From launching the magazine internationally to building long-term cultural impact, Gensler reflects on what it takes to create a brand that lasts.

Why Launch Vanish Outdoor Magazine Now

Q: Over the last year we’ve seen the debut of Vanish Outdoor Magazine. Why now?

The goal is the same as day one—to inspire people to engage with nature.

Right now, we’re focused on showcasing cutting-edge, avant-garde creators who are pushing the boundaries of design and culture. It’s an honor to work with these people and share their vision.

Fashion is a big part of that because it’s such a personal and intimate form of design—but we’re also expanding beyond that. Overlanding, hospitality, food, art—anything that connects back to culture and the outdoors.

Building a Global Outdoor Culture Platform

Q: Vanish has been very active globally. How important is that physical presence?

It’s everything. The world is too digital.

You can see photos of Paris or Tokyo online all day, but it will never compare to actually being there. Vanish is a brand built on real-world experience—feet on the ground.

We launched in Florence at Pitti Uomo, then moved through Paris Fashion Week and six other European cities—Berlin, Copenhagen, Antwerp, Rome, Milan, and London. From there, we went to New York, then Japan, China, and Korea.

If you want to be a global brand, you have to physically be global.

I’m also lucky to have an incredible team. None of this happens without them.

A Brand Built for the Long Term

We’re focused on creating timeless issues—not chasing trends or hype, but highlighting the work of people who are genuinely pushing culture forward.

Vanish is a slow-built brand. We care about reality over hype. Digital platforms help us connect with people, but the goal is always deeper—real experiences, real engagement with nature.

What’s Next for Vanish Outdoor Magazine

Q: What’s next for Vanish?

We have new issues coming out and some big surprises planned.

We’re working on high-level collaborations across Asia and Europe, and expanding into new markets with strong partners.

At this point in my career, I’ve learned to say less and deliver more.

Stay tuned.

Sources of Inspiration

Q: What inspires you the most today?

First, my daughter, Zoe. She’s incredibly creative, and it’s inspiring to watch her grow into her own person.

My mother, Sharon, is about to turn 80, and her strength and grace have always been a huge influence on me.

Beyond that—love. It can give you energy one moment and break you the next, but it’s essential to everything I do.

Creatively, I’m constantly inspired by the brands and people we feature. I feel lucky to be part of this culture, and I’m always thinking about how I can contribute something meaningful back to it.

Who Vanish Is For

Q: Who is Vanish Outdoor Magazine for?

We want to speak to everyone, but naturally we attract a very visual and creative audience—people who care about aesthetics and what’s next.

Our audience is curious. They value quality, craftsmanship, and time in nature. They travel, they explore, and they’re interested in culture beyond trends.

It’s not about chasing fashion—it’s about understanding design and utility at a deeper level.

Brands and Culture on the Radar

Q: What brands are inspiring you right now?

There are so many that it’s hard to narrow it down.

I’m always inspired by Jeff and Karina Griffin and what they’ve built, as well as Hiroshi Nozawa and Norbit. There’s an incredible amount of innovation coming out of China right now—brands like Uppervoid, Raxxy, Hamcus, and others are really pushing things forward.

Japan continues to set the tone globally. Brands like Comfy Outdoor Garment, Nanga, White Mountaineering, Mountain Research, Kapital, and Visvim—there’s just an incredible energy coming out of Tokyo.

I’m also inspired by retailers that create real experiences. That’s something New York is missing right now—retail that authentically represents this culture and pushes it forward.

Dream Collaborations

Q: Are there brands you’d love to work with?

Definitely Nike ACG. The level of innovation and cultural impact is undeniable.

I’m also really interested in Ineos—their vehicle platform has huge potential to expand into a broader overland ecosystem.

And Leica. I’d love to revisit what I started there years ago and take it even further.

Outdoor Culture in New York City

Q: What does outdoor culture look like in NYC?

It’s more real than people think.

Sure, there’s a lot of people dressing like they’re heading to Everest just to grab coffee—but there’s also a real outdoor community here.

There’s surfing, kayaking, boating, and an incredible fishing scene. Spring bass fishing in Jamaica Bay or along the Hudson and East River is next level. Even Central Park has its own ecosystem.

It’s all there—you just have to look for it.

Career Highlights

Q: Looking back, what are some of your proudest career moments?

