Exploring the intersection of travel and innovative expression, we sat down with côte&ciel’s resident artistic director, Graeme Gaughan, to discuss creative inspirations, his design philosophy and the lasting influences of his London roots and frequent journeys the world over. In addition to his role at côte&ciel, Gaughan brings his artistic vision to other ventures as co-owner and director of SANE, a brand communications agency, and as a contributor to magazines such as eye_C, Sabukaru, Orientier Mapazine and The New Order.

The imperfections and happy accidents in the world. Seeing how elements in nature puts things in place and creates amazing visuals before our eyes.

Gut instinct and feeling. I go with what I feel and looks right 99% of the time.

I first came into contact with the brand back in 2012 while I was working more in a comms and PR role at the brand's EU distributor. Then, around 2019, Florian, the brand's now CEO, reached out to me, and we started working together on some content projects while I was working with The New Order magazine. During the pandemic, that relationship developed further, and I began to work across the brand's visual direction as a consultant. The rest is history.

Haha, I don't think I have any fast or easy hacks, to be honest. It's taken years of doing whatever I needed to do and taking any opportunity that came up. Truth be told, I don't think I even had an idea of what I wanted to do when I was younger—it's taken a long time to figure that out. But I guess it culminates with trying to double down on the things that move you. The things that give you energy. And then try to do those more often…

I think on a personal level, I would say my wife; having someone who believes in and supports you cannot be understated. Then, meeting people who become mentors like Barry Kamen. Barry just oozed creativity and was a massive influence on me. He really helped me understand the lines between disciplines, how to believe in your vision, and not box yourself in when it comes to work and output.

Home is where my family are, and that is usually Walthamstow in London. I love to travel far and wide. But I also love coming home.

I think having a grounding in your home and neighborhood allows you greater freedom to push yourself that bit further. I love where I live. It has the perfect balance of city life and nature. And I have lived all over the city. But here in northeast London, I truly feel that balance is achieved.

It’s an obvious one, but Tokyo…hands down. I have been going there for a while now, and I would say it’s been the biggest influence on my creative work outside of some key individuals.

Shooting on the Lava plains of Lanzarote was pretty epic, but the light in Japan takes some beating—but it goes, so you have to be quick or it’s disappeared behind a high-rise building or something.  We shot on the edge of Tokyo Bay for the collaboration with Descente Allterrain x côte&ciel. It was some kind of art / zen installation on the shore with all these levels. That location was pretty wild.

I have commuted via bike in London for many years. But around 2018/19, I was feeling more and more out of balance with work and life; I decided to take cycling more seriously and haven't looked back. It's my gym and my therapist. If I can't ride, I am just out of balance.

Haha, I have a few. That sounds wanky, sorry! But I have built up a few rigs for different kinds of riding over the last few years. My road bike is a Cervelo Soloist, my gravel bike is a Specialized Diverge, and my MTB is a Specialized Epic. All are great bikes and have benefited from a fair amount of modifications. My commuter rig is an old 26” Orange MTB frame from the late 90s, but I have made some nice additions to it, and it’s a great sleeper and not super attractive to thieves—which makes it a great tank to cruise around the city on.

Oooh, that's a tough one. Maybe an S-Works Diverge or Epic in the next year…let's see.

Keys, phone, sunglasses, bag and a water bottle.

I don't enjoy riding certain bikes in the city, to be honest, but I have a couple of training routes out in Essex and Hertfordshire that are hard-wired. Riding those lanes is autopilot for me now, and that's when I get the best from cycling. Knowing the route so well truly allows me to enter a state of meditation that's super important to my mental balance.  I also love group riding to somewhere like Cambridge and back on a nice summer's day. That's a lovely route. Also Girona for gravel—hard to top.

There are few cycling brands that I feel really understand their consumer and have their own space in the market. MAAP is one of them. MAAP has a strong visual language and confidence in its art direction, colour schemes and design ethos that I really respect.

Wow, that's a tough one. I guess I would have to say Barry Kamen as he sadly isn't with us anymore. I hope he would be proud of what I am doing now. Pierre Soulages, big fan of his work, or Robert Del Naja (aka 3D) of Massive Attack. I got to do a cover story with him for The New Order with Nick Knight a few years back. That was pretty special, but I am always inspired by his work and would love to do something with him again.

Lots. We have some exciting new launches with côte&ciel in the coming year. They have been in the works for a long time, so it will be great to get those out there. On a personal level, I was supposed to get out to Japan this autumn, but that looks like it's going to be pushed to Feb/March next year now, sadly. So, I may be lucky enough to get a board to ride some powder up in Hokkaido if I can find a window while I am there. I have never ridden in Japan, and that's a dream of mine so let's see.

Captured in London by Rafal Wojnowski, Graeme Gaughan wears the MAAP Transit Apparel collection, available now. A special MAAP x côte&ciel collaboration will also drop exclusively at MAAP.cc and select stores in the coming weeks. Don’t miss a thing—sign up for our newsletter and be the first in line.