Am Anfang gab es einen Mann, seine Frau und ihren Hund Ralph. Es war 2012 und Tage, die sie in einem abgenutzten T4 namens Douglas Fir durch Europa und darüber hinaus verbrachten, waren alles, was zählte.
Es gibt einen Grund, warum du vielleicht nicht viel über den Mann hinter allem gehört hast. Richard Sutcliffe, der Gründer von Passenger, hat sich all die Jahre vor dem Rampenlicht versteckt. Ein Mann einfacher Freuden und treu seinem Wort, findest du Rich draußen, fernab von allem, auf einer eigenen Reise.
Hier ist zum ersten Mal in seinen eigenen Worten die Geschichte, wie und vor allem warum alles begann...
Eins: Ca. 2013 Genieße ein warmes Getränk nach einem langen Tag im New Forest umherwandern.
Zwei: Schneeschuhwandern in den kanadischen Wildnis.
Drei: Erkunden des West Country mit meinem Abenteuerbegleiter Ralph, dem Whippet, der nicht mehr bei uns ist. Den Sonnenuntergang nach dem Surfen beobachten und alles aufnehmen.
Warum.
“Sometimes I still remember just how I felt back then, I was an electrician and my (now) wife Alex a graphic designer. They were day jobs for us and the only thing on my mind was when and how we could find our next slice of escapism.
I grew up surrounded by waves and trees, my first memories are paddling in the sea around Lepe and making dens under Redwoods of the New Forest; these are the places I still get lost in today. As a teenager we’d surf everyday on anything we could. Just a sniff of a wave and we’d be in until sundown.
In later years I grew restless and deep down felt a little lost. I was searching for something, I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was, but it felt like something was missing. I remember the need to channel my creative energy and find a way to satisfy a constant aching for travel and adventure.
Straight up we had no idea what we were doing, I just had a vision and something to say. Thankfully, Alex is an amazing graphic designer and she was able to bring my ideas to life. Realising designs, products and the brand in those early days was like therapy, good times.
We spent every available moment on the road. If there wasn’t any swell we’d head off to the forest, mountains or anywhere we could slow life down a little and tap out. We’d always take our travel companion Ralph the whippet who is sadly no longer with us, which has certainly left a hole.
ca. 2013 Vancouver Island. Das war die Reise, die so viel inspiriert hat. Wir haben das Filmmaterial auf einer alten SD-Karte gefunden!
Wir haben viel Zeit in Kanada mit Freunden und Familie verbracht, unserem zweiten Zuhause. Es war dort an einem wunderschön leeren Strand voller Treibholz, umgeben von Wellen und Bäumen, als ich einen Moment der wahren Klarheit hatte. Ich erinnere mich daran, als wäre es gestern gewesen, wie meine salzige Haut am Feuer auftaute, während Alex etwas Chili kochte und ich mit einem Bier in der Hand den Sonnenuntergang hinter dem Horizont beobachtete. Seit diesem Moment weiß ich, dass meine Aufgabe darin besteht, die Orte, an denen wir spielen, zu schützen und sinnvolle Fluchtmöglichkeiten zu inspirieren.
Eins: ca. 2013 Die Zeit und der Ort, an dem Passenger geboren wurde. Holzhacken für ein Lagerfeuer mit meiner Frau Alexa, umgeben von Wellen und Bäumen. Zwei: Die Essenz, auf der Passenger aufgebaut wurde, wir drei zusammen, genießen die guten Zeiten auf der Straße. Drei: Squamish, British Columbia. Einfach nur den Ausblick genießen, im Hängemattenstil.
Wie.
It took over a year and a half to get things running properly. Suppliers, sustainability, websites, fabrics, product design, marketing; everything. I was learning as I went along, acting like a sponge picking up whatever I could that might be useful!
It still felt like we had no idea what we were doing but I’ve learned to trust my gut. We launched a small range of beanies and t-shirts and could not believe people were actually buying them. I’m sure it was a lot of friends and family helping out, maybe my Mum’s loft is full of original Passenger beanies...
It really snowballed from there, growing and gaining momentum all the time. I’ll be honest during those first years it broke me on a few occasions. Luckily, I had a good network around me to pick me up, dust me off and go again. My family said I was mad, but I think you need that in you to make it work when the going gets tough.
We were part time for a few years, juggling life and spinning a bunch of plates. Products were in the loft, living room, kitchen and our workspace and samples bunched in our conservatory.