Rebuilding Leica was a big one. It meant a lot to people, and we were able to bring it back in a meaningful way.

Working on projects with Hennessy, Roc-A-Fella, and early collaborations in music and fashion also shaped my perspective.

Helping bring Mystery Ranch into new cultural spaces, building the Borderlands project, and creating FishThing during COVID—those are all moments that stand out.

But honestly, the most meaningful moments are the ones where you see the impact on people and culture over time.

This concludes our three-part David Gensler interview exploring the origins, philosophy, and future of Vanish Outdoor Magazine.

→ Read Part 1
→ Read Part 2

The post David Gensler Interview (Part 3): What’s Next for Vanish Outdoor Magazine appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

From fishing obsessions to the role of technology, Gensler shares a candid perspective on what it means to build an authentic brand today.

Q: Vanish Outdoor Magazine has a very different aesthetic from most outdoor publications. Was that intentional?

I’m not sure. I mean, you always set out to be different and unique, but I don’t think it was overly planned.

A lot of it comes from Brooklyn, my travels, and just my personal taste. I wanted to create something that felt relatable to the people and peers I care about—and, honestly, something that might offend a few people from the traditional outdoor industry, which I always found a bit predictable and boring.

Q: How did COVID impact Vanish and your personal direction?

COVID was a pivotal moment. I left New York City and moved to Pennsylvania to be near my mom and away from the city.

I fished over 200 days in a row during that time, and it completely changed my perspective. I realized I would never fully trap myself in the city again.

I was hooked—literally—and that’s when I started executing a long-term plan for how Vanish would grow and become a global brand.

Q: What are your biggest outdoor passions?

Fishing is first and last. I’m obsessed. I also love overlanding, road trips, anything in the mountains, and even gardening. It’s all connected.

Q: You split your time between business and design. Which matters more?

My time is split between management and creative, but design is the most important.

Design is the connective point with the audience. At the end of the day, people don’t connect with “business”—they connect with design, art, and culture.

That said, business, strategy, and management are critical. They’re what allow you to scale your ideas and reach more people. But what people actually love—that emotional connection—comes from design.

Q: Outdoor culture is growing rapidly. Where do you see it going next?

I don’t think outdoor culture is going anywhere. Nature doesn’t fade, and humanity’s need for nature doesn’t fade either.

If anything, I think we’ll see more brands and businesses focusing on the outdoors as a reaction to how digital our lives have become.

The more digital the world gets, the more essential nature becomes.

What I do think will change is the shift toward authenticity. There will always be brands trying to ride trends, but the ones that truly engage with the outdoors in a real way will last.

Authenticity always wins in the end.

Q: Vanish—and you personally—seem to have a complicated relationship with technology. Is that fair?

Yeah, absolutely. I don’t hate technology—I hate how addictive it can be and how much it can pull people away from reality.

I think we need to educate ourselves—and especially younger generations—about the importance of time away from devices. Deep time in nature.

It’s about balance. That balance is hard to achieve, especially when modern work depends on technology, but it’s something we have to actively pursue.

Nature connects us back to something fundamental—to the origins of humanity itself.

Q: You mentioned authenticity. How do you define it?

Authenticity is messy. It’s imperfect. It’s obsessive.

For me, it means focusing on your own vision and not being overly influenced by what others are doing.

At the same time, you need to be aware of the world around you—you have to understand the landscape—but still remain detached enough to do your own thing.

That tension is where authenticity lives.

Continue the David Gensler Interview:

Part 1 of the Interview.

This is Part 2 of our interview with David Gensler, founder of Vanish Outdoor Magazine.

In Part 3, Gensler discusses the global expansion of Vanish, the launch of the magazine, and what’s next for the brand.

→ Continue to Part 3 of the David Gensler interview

The post David Gensler Interview (Part 2): Design, Authenticity, and the Future of Outdoor Culture appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

ON THE FRINGES OF THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND, IN A PLACE CALLED HARTLAND, EXISTS TWO WORLDS IN ONE: GRIFFIN STUDIO, THE PRACTICE OF JEFF AND KARINA GRIFFIN, INNOVATORS IN TECHNICAL OUTWEAR, AND THEIR HOME AND ECO-REATREAT LOVELAND FARM – A PLACE WHERE URBAN AND NATURE EXIST TOGETHER, INSPIRING A RECONNECTION TO THE VASTNESS OF NATURE AND ITS WILD DRUMBEAT.

