Eukaryotic

Duality is an exploration of the quiet parallels between nature’s own design systems and the crafted, intentional world of Ranra. Conceived for Orienteer Mapazine Issue 8, the editorial grew from a simple seasonal impulse: the appearance of mushrooms across forest floors during late summer and autumn. Their organic structures, earthy colour variations and sculptural silhouettes became unexpected mirrors to the tonal language and textural sensitivity embedded within Ranra’s garments.

The project began loosely, almost by accident. During mushroom season, test images were taken outdoors quick, instinctive still life studies laid against blank backdrops, with dirt left intentionally in frame. These unplanned images revealed a visual resonance: the chromatic shifts of mushroom caps, stems and spores echoed the natural dyes, washed fibres and earthy palettes found in Ranra’s collections. The mushrooms’ shapes folded, layered, irregular, sometimes architectural, mirrored the way Ranra’s garments can be styled, compressed or expanded into wearable forms that feel both functional and sculptural.

When Scott Jones, Jack West and the Orienteer team reviewed the images together, the direction became instantly clear. The mushroom studies were not just reference points they were a framework. The editorial would play on this thematic duality: garments styled to subtly mimic fungal formations; silhouettes arranged with the same asymmetry, softness and density found in the still lifes; colour palettes curated to synchronise seamlessly with the natural specimens collected during the early tests.

This organic-to-articulated connection fits naturally within Ranra’s design ethos. The label has always prioritised craft, longevity and a deep respect for materiality values closely aligned with the cyclical intelligence found in nature. In the same way mushrooms emerge from unseen systems below the surface, Ranra’s garments carry layers of thought, detail and process that reveal themselves gradually, through movement, light and touch.

The collaboration took on a serendipitous quality. After reconnecting with Arnar in Iceland during an unplanned encounter, the team later visited Ranra’s London studio, discovering that its tonal environment muted greens, mineral greys, soil-like browns echoed the palette of the mushroom still lifes almost exactly. The synergy was instinctive, as if the foundations of the editorial had been growing quietly in parallel.

Captured with a deliberate sculptural approach, the final images create a dialogue between natural formations and human-made garments inviting the viewer to notice subtle echoes of shape, density, colour and rhythm. Duality becomes not just a title, but a study of coexistence: how design can reflect the intelligence of landscape, and how the smallest organic details can reshape the way we understand clothing, form and function.