OL-Q&A: John Roberts provides a portal into his life
Portal is one of those exciting new brands that we immediately fell in love with here at Outdoor Licence. It being one of those labels that was created specifically with the desire to make really good, reliable, high performance gear, that won’t let you down when you need it most that also looks really cool too. Which also made them obvious candidates for being subjected to one our Q&As, where we attempt to take a peek inside the machinations that power our favourite outdoor brands. So pop your helmet down, make yourself a nice brew and check out what (1/4 of Portal) John had to say.
You met your fellow founders whilst working on a project together at Rapha, how did that relationship evolve into going on to create the brilliant boundary blurring brand that is Portal?
We spent a lot of time together whilst working on the Rapha project, both in a work capacity and also running and riding in Epping Forest, which is kind of the birthplace of Portal! We found not only that we worked well as a team, but also that we had similar ideas about the products that we felt were missing in the market. We felt that a lot of running and cycling products are often over-specialised when the reality is they weren’t really solving new problems or reflective of how people used those products in the real world. For example I left Rapha with 17 different rain jackets designed for different types of cycling, and the one I wore the most was a Gore Shakedry that was actually designed for running. We had all worked in the industry for some time and had similar ideas so we all decided that the time was right to try to do something ourselves. Timing and team is so important, if we weren’t all at the place in our lives where it made sense, Portal wouldn’t exist.
Collectively you are based in London, Oslo & Vancouver, do you all get a chance to visit each other’s cities?
We’ve spent some time together in London, our operations are here and it’s become a natural place for us to get together. Paris is one of those moments where we get to spend a week all together, it’s a really important week for the business and also for us as a team. Although it’s something we often talk about, we haven’t got out to Oslo or Vancouver together yet. We work a lot digitally and it really works for us, but there’s certain times where we would like more face time, like reviewing samples for example, but we make it work and actually it means that we don’t just get together for the sake of it, it’s really purposeful time and we really appreciate the time we do have together.
Speaking of cycling, how do you feel when you see those kids doing wheelies for ages down high streets? I never know whether to applaud or tell them off for not wearing a helmet.
I think it’s really cool to see kids choosing to get out on their bikes instead of staying home and playing Roblox. I spent most of my childhood on my BMX doing something similar. I have a son who is 9, he loves riding his bike and I’m sure at some point he will be wheelieing around the streets at some point too, I would much prefer to see him do that than staring at a screen. There’s some of those kids that are up to no good but I think most of them are just having fun and enjoy the freedom that bikes bring when you reach that age.
Alongside Rapha, which other brands have been influential in the Portal story?
We’re all big followers of product and geek out over technical and quality driven brands. We all have our different tastes but one brand that we all loved was the Arcteryx of not so long ago. The designs of early 2000s until early 20’s are still a benchmark for quality and functionality. I would be super happy to be compared to Arcteryx one day, that approach to product but applied to movement activities, rather than mountain, and executed in a modern way.
Portal gear is designed to be multifunctional but how does the design process work? Do you start off with one specific intent for a garment initially or go in thinking we need something that works on several different levels right from the off?
We tend to start with a need, the first idea often comes when one of us is outside doing something active, running or riding. Then we consider how we best solve that need and if that piece is activity specific or if it can be versatile. We don’t make something versatile if it has too many compromises, only if it makes sense. For example a cycling bib short is a pretty specific piece of kit, we could make it so that you could run in it too but there would be too many compromises from both a cycling and running perspective, whereas a Tech Tee can totally work for any activity if you build it in the right way. Sometimes we look around to see what other people wear and how they use product too, to make sure it’s not just us that’s drinking our own cool aid, but normally if we all agree on a product and a use case it will apply to most people.
The brand focuses on running, hiking and riding but which one do you enjoy the most?
I love all of it, but riding is the one that always puts a smile on my face, I never regret getting out on my bike. It does vary on the seasons for me too, I run a lot more in the winter and ride a lot more in the summer, its just a bit more practical and I also enjoy the change in focus. I think my runner friends would call me a cyclist and my cyclist friends would call me a runner, to me I’m both and neither of those things, I don’t like the idea that you have to become a runner or a cyclist to do or be good at either of those things. Which is another reason why we started Portal.
For me, Portal is one of those brands where it’s the nuanced details (like the hood clip on the Alpha jacket) that really makes you fall in love with the gear. Is there a particular garment or feature that has that effect on you when you see it?
That’s nice to hear! We really consider every detail on every product, if we’re not solving a problem for our use case then we don’t do it. So those types of details exist in all our product. Honestly I couldn’t choose one product or feature when I think about it, but the two that spring to mind are the pockets that we have on the belly of the bib shorts that are just so easy to use on the bike, and the snaps that we have on the calf of the Traka pant that mean you can easily commute in them without getting your trousers caught in the chain. Both of those are really intuitive to use and now I have them I struggle to wear anything else.
All your collaborative projects so far seem really well thought out and considered, how do you decide on who to and who not to work with?
We think of our product range as tools that we need for our lifestyles, we aim to build a full tool kit over time, and our collaborations are part of that. We work with other brands that compliment what we do, and add to the tool kit, normally with product categories that we are not experts in making ourselves. We all wear a cycling helmet for example but it would be really hard for us to make our own right now, so the MET helmet that we made together with the team there is a really natural fit. The collaborative projects are a lot of fun, I really love the dynaplug that we made last season with the custom Dyneema bag made by Paul @ Tread Lite Gear, it’s the kind of thing that bigger brands can’t really get away with.
Speaking of which, do you have any exciting new partnerships on the horizon?
Yes we do! Maybe I can tell you over a coffee one day but not here haha Honestly though I think the surprise factor is always nice to have with these partnerships, it’s nice to do something unexpected. Let’s just say we’re continuing to build our toolbox and it is turning into something pretty special!
If you were to compare the four founding members of Portal to a band, which one would it be and who would each member be?
Oh man haha. I could have sent you this interview back 5 days ago If it wasn’t for this question, honestly I cant really think of anything clever to compare us to, I even tried googling bands that have a Norwegian, Canadian and two guys from the midlands and there doesn’t appear to be any, so I guess we kind of play our own tune, which is nice in a lot of ways!
Describe your perfect day.
Wake up before anyone else. Get out for a ride. Receive some fresh protos in the post and review them with the team. Pick up my son from school. Go for a ride with him. Cook a nice meal for the family. In bed by 9!