The post Vanish Outdoor Magazine Exclusive: Griffin Studio and Loveland Farm appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

As part of the recent Vanish tour of Asia, the Vanish team were lucky enough to be invited over to the Beams HQ (overseeing a diverse portfolio of more than 30 brands and creative projects) to meet the chief buyer at Beams Plus and esteemed vintage outdoor clothing collector Shigeru Kaneko.

Given a warm welcome by the Beams staff, Team Vanish were able to learn all about the brand’s incredible 50 year history thanks in part to a permanent in-house timeline exhibition.

Though impossible to document all of their impressive achievements over the years, the products on display nonetheless provided a fascinating insight into the brand. Showcasing a number of key evolutionary moments and significant releases, from the brand’s inception in 1976 (originally called ‘American Life shop Beams’) right through to today’s globe spanning empire. Leaving us in no doubt that though Beams has been inspired by timeless looks such as American Ivy League and classic English tailoring, that their name is now equally synonymous with classic style, albeit with a signature Japanese obsession for detail and premium quality.

Following this impressive history lesson, the Vanish team met up with Shigeru Kaneko, who as well as being the chief buyer of Beams Plus, is also widely respected around the world for his seriously impressive collection of vintage outdoor clothing. Having released his Outdoor Expedition Book 99 last year (Vol. 9 in the “I AM BEAMS” series), an ongoing global exhibition tour (Expedition Club) followed.

Clearly a very busy man, Shigeru kindly took time out to pick some of his rarest and most impressive down parkas specifically for the Vanish team to check out. Consisting predominantly of North American brands from the second half of the twentieth century alongside the incredibly rare down parkas were a number of vintage Eddie Bauer down hand warmers and face masks that have now become something of a Shigeru trademark in his legendary collection. Alongside Eddie Bauer the archival outerwear included brands such as Gerry, The North Face, Pointfive, Moncler, REI, Blacks, Wilderness Experience, Snow Lion, Adventure 16 and Mountain Equipment. The latter two brands and their down jackets having both provided direct design inspiration for recent Beams Plus collaborations with END Clothing and Palace Skateboards, respectively.

Meeting Shigeru and experiencing the collection was an unforgettable experience and a particular highlight in what has been an incredible trip to one of the most exciting and design savvy cities in the world…a visit which was topped off by the always affable Shigeru donning his beloved Gerry U.S.A.F. Survival suit for us and letting us take some shots of him in this incredible piece of military expedition history from 1959.

Vanish would like to say a huge thank you to Shigeru Kaneko and Mizuki Maeda for taking time out of their busy schedules to show us around, as well as all the staff at Beams HQ and the Beams Plus store in Harajuku.

The post An Exclusive Look Behind the Scenes at Beams Headquarters with Shigeru Kaneko appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

From Brooklyn to the mountains, Gensler’s perspective has shaped Vanish into what many now consider the outdoor avant-garde—a platform redefining how we engage with the outdoors.

Q: Could you introduce yourself?

I’m David Gensler, a strategist and designer currently living in New York, working on my brand, Vanish.

Q: Can you tell us about the background of Vanish Outdoor Magazine? When and why did you start it?

It was 2013, and I was walking to an Agenda trade show with the show’s founder—and my friend—Aaron Levant. I had just rebuilt the Leica Camera brand and helped facilitate the sale of Hasselblad to DJI. I was planning to take a break in my career to spend time in nature—fishing, being in the mountains, slowing things down.

The show was filled with outdoor brands like Poler, and something clicked. That night, I dreamt up Vanish as a platform to inspire people to engage with nature. At that moment, I wanted a kind of “Hypebeast for outdoor culture”—but it didn’t exist. So I created it.

At the same time, I was constantly looking at GO OUT magazine from Japan. I remember thinking, I’m either going to have to learn Japanese… or create my own outdoor culture magazine.

Q: You were living in Brooklyn at the time. Will Vanish Outdoor Magazine always sit between urban culture and nature?

Yeah, I spent most of my adult life—and early career—in Brooklyn. I love New York City, but my soul craves nature too much to have both feet planted in the city all the time.

Vanish will always exist between those two worlds. One foot in urban culture, the other in the outdoors—that’s our DNA.

