Dean Street is back for spring summer with a fresh take on archive designs that bring a full-scale celebration the joy of being out in nature. For this seasons campaign we collaborated with the team over at Orienteer Mapazine who gathered together a crew of folk from creative industries who’ve found joy, comfort, and inspiration from spending more time in their local nature spots.
Titled ‘The Little Things’, 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.
We’ll stop harping on now and you can hear first-hand, from our Dean Street crew, about how time spent outside works wonders for creative flow:
Zaineb Abelque @zainebzeeee
Zaineb is a photographer & creative based in London, proud member of the girls hiking club ‘Athene Club’ which aims to create a safe and inclusive space for women to explore nature and get outdoors.
What has been the positive impact on you discovering the outdoors?
Being present – knowing that I have an option to pause and allowing myself to do so.
Do you draw inspiration from the outdoors into your everyday life / creative work?
110% I feel like I actively try to make links between nature and the way I feel / what I want to explore. Now knowing how much I enjoy the outdoors I’ve actively been using it as a source of inspiration.
“Everyone needs to experience the outdoors, I think it’s as important as having a meal with family or going to the pub on a Friday. Unfortunately, it’s not accessible for everyone, but a place like Athene club encourages the availability of outdoor spaces to those who are constrained to city life. The outdoors should be normalised as a space of unity and shed its connotations of middle-class white families. By distributing resources and sharing info about how to tackle the outdoors, hopefully more people get to experience it.”
What are ‘The Little Things’ you’ve discovered whilst outdoors?
Nothing in the outdoors is little, if anything you discover how little you are and with that comes a sense of comfort and tranquillity. The whole ‘it’s not that deep’ mindset. The little things are the things we are ungrateful for which the outdoors delivers – it’s the silence and being present.
Ekun Richard @ekunrichard
Ekun is a painter based in Manchester represented by Francis Gallery whose work is inspired by nature, through selective colour tones Ekun brings a sense of the outdoors into his work.
What has been the positive impact on you discovering the outdoors?
For me, I would say the biggest positive impact has been my mental health. Going up on the tops around Yorkshire during the middle of lockdown was a godsend. It allowed me to clear my head and even get inspiration during a time when it was hard to come by.
Do you draw inspiration from the outdoors into your everyday life / creative work?
Nature is genuinely a part of every area of my life. My thoughts, what I put into my body and how I carry out my day: nature is always considered. In order for us to be more at peace with ourselves and each other its crucial. Different aspects of movement in the outdoors and around the world then trickle their way into my creative works and play off each other constantly and I make a conscious effort to explore this.
“Experiencing the outdoors is most important and I would urge anyone who lives in the city to get out and go for a walk. Being from a city like Manchester, you can easily get wrapped up in staying in the centre, almost to where you forget about all this land around us but getting on a train and heading out for the day honestly has changed my life for the better. It helps you build so much more appreciation for what’s around us, so yeah, get out there brothers and sisters!”
What are ‘The Little Things’ you’ve discovered whilst outdoors?
I think for me it’s the mystery of not knowing which path leads where. Whether that be in a new city or out in the middle of nowhere, there’s something intriguing about just walking and walking until you get to a new ‘best spot’ for the day and then you wake up and go again.
Ciara Ford @junior.cleopatra
Ciara is a Manchester based performing artist and actress who together with Ekun has been making a conscious decision to get outdoors into nature and explore as part of their everyday life.
What has been the positive impact on you discovering the outdoors?
Something that I gained from discovering the outdoors was not only serenity, but a clearing of my mind and inner peace. It gave me a safe place to just enjoy my surroundings and feel soothed by the clean air.
“Being exposed to nature makes me realise how grateful I am to be able to witness the beautiful landmarks and natural formations of the world. You really take for granted the natural landscape of the hills and valleys until you take the time to look at them.”
Do you draw inspiration from the outdoors into your everyday life / creative work?
I try to remember that if you respect nature, it will respect you, and through this I have become vegan in what I eat and I look to holistic remedies to heal myself and improve upon my body. Everything you need is in nature and I try to live with this thought in my day to day. As a performing artist and actress, it’s interesting to see how the effects of nature can change emotions in people. It’s something I consider when performing and rehearsing for an upcoming role.
What are ‘The Little Things’ you’ve discovered whilst outdoors?
Being exposed to nature makes me realise how grateful I am to be able to witness the beautiful landmarks and natural formations of the world. You really take for granted the natural landscape of the hills and valleys until you take the time to look at them.
Onenorff @onenorff
Is a Manchester based outdoor enthusiast and digital content creator who you’ll see sporting tech-wear most days of the week, on his weekends and throughout the lockdown he took to the outdoors and nature for an escape from the lockdown. Whether it’s driving into the hills to explore caves or climbing hills and mountains for a cuppa.
What has been the positive impact on you discovering the outdoors?
I’ve used the skills & knowledge I’ve learnt whilst being outdoors in my personal life like how to overcome object & feel more peace at mind.
“The city life can be very stressful I think it’s really important to get outdoors and free up your mind and not worry too much about work/personal life.”
Do you draw inspiration from the outdoors into your everyday life / creative work?
I get inspiration from everything especially the outdoors the colours patterns in my day-to-day outfits
The city life can be very stressful I think it’s really important to get outdoors and free up your mind and not worry too much about work/personal life.
What are ‘The Little Things’ you’ve discovered whilst outdoors?
Mainly patience.
This season’s Dean Street builds upon our back-catalogue of inspiring more and more people to get out into nature. The SS21 leads the way into a nature filled future with updates archive gems with two distinct colour concepts, one built around collegiate green and navy tones, the other a playful, positive combination of pink and blue power pastels. Both colour palettes champion the excitement we feel from ‘The Little Things’ and how much optimism can be drawn from stepping outside.
