See.Think.Do with George Delamain

SEE. 

Hi George. Whereabouts are you at the moment? 

London. Skye (my wife) and I have both been up here since March. We are looking forward to a change of scene!

What is getting you excited right now? 

I get super excited about cooking with fire and smoking (food!). We recently bought ourselves a Kamado Joe and they are absolutely insane. Hours and hours of entertainment and fun perfecting everything from 12hr slow smoked pulled pork to pizzas, brisket and featherblades! There is definitely something primeval about it and it essentially gives you a reason to be outside all day ‘doing something’.

Tell us about Mr G’s Designs...where did the idea for the brand come from? 

Skye and I used to live in Asia and were lucky enough to spend a lot of time in Ho Chi Minh City where my sister lived. We would spend hours trawling through markets searching for fabrics to make clothes for ourselves. Eventually, as cliché as it sounds, we were on a beach somewhere and just thought, ‘lets give this a shot’. I suppose we were both pretty disillusioned with our slightly corporate lives and we wanted to try our hand at something new and to test ourselves a bit. We settled on trying create a laid back brand that had one eye on an honest product and the other on fun. Something that was made with a conscience, so sustainable, good value for money, and then something that wasn’t too serious. It has been a slow process, but finally we feel we are getting somewhere.

What are you most proud of so far?

Well the fact that we have learnt a lot along the way I guess. We have been pretty honest about the fact that our first batch of shirts weren’t necessarily perfect. In fact our first two were a bit hit and miss. I think like loads of brands we were dead keen to get selling straight away because money was so tight, and sometimes the quality lacked. We have since gone back and refined things (better fits, better colour palette, better quality), and now are really proud of the shirts we produce. We do think it is really great that generally there is a movement to better quality, lower impact products. Quality should always trump quantity.

THINK. 

Mr G’s was inspired by travel & a life outdoors. What has being grounded taught you over the last 6 months & how might you apply that going forward? 

How much we love food and taking time to make it! I think it actually consolidates this idea of community and a life outdoors. Nothing for me is better than cooking round a fire with a few friends (ideally after a surf or a swim). Moving forward we hope that is how we will spend more of our time- hanging out with the people that really matter.

What's been inspiring you recently? 

People that have made good stuff happen. First of all, Nick Pumphrey. During the first lockdown I think he felt pretty overwhelmed by everything that was happening and he decided to get in the sea every morning at dawn to capture whatever he saw. By all accounts it was a really cathartic and inspiring experience for him and the result for us, selfishly, was unbelievable. He shared ten photos each day of what he saw, to try and inspire people through the darkness. It really is beautiful so have a look if you can. Andrew Cotton is another - an ex plumber from Devon who has just surfed the biggest wave EVER in Nazare last month. Absolutely outrageous! Lastly, Will Hudson. He is running 1,000km in 30 days to raise money for two amazing charities. That’s 33.3km a day. Every day. Give him some support @athousandkmjourney.

What helps you be at your most creative?

I think like most people, I’m most creative when I’m happy. For me that happy place is by the sea, ideally on a crisp winters morning.

How do you approach mental health? What helps you manage it?

By being outside and active in any way. In a city, especially coming into winter, it can be hard but making sure I get out and about for a decent bit of exercise and also being proactive – ideally 10 mins meditation every morning. Although it never is every morning!

DO. 

What’s your advice for taking the first step into something different?

It’s such a hard one. Obviously everyone always says don’t think about it and just go for it and of course there is a lot to be said for that. But I do think that taking a step back and having a think about what REALLY matters to you can help save yourself a lot of time and hassle in the future. Defining a few key criteria, even if you stray from them is a good place to start.

Any bad habits you’d like to kick? 

Social media has so many positives but it can be quite draining. I'd like to kick the habit of aimless scrolling and comparing myself to others.

How will you measure “success” in 10 years time?

Skye and I would love to be in Cornwall in some capacity. Just the idea of being by the sea and having the ability to go for a swim, do a bit of fishing and generally bringing up a family down there is an idea that makes us super happy.

What’s the next adventure?

Cornwall. As soon as we can we will be down there. Have eyed up a new wetsuit and will be straight in the water!

Mr G RECOMMENDS;

Top Local Spot: Chapati Club in Acton. Amazing clean curry.

Watch out for: Nick Pumphrey

Best new thing: Kamado Joe Classic III Also KEXP Radio in Canada- they play some really amazing independent music.

Smallest change/ biggest impact: Morning meditation

Your message in a bottle: Go for good quality, but less of it. Food, clothes, travel, beer 😊

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