Q: How has the Vanish brand evolved over the years?

For a long time, I was doing it solo. I was involved in other major projects, so I wasn’t fully focused on Vanish—but it was always my main passion.

Over time, I started dedicating more energy to it. I was also spending more time in nature personally, which naturally fed into the brand.

Then in 2017, I randomly met my partner, Dana Gleason, in Bozeman, Montana—and he kind of kicked my ass into gear.

Q: What do you mean by that?

He asked me what Vanish was, and I said, “We are the invasive species of the outdoor industry. We don’t fit in, and we don’t feel like we belong.”

He laughed and said, “You don’t. But that’s exactly why we need you.”

That stuck with me. I took that energy and got focused. We started experimenting—products, brand extensions like FishThing (angling culture), Landscape (hats), and collaborations with The North Face and Mystery Ranch.

In 2019, we partnered with ISPO to launch The Borderlands. It was a massive exhibition—a three-tiered city we built out of industrial scaffolding, featuring brands from around the world that represented our vision of cutting-edge outdoor culture and design.

It was a defining moment for Vanish Outdoor Magazine.

And then, not long after, COVID hit.

Interview by Reuben C

Continue the David Gensler Interview. This David Gensler interview explores how Vanish Outdoor Magazine is redefining outdoor culture.

This is Part 1 of our interview with David Gensler, founder of Vanish Outdoor Magazine.

In Part 2, Gensler explores design, authenticity, technology, and the future of outdoor culture.

→ Continue to Part 2 of the David Gensler interview

The post David Gensler Interview: Building Vanish Outdoor Magazine and the Future of Outdoor Culture appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

Unifying function and fashion, rugged and refined, craftsmanship and performance, FLOWER MOUNTAIN strives for balance in this world. Their world is in pursuit of harmonizing with nature, tuned to it’s every season, its every ebb and flow, which is reflected back in the curve of every shoe they make – mountains and flowers expressing the beauty found in nature flowing through each of their designs. This is a genuine expression of a Japanese project.

They dedicate their brand to those who refuse to settle for the ordinary.

The post Vanish Outdoor Magazine Issue Zero: Flower Mountain appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

Raxxy

Brand: RAXXY
Interviewee: WILLIAM SHEN, FOUNDER / CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Year Founded: 2020
Location: SHANGHAI\MILAN
Website: raxxy.com
Instagram: @christopherraxxy_official

Vanish (V): Can you tell us about your background in mathematics and how it guides your design process?

William Shen (WS): My background in mathematics began early, through competitive problem-solving and advanced training that shaped the way I approach structure and logic. I was involved in high-level mathematical competitions during my formative years, which instilled discipline, precision, and an understanding that every system must resolve itself coherently. That way of thinking has stayed with me. Mathematics trained me to see form as consequence rather than decoration. In my design process, garments are treated as systems: proportions are deliberate, balance is calculated, and tension is engineered into the structure. I don’t begin with emotion or narrative, I begin with logic. When construction is resolved, emotion emerges naturally through clarity and restraint.

V: Your first collection was a radical new aesthetic and departure from most of the fashion industry — how did the market react?

WS: The reaction was polarized, which felt inevitable. When something doesn’t align with established categories, discomfort is often the first response. Some people didn’t know how to read it, while others connected immediately. I wasn’t aiming for instant acceptance, I was looking for recognition. The audience that understood the work did so without explanation, which confirmed the clarity of the language.

V: How do you personally define your design style?

WS: Restrained, architectural, and intentionally tense. Raxxy operates in a space of control, clean lines, precise construction, and subtle aggression. It’s not about spectacle or nostalgia. It’s about precision and presence, about garments that feel resolved yet quietly confrontational rather than loud.

V: What is the design culture like in China today?

WS: It’s ambitious and fast-moving, but still in transition. There is exceptional technical ability and a strong drive to innovate, yet many designers are still negotiating identity through external reference points. The most compelling work today comes from those who stop translating themselves for validation and begin speaking with certainty from their own position.

V: Where are you currently pulling inspiration from?

WS: Architecture, industrial systems, and environments where function dictates form. I’m also deeply interested in human behavior, particularly how people protect themselves, visually and psychologically. Clothing as a form of modern armor is an idea I return to often, not symbolically but structurally. That thinking was central to the show staged on the Great Wall of China in October 2021, where scale, history, and human presence exist in constant tension — a context that mirrors how I consider garments in relation to the body and its environment.

