Ali George Hinkins is a UK-based writer and consultant, who has worked with brands including Berghaus, C.P. Company, On, Merrell, and 1TRL. Follow him on Instagram @aligeorgehinkins.
It is hard to stand out as an upstart fashion brand these days, when the only things that seem to get traction involve celebrity cosigns, luxury brand collaborations, or event-specific sales. So it’s all the more impressive that Portal, a new apparel label founded by a collective of functional sportswear experts, has emerged with a simple clothing system centered around running, cycling, and hiking. It helps that the clothes are stealth and stylish, too.
The Portal founding team is made up of Patrick Stangbye, John Roberts, Colin Meredith, and Barrie Bloor. Field Mag readers may already be acquainted with Stangbye, formerly the Creative Director at ROA primarily responsible for spearheading the brand’s foray into apparel. Meredith, an exceptionally talented designer in his own right, is likely also a familiar name thanks to his eponymous label ‘Colin Meredith’ and its recently collaborations with ROA and Ciele. Roberts and Bloor may be lesser known names, but are certainly equal contributors. Roberts formerly worked in product development at Rapha while Bloor has worked with various labels on graphic design, art direction, and brand identity. A powerhouse creative team to put it lightly.
After being brought together on Rapha’s ‘ROADWEAR’ lifestyle collection a couple of years ago, the group recognized an opportunity to create more clothes centered around the mutli-sport lives they all lived. Thus, Portal was born.
Portal officially launched during Paris Fashion Week in summer 2024, offering a range of gear designed with movement in mind, including cycling bibs, soft-shell trousers, wind-resistant shell jackets, and split-seam shorts. The ongoing collection addresses the practical needs of people who want to run, bike, hike, backpack, and climb, both as a means of transportation and as an escape. Though products are made from light, breathable fabrics and designed to function outdoors while the wearer is in motion, Portal’s clothes mostly look like chic spins of standard items that wouldn’t feel out of place in the city, too.
Portal’s logo, as seen clearly on running shorts, lightweight tees, and cargo belts, could easily be mistaken for a leaf, tying into the brand’s holistic approach. However, when I visited its Paris showroom this past January, I was told it actually is meant to mirror a Strava heat map, mapping the routes taken by people escaping from a city to its surrounding trails. While there are brands out there whose identity and iconography are cool from an aesthetic standpoint, Portal’s is wholly cohesive, ensuring each element coexists seamlessly.
To fully immerse ourselves in the world of Portal, I reached out to the team to learn more and understand the fundamentals that shape Portal’s approach to design, its origins, and the problems it solves. The answers to my questions below, which were collaboratively written with feedback from all four members of the collective, have been further edited and condensed for clarity.
