To bring you the newest Dean Street drop we hot-footed it to the team over at Orienteer, who are making new tracks among the media landscape with a fresh format and even fresher perspectives on why getting out in the open-air, any trail big or small, city adventures, or the great outdoors is as essential way of being.
Orienteer Is a quarterly print magazine and creative agency set up by Rory Griffin (@rory_griffs) & Jack West (@wack_mestjan), photography & stylist duo working predominantly in the realms of outdoor and technical fashion.
The pair aim to highlight young designers next to already established brands and create a platform where both are deemed equal. With the magazine taking the print format of an OS map, it’s design inherently brings back memories of the past through nostalgia, this sense of something tangible is really important, Orienteer is something collectable and almost like a club that everyone can be a part of.
“Showing exclusive content shot across all terrain, mountains, hills, cityscapes – any trail big or small – the main aim for Orienteer is to inspire others to get out into nature and just explore.”
This thinking and viewpoint helped to shape the concept for Dean Streets Spring/Summer campaign ‘The Little Things in Life’ which includes a host of faces from creative industries who have found joy, comfort, and inspiration from spending more time in their local nature spots. The campaign captures those much-needed breaks outside that we have held so closely over this past year as well as the freedom of getting outside and enjoying the company of friends wherever possible. Discovering the benefits of time spent in the natural world right on their doorsteps, friends Olivia Jankowska and Zaineb Abelque, both photographers based in London said – “Getting out, exploring the outdoors and uniting people together after the past year has really highlighted the positive impact spending time in nature has on our mental health. We’ve taken these adventures outside as an opportunity to heal our mental wellbeing together”
We went for a wander with Rory and Jack to chat all things gear, nature, creativity, discovering how those things combined to bring us Orienteer. We’ve jotted up the notes from our natter below:
Tell us a bit about Orienteer, and what got you started?
Rory: Jack & I had been working on Orienteer long before we even knew it! From shooting projects with our own outerwear and tech wear. We were really interested in the similarities in clothing worn by different subcultures in the city. This sparked the project that is Orienteer issue 1. There was a duality between London’s graffiti subculture and the bankers and city workers of London’s business district.
We both had an interest in outerwear and found it interesting how groups of people from different subcultures wear outdoor clothing in ways not necessarily for the purpose the clothes are designed for.
Jack: The Mapazine takes the shape of an OS or A-Z map and can be viewed in lots of different ways once its unfolded. Rory and myself had both been interested in the outdoors and the clothes people wear to do certain outdoor activities and always found it interesting how these clothes were worn to do things outside of what they were designed for. This kind of became the theme of what we explored in issue 1.
In the age of social media, what drove you to choose print for Orienteers format?
Rory: Whilst social media plays a role in our work by communicating with masses and larger audiences at the click of a button, we are both very interested in print media. We’ve both had such an interest in magazines and books growing up, and we wanted to create something that had relevance to the imagery we were creating. OS maps inspired the Mapazine format of Orienteer; they have a sense of nostalgia that we felt everyone could relate to. We want that feeling of nostalgia to bring back good memories of the outdoors that can inspire people to get back into nature and inspire people who haven’t experienced the outdoors to get outside.
Jack: The Mapazine takes the shape of an OS or A-Z map and can be viewed in lots of different ways once its unfolded. Rory and myself had both been interested in the outdoors and the clothes people wear to do certain outdoor activities and always found it interesting how these clothes were worn to do things outside of what they were designed for. This kind of became the theme of what we explored in issue 1.
Do you draw inspiration from the outdoors into your everyday life / creative work?
Rory: Issue one was entirely inspired by what we saw around us on the streets of London; a lot of our work is inspired by what we see around us, on the ground or living amongst it. We like to keep that sense of reality consistent throughout our work. When working with nature, I think it’s important to respect what is in front of you and capture those natural elements within the imagery.
Jack: I think most of what we do is inspired by what we see around us, especially from the outdoors, which helps us develop a lot of the concepts for our projects and find interesting locations to shoot in.
What gave you inspiration for the ‘The Little Things’ concept that you developed?
Rory: Jack & I had already been thinking of this project for Berghaus a long while before this came about, we really wanted to push the idea that going outdoors really doesn’t have to mean the mountains or the great outdoors but rather those little hidden spots right on your doorstep.
Jack: As Rory said, it was an idea we were hoping to push for a while as we are both keen on the idea of making the outdoors seem accessible and that you can find interesting outdoor places without going as far as you think.
How much does kit play a part in inspiring you to get outside?
Rory: Whilst I love the kit and everything outdoors wear – when I was a kid going to scouts or growing up on a canal boat I wasn’t even wearing waterproofs, we just got outdoors and endured what nature threw at us. I think once you realise that the kit can be massively beneficial and helpful to your adventures then you get way more into it. I hope that with pushing outdoor fashion we can inspire others to get outdoors just off the back of being into the clothing worn.
Jack: The kit can definitely inspire people to get outdoors, so I think they go hand in hand; sometimes you can have all the gear to start with because you find the clothes or accessories interesting, and then you want to wear them daily and put them to proper use.
What matters to you most when it comes to kit?
Rory: I have a thing for jackets and boots! But In all honesty, something that can keep you warm is most important especially when wild camping or going on long hikes.
Jack: Yeah for me its outdoor jackets especially waterproof ones which i dont think you can get enough of !
How important is it for us to experience the outdoors (especially those within cities)?
R: Getting out of the city is generally just good for your mind, letting go of the stress of everyday life and putting your phone down for a moment. I went camping on New Year’s Eve in the snow, it was bloody freezing but the sunrise views on Dartmoor were incredible! I went camping with a couple of friends In the Brecon Beacons last year and we had a wild swim, that was good fun. When shooting Orienteer issue 3 we climbed a mountain in the lakes, we were shooting up there for 12 hours and that was a pretty immense experience.
J: I think experiencing the outdoors can be really great for your mind and allow you think of other things other than the busy day to day of living in a city. On top of that its also fun to discover new locations and explore places others might not have been before.
If you enjoyed our chat with Rory, head over to Orienteer’s insta @Orienteermapazine for more inspiring content than you can shake a stick at alongside updates on the next magazine drop which is available from www.orienteermapazine.com.
For a nosey at the latest Dean Street collection, head to Berghaus.com