Ich erinnere mich daran, als wäre es gestern gewesen, salzige Haut, die sich am Feuer erwärmt, Alex kocht etwas Chili, Bier in der Hand, während ich den Sonnenuntergang hinter dem Horizont beobachte. Seit diesem Moment weiß ich, wofür ich bestimmt bin...
Reich
We would work weekends, early morning before and after our day jobs. It’s a bit of a blur now, but I remember the sense of endless tasks and endless possibilities at the same time. It was full on building a brand from scratch, using our home as a mini warehouse and business.
Working on the road and grabbing those days of escapism was the key to Passenger getting to where it is today, I can’t encourage people to do that enough. When the going got tough and things were growing at a crazy pace it was a consistent source of inspiration, balance and allowed us to recharge.
Sometimes I don’t know how we made our way through everything and didn’t give up, that would have been the easy thing to do for sure!
Our first Passenger HQ was an old barn in the middle of the New Forest. We snuck a wood stove in there to keep the cold at bay but it was still freezing most of the year. It was a magical place to work surrounded by dense forest, deers roaming outside the window and rain on the old tin roof.
Deciding on the name was a challenge but we knew we got it right with Passenger. It represents everything we believe in, everyone is a passenger on their own journeys.
Links: ca. 2014 wieder auf Vancouver Island, spielen in den Wellen und Bäumen. Rechts: Produkttest unseres allerersten wasserdichten Jacken. Sie ist auch heute noch in der Kollektion, nach vielen Jahren des Testens und Weiterentwickelns.
Wofür wir stehen.
We wanted a brand and product range that reflects who we are. To inspire others to live their life, travel, explore and escape. This is everything we lived for ourselves, so our offering is just a reflection of that.
We believe that our products need to live up to adventure and stand the test of time. Style, durability and sustainability can be accessible and not cost the earth. Spend your time and hard earned money on living, not on techy features, labels and sh*t you just don’t need.
It’s still an important value of the brand; adventure first, product second. When we’re designing products today we look at 3 principles to find the Passenger balance: Quality, sustainability and price. Everything you need, nothing you don't. This ethos is still very much at the core today.
Links: ca. 2015 Stolz aussehend nach 7 Tagen unterwegs, in Bothies und Tipis schlafend, wild campend und durch Schottland wandernd. Rechts: Trekking über den Polarkreis. Nach 8 Stunden zu Fuß fanden wir eine Hütte weit draußen in der Wildnis, um Wärme und Einsamkeit zu finden.
Reflexion.
It’s a crazy journey we’ve been on with epic highs and lows. There’s been a lot of arguments between husband and wife, designer vs visionary but it’s just made us stronger. With the passion that we both have for this brand that’s always going to happen from time to time. We’ve been able to experience all this together, meet so many inspiring people along the way and create memories we will cherish for a lifetime.
No matter what happens, there’s a trip me and Alex took some years ago that kind of summed the whole thing up perfectly.
We headed to the south of France in our van and arrived at the surf spot around 8:30pm. We were greeted by perfect 2ft peeling logger waves with an insane golden orange sky. There were one or two locals out and I couldn’t get in quick enough.
I ran out and logged myself silly for a few hours until it was pitch black. For those few weeks we surfed, camped, explored, unplugged, got creative and worked at Passenger, our ‘jobs’ from the road. Those days had a big influence on the direction we’ve taken.
Wo wir jetzt sind.
Over the years we have grown and managed to build an amazing team, so it's not just myself and Alex! We're still small but spirits are high and possibilities endless. Everyone has helped shape Passenger over the years as we have grown to the brand you see today.
It’s not often you can say you have the job of your dreams and get to work with your friends. We all share a love of the outdoors, surf, travel and living the simple life whenever possible. I’m humbled and feel lucky to have got this far, sharing my vision with the Passenger family.
We’ve recently had a beautiful baby, River, so we’re learning about how to escape as a family. We're finding our way back to that simple life in different but even more rewarding ways.
One thing that hasn't changed over the years is the passion I have, the reasons it all began and what we stand for.
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Wenn ich darüber nachdenke, wo ich vor Passenger war, empfinde ich eine echte Dankbarkeit. Was ich gelernt habe, ist, dass Zweck und die Menschen um dich herum alles sind. Wenn du etwas findest, das dich nachts wach hält und dich morgens aus dem Bett springen lässt, greife es mit beiden Händen und schaue nicht zurück.
Es war bisher eine verdammt wilde Fahrt und das Beste daran ist, dass wir gerade erst anfangen. Was die Zukunft bringt, wer weiß, aber eins weiß ich sicher, sie wird nicht langweilig sein. Danke, dass ihr die Reise mit uns geteilt habt, auf viele weitere.- Rich