V: What’s on the horizon next for you and your brand?

WS: We’re entering a phase of gradual and considered growth. The Harrods pop-up in January was an important moment of observation rather than affirmation, an opportunity to see how the brand’s language engages with an international audience and a historic retail context, without forcing its presence. From this season onward, together with our European partners, we are expanding wholesale selectively, prioritizing long-term relationships built on shared understanding. Direct retail remains a future step, to be approached with patience and coherence, once the brand is ready to sustain a more direct dialogue with its audience.

V: Is there anything specific you’d like to discuss that we didn’t cover?

WS: It’s important to acknowledge that fashion is never just about clothing. It’s about identity, control, and distance, how people choose to present themselves or remain untouchable. When designers accept that reality, the work becomes more honest. That’s the space Raxxy operates in.

The post Vanish Exclusive Q and A – Brand Profile from Issue One: Raxxy appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

ON THE NORTHERN FRINGE OF TWO CONTINENTS LIES A LAND WHERE HUMANS FIRST DEFINED THEIR SPIRITUAL CONNECTION TO NATURE. THE PEOPLE OF THE ARCTIC EVOLVED A SET OF RITUALS THAT OPENED THE DOOR TO DIRECT AND UNMEDIATED EXPERIENCE OF THE NATURAL WORLD. ARCHAIC TECHNIQUES OF ECSTASY (ATOE) PROVIDED THE PATH TO ACHIEVING TRANSCENDENCE, WHERE IT BECAME POSSIBLE TO WITNESS THE SPIRITUAL LIFE OF EVERY OBJECT, EVERY STONE OR BLADE OF GRASS ON THE MOUNTAIN.

BERINGIA IS A PLACE WHERE NATURE COMES ALIVE AND GUIDES US TOWARD EXPERIENCES OF PASSAGE, REVEALING REALITIES SEPARATE FROM OUR DAILY LIVES, THROUGH BRIEF, ECSTATIC INTERVALS THAT BLOW PAST OUR PERCEPTUAL BOUNDARIES. IT’S WHY WE GO TO SNOWBOUND ALPS AND FRIGID OCEANS, WHY WE RUN TO THE HILLS IN PURSUIT OF LOST WORLDS AND SECRET SPOTS: TO DISCOVER THAT WHICH IS BEYOND OUR INDIVIDUAL LIVES, WHAT SHATTERS OUR SENSE OF SELF, WHAT MAKES US SUPERHUMAN. AND ALWAYS, TO RE-FIND THAT LOST MOUNTAIN HIGH.

The post Vanish Outdoor Magazine Issue Zero: Beringia appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

Rooted in slowness, the practice rejects serial production in favor of singular, handcrafted works—each one the result of a meticulous, almost ritualistic process. Objects emerge through cycles of prototyping and tactile experimentation, where time and intuition shape the final form along with the material itself.

The work draws on historic silhouettes and overlooked archetypes, but not to recreate. Instead, it distorts, reimagines, and repositions the past within a contemporary actualization frame. The artist seeks tension—between memory and modernity, structure and softness, the known and the speculative. In this friction, a quiet transformation takes place: perception shifts.

The practice moves along the edges of what could be called an outdoor avantgarde, which merges fieldwork with fiction, a survival gear with ritual. It draws on the language of expanded sculpture, site-responsiveness, and narrative utility, positioning the wearer not merely as user, but as participant in a lived mythology.

The post Vanish Brand Profile: Not Less Or Equal appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

IN THE QUEST FOR HORIZONTAL GAINS, WE CREATE LINES IN THE LANDSCAPE.

ORIGINATING FROM OSLO, VANCOUVER AND LONDON, PORTAL OFFERS AN ANTIDOTE TO THE SILOS CREATED ACROSS RIDE, RUN, AND HIKE…BRINGING A UNIFYING PERSPECTIVE TO OUTDOOR ACTIVITY. INSPIRED BY MOVEMENT AND NATURE, AND PROVIDING A WARDROBE OF TOOLS FOR MODERN EXPLORERS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN MULTI-MODALITY.

The post PORTAL, In Search of Multi-Modality appeared first on VANISH TODAY.