meanwhile’s new mode of expression is, objectively speaking, remarkable.