Imagine yourself in a park on a sunny afternoon, surrounded by a swirl of laughter, birdsong, maybe a breeze blowing through the leaves. Or on the beach some summer day, laying out hot and relaxed on a blanket, listening to the water, smelling the humid air, watching the sunlight glint off your friends’ and lovers’ shades.
These images can help us feel at ease and comfortable in our own skin, and for good reason. When we go outside, we aren’t just in nature, we are nature—free to be exactly who we are and live in harmony with the world around us.
That’s the concept behind the graphics that REI Co-op designer Bradlee Thielen dreamed up for this year’s Outside with Pride collection: a vision of LGBTQ+ utopia that takes us outdoors and into our true element.
A Seattle-based graphic designer and illustrator who has been with the co-op since 2019, Thielen describes their work as “people-focused,” often featuring bright, bold human figures and playful, fluid movement. “My world is very different from ‘the’ world,” he says, explaining the personal significance of depicting queerness, love, fun, nature and freedom for the co-op’s annual celebration of LGBTQ+ folks in the outdoors. “I wanted to showcase my little microcosm of community that I see, and what I was inspired by.”
The REI Outside with Pride collection is available year-round and features a new design annually. Past editions have featured art by illustrator Christina Moreland and designer Brian Rau. This is the first time an REI employee has been commissioned for the project. Thielen says they began brainstorming the design in 2022 and completed their initial concepting in about two weeks, which were followed by rounds of reviews and edits that helped refine the image.
The joy and self-expression celebrated by Thielen’s art is now available on REI Co-op apparel and gear including Nalgene water bottles (16 and 32 ounces), a camp mug, ball cap, flying disc, tote bag and T-shirt. We recently caught up with Thielen to ask about his inspiration for the collection’s illustration, how nature inspires them and what a perfect day outdoors looks like.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Bradlee, what are your memories of spending time outside as you were growing up? What does a perfect day outside look like to you?
I was outside a lot as a child, but it wasn’t specific to one activity. Being outdoors was tied to play, and I mostly played with other kids living in the neighborhood. We moved a lot when I was growing up, so physical place changed. We didn’t always have a big yard. Outdoors, to me, was a place for escape. I think it still is today. Even now, I think that being outdoors doesn’t have to be about a singular activity. We can be outside just to be outside. A perfect outdoor day to me looks like time in a city park and inviting a few friends to sit on a blanket and play card games.
Besides getting outdoors, what do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Outside of work, I’m a painter and illustrator. I have been teaching myself gouache painting. I love how opaque, vibrant and bright gouache is. Since college, I have been heavily focused on digital art, but now I’m trying to learn more about physical art. It’s hard being totally new to something again, but another artist told me that “everything is progress.” I’m learning to be okay with being “bad” at gouache and enjoying the journey as I learn. It’s a process that has recently clicked for me.
Usually the graphics for REI Outside with Pride are created by outside artists, so how did it feel to be invited to contribute to the line this year as a co-op employee?
It has definitely been a goal of mine to work on a full apparel collection. Since I’m not really on that particular team, I didn’t ever really think it would happen. So then when I was approached with this, it was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s happening!’ I’ve had a few friends send me photos of the collection from the store because they know I worked on it.
How did you approach creating this year’s REI Outside with Pride collection?
My illustrations are very people-focused. I like showing people together and giving them a sense of place. Some of my inspirations were Where’s Waldo? and the painting [A Sunday on La Grande Jatte – 1884], which both showcase a large group of people together. Much of my previous work has been heavy on symbolism, but for this collection, I wanted to create a more literal work that showcases the microcosm of community that I see.
Madison Park Beach in Seattle was an inspiration for this collection. The day after Pride, the beach is full because everyone takes the day off to spend outside. That inspired the huge collection of queer bodies living authentically in an outdoor space. I had always dreamed of working on an apparel collection but didn’t think it would happen. It was an honor to be approached for this project!
How does nature inspire your work and art?
Nature gives me inspiration for colors to use and feelings to evoke. I often think, “How can I draw a tree?” or, “How can I evoke the colors of being near a lake in the summertime?”
What does being Outside with Pride mean to you?
To me, it means being outside with no limits or guardrails. You don’t have to think about how you’re moving through space. You’re just moving. Any space that allows you to be yourself, no-holds-barred, is a place you can be outside with pride.
Do you have any goals to Opt Outside this year?
I’ve become interested in paddle boarding recently. My friends all talked about it and enjoy it