Launched in the Fall of 2019, Beringia is a ‘development-driven brand that draws equally from design ideation, technical innovation, and advanced fiber and fabric engineering’. Prior to successfully launching Beringia, Bernie co-founded Duckworth, the only 100% Made-in-USA Merino wool clothing company, and has also played major roles in providing Brand and Marketing direction for outdoor powerhouses K2 and the SWATCH group, to name a few.

While Bernthal’s work experience is certainly commendable, he’ll be the first to tell you his story and Beringia’s span WELL beyond the confines of any office. As you’ll find out in this interview, Bernie is a true pioneer of the outdoor industry whose passion for nature and outdoor recreation has taken him on a multitude of worldly adventures over many decades. Through these experiences and shared passions of skiing, surfing, mountain climbing, and mother nature, Bernie’s formed friendships with like-minded folk – from across Europe to Japan – that have helped him propel Beringia into a reality.

We’ll leave it there and let Bernie takeover in sharing his perspective on Nature-Culture-Future…Strap in and get ready to enjoy the latest Wild Ingenuity™ adventure!

NATURE
Tell us a bit about yourself, your company/scope of work, and how nature is woven into your product strategy…

NATURE (continued)

CULTURE
Where do you go for inspiration and what out there in current culture is creating the best or most interesting vibes to motivate you?

Bernie: Really good design. Anything made with wool, the process to the final product. Kinda obvious and vanilla. The Japanese outdoor/street/fashion/textile scene is a pretty cool collision of styles that is producing an interesting aesthetic.

FUTURE
What does the future look like for your work and what’s on your mind as you look forward?

Bernie: Great timing to ask this question. I will never stop working and will always be looking to bring newness and change. I want to disrupt the commodity brands, find new, international, interesting like-minded people and brands to do cool stuff with to keep us young and active. It’s also inspiring to see the trending collision of sorts on the way between outdoor, technical, and fashion industries.

Follow Beringia on Instagram // learn more about Beringia’s Master of Bishu Collection here

Our many thanks to Bernie for offering his time, wisdom, and experience towards this piece!

The post Wild Ingenuity™: Robert ‘Bernie’ Bernthal of Beringia appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

Music originally brought founders Trent Valladares and Dan Maravilla together as teenagers living in southern California in the late 1980s. Both visual artists, they would outfit concerts into total sensory experiences by creating and performing original music as well as transforming prestigious concert venues with all-encompassing art installations. Clothing and fashion were also on their radar, often repurposing and making their own clothing and accessories.

The brand’s recently released Women In Focus series highlights female creatives and photographers as they share their stories, challenges, successes and give advice to encourage other women in the industry. Drawing on decades of experience in fashion, music, and art and channels to equip the next generation of creators, HEX teamed up with Natalie Amrossi, Shauna Wade, Elise Swopes, Claire Lejeune, and Enkrypt Los Angeles to create the series and showcase a different perspective in an often male-dominated field. In each episode, the artists discuss what it took to be successful in their careers and how their unique backgrounds shaped the creative journey.

Inspired by music, art and fashion with more than a decade of experience in the design and photography industries, Trent Valladares leads design and direction as co-founder of HEX.

His mission for the brand is to empower everyone to explore the outer limits of their potential through thoughtfully designed products. One of the ways they do this is by developing relationships and creating exclusive collections with top names such as Jim Lee, American Comic Book Artist; Serj Tankian, Renowned Musician and Producer; Rory Kramer, Photographer and Filmmaker; and most recently, Misshattan, Photographer and Creative Director. Working alongside these respected visual artists, musicians, and storytellers helps guide his creative decisions and provides a strong base for his work and aspirations to deliver what every creator needs.

Trent thrives on building community and being a hands-on creator. In addition to his experience as a photographer and musician, Trent has also designed products for numerous domestic and international brands including DKNY, Deluxe Skateboarding, The Hundreds and many others. He has been granted three U.S. patents and has been a featured guest at various events around the country, such as the Next Great Consumer Brand conference at the NASDAQ in New York. We managed to grab Trent on a Zoom call and learn a bit more…

How does Nature influence your work?

Certainly one of the best ways nature influences my work right now is that more and more people are trying to be out in nature. Traveling, hiking, camping….and I hope it stays. This is one of the silver linings of COVID. Because people who maybe didn’t have time or didn’t realize they liked it weren’t getting out into nature, and then they were. This is great, I want to keep doing these things. As a brand we’ve always been about crossing demographics. The more that the lifestyle becomes more all encompassing, that’s in our wheelhouse. You don’t have go be this one person to wear this bag. We’re here to outfit you from work to evening, from trail to travel. And of course on a personal level I like being out in nature — and from a photography standpoint these things go hand in hand , the more I’m out, the more I shoot.

How does Culture influence your work?

Because HEX was my brand, myself and my brother-in-law launched it, it was very influenced by contemporary culture. There’s a minimalist element, there’s a color story, and it’s how I view what’s going on in the marketplace and in culture. Theres always a tech tie in. We have fashion, streetwear chops, but as tech changes, our products have to change. Even through COVID, bloggers could still do their thing, but it was all outdoors. It’s about looking at what you can do. We work with different artists, musicians, visual artists, photographers, and I’ll talk to them about what they’re seeing, what they need. They are very involved in product development. It starts as a collaboration and the research rolls into other products after the colab is done. I’m always talking to folks I know — I’m in LA so it’s easy for me to talk to people and learn what they need. We are authentically in the space, these people are my friends, so this is not a big corporation and a focus group, it’s relationship based.

What does the future hold?

Hopefully it holds some improvements in the manufacturing climate. But really I like the direction that the creative industry is going and consumer products are going. There’s a lot of different things to look at, there’s more all encompassing products, more serving lifestyle than specific tasks. So you’ll see us supporting that kind of stuff. With cloud-based technology and workflow, and improved chip processing capability and memory, people are more mobile and traveling lighter. We want to enable people to do more with their time.

I think there’s space for everyone. We have our own lane, we compete, but the cooler things we all do raises the category as a whole and gets more eyeballs on the whole category. Bags are one of those things that, especially with creators, if you talk to them, they’ll have a closet full of bags. It’s fun to have, and there’s always new things coming out. Specially men’s bags/accessories are the biggest upward trending item in fashion.

The post Wild Ingenuity™: Trent Valladares and HEX Bags appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

“Our sport has been exclusive for too long and it’s time to change the status quo,” he tells me as we reconnect over how to bring his story to life during Pride Month and while the nation experiences an unprecedented bike boom.

During an accomplished international non-profit career, Alpian focused on human rights, climate change and its effect on refugees and humanitarian assistance in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa at organizations like UNICEF and the United Nations. He also holds a master’s degree in International Relations from Columbia University, and undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from New York University and St. John’s University.

A love for the outdoors and bike racing are what brought Massimo to leave his non-profit career for a marketing and communications career in the outdoor industry and move to Boulder roughly a decade ago. He has worked on both the brand and agency side, executing communications and strategies for outdoor brands including CamelBak, Fjällräven, HOKA, Tracksmith, and KEEN. In his current role managing global communications for Cannondale, he works on making cycling and bikes accessible to all, while working on the ground with various non-profit organizations focusing on social and racial justice. Not the usual job description for someone in his position. He sits on the board of directors for Ride for Racial Justice, Protect Our Winters, Ned Gravel and others.

Dive in to our full interview with Alpian here:

How did you find yourself in this position?

Almost 8 years ago I walked into the Dynafit offices in downtown Boulder with a passion for brand marketing and not a whole lot of experience. My big break came from two individuals who took a chance on me and brought me on for an entry level role — Scott Knight and Eric “Hende” Henderson. Since then, my professional path has grown and I’m grateful to have worked with some of the best agencies, brands and organizations in the outdoor and endurance spaces that represent my values: equity, inclusivity, diversity and sustainability.

The bike industry is both large and small, and over the years I’ve been able to bring these values into the bike community. When a role opened up at Cannondale and GT and a recruiter reached out, I knew that opportunity was meant for me. Both brands align with who I am, what I want our cycling community to represent, and this next moment in my career was fate.

What does it look like to be a gay individual in the outdoor industry right now, and how is that changing?

Being an individual from the LGBTQIA+ community, especially the trans community, still brings many challenges to this day despite some of the great strides for positive change over the past several years in both the outdoor and cycling industries. And if you intersect that with systemic and institutionalized racism for LGBTQIA+ individuals from the Black, Indigenous or POC communities, it’s incredibly magnified. With that said, I believe we have seen greater movement in the outdoor industry for change when compared to the cycling industry, including greater representation on the brand, athlete and ambassador areas, and changes within brands in regard to hiring and recruiting practices.

The cycling industry is catching up and I believe it requires brands, governing bodies of the sport, and organizations on the ground to come collaborate toward a greater goal for change beyond themselves. An example of this I am incredibly proud of is the HBCU and TCU Collegiate Cycling Grant Cannondale created with EF Education-Nippo Pro Cycling in 2020.

NATURE

How does nature inspire Cannondale? 

The end user is what inspires us with each bike we design at Cannondale. And where that rider will be riding the bike also inspires the design, aka “the environment”.

For me personally and at Cannondale, we believe nature can be found in the bustle of a metropolis like Tokyo or on the secluded trails of Telluride, Colorado. We craft bikes that can be enjoyable in both environments in addition to so many others. The goal is for everyone to be able to experience the adventure and freedom that a bike can bring, as well as the benefits of physical and psychological well-being.

What do you think motivates a brand like this to do things differently, even including hiring you?

I grew up on and around Cannondale in New York. I always saw Cannondale as a brand that was bold, ready to take risks and make a statement without much concern for the haters. That brand vibe of being authentic to who you are and your values, and living it with everything you do is what drew me to Cannondale back then and now. And it’s the people of the brand that motivates that style of work, the essence of the brand. As an individual that often struggled with being authentic and honest with my true identity and owning who I was, I have so much gratitude for being part of a brand that honors and accepts me and so many others for exactly who they are and what they bring to the table.

CULTURE

Give us a little bit of background on what culture means to you (growing up in NYC, fashion, music, lifestyle, etc.? 

I didn’t grow up around bikes, bike culture or in a cycling mecca. My parents were working class immigrants who arrived in NYC and made something of themselves with what they came here with. Through the years, I found a community in and out of cycling, bike racing and as a gay man. As an individual from a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic background, culture to me is being a citizen of the world and forging an identity with values that reflect an understanding that you are part of a global community where your actions or lack of action has an effect both on a micro and macro level. It’s understanding that we do not live in silos, but that everything we do on a daily basis is connected to other individuals and ecosystems across the world. Culture is community, and your community is global.

Who are bikes for? Who is Cannondale for? 

Bikes are a tool for many things: transport and mobility, escape, self-discovery, success and failure and most importantly, freedom. I truly believe Cannondale is for everyone. We design bikes with so many different individuals in mind, from first-time rider to World Tour pro, all with accessibility in mind.

FUTURE

What does the future of cycling look like? 

The future of cycling is different than the history of cycling. Our sport has historically focused on catering to the needs of specific groups of individuals who demographically represent those that control the keys to power in our industry. Yet, the keyholders to power have been shifting and we see greater representation from historically marginalized groups such as the Black, Indigenous and POC communities, as well as women and the LGBTQIA+ community. This offers a beautiful opportunity for cycling to represent the needs of everyone, from product design, to accessibility, to a chance at a professional racing career—again, all things that were only offered to a homogenous group of individuals. When everyone is fairly given a seat at the table, magic can truly happen.

What are you doing differently? 

Lately, I have been focusing on mindfulness more than ever. We live in a fast-paced, reactive society and while the pandemic has helped us to slow down, things are slowly feeling back to normal—rushed and without much intention. Before even looking at a screen, I spend 15 minutes every morning meditating and clearing my thoughts for the day. It’s helped immensely to set my intentions for what I want from each day and be more productive and protective with my time.

What can we count on or look forward to?

As I reflect on the changes I hope to see in cycling, I believe a lot of the newer cycling NGOs and grass-roots organizations on the ground have really been making great strides on bringing much needed change to the sport in a short amount of time. Organizations that have been formed in the past few years like Black Girls Do Bike, Bike Ride for Black Lives, and Ride for Racial Justice have literally been doing decades worth of much needed social and racial justice work in a short of amount of time and it’s inspiring.

The post Wild Ingenuity™: Massimo Alpian of Cannondale Bicycles appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

As a lifelong Oregonian with a burning affinity for Pendelton’s work, I can safely say there are more Pendelton blankets in my extended family than family members. It’s truly an honor to get to interview Lindsey Thornburg and tap into her mind with the Wild Ingenuity™ lens. We hope you enjoy reading Lindsey’s thoughtful answers on Nature-Culture-Future as much as we did!

NATURE
Tell us a bit about yourself, your company, and how your products are inspired by nature.

My name is Lindsey Thornburg. I’m a New York-based fashion designer from Montana and Colorado. I’m known best for my collaboration with Pendleton. I’m the first company in 110 years Pendleton has allowed cut into their blankets. I don’t really have a strategy, but I like being outside and I’ve always made clothing that’s reflected what I like to do. I like nature and I like looking cool and being cozy in nature.

CULTURE
Where do you go for inspiration and what out there in current culture is creating the best or most interesting vibes to motivate you?

I love being outside. I love making art outside with groovy people that like the psychedelic aspects of nature. No one else’s vibe motivates me. Even if I’m inspired. I have to motivate myself. What we do is so specific but I think there’s a lot of people doing clever things on the internet right now. I love clever good design even if it’s out of my wheelhouse. I love things that can last forever and aren’t trend based.

FUTURE
What does the future look like for your work and what’s on your mind as you look forward?

I want a store in Aspen :). I went to high school there and it would be a fun homecoming to have my creative endeavors take me back.

The post Wild Ingenuity™: Exclusive Interview with Designer Lindsey Thornburg appeared first on VANISH TODAY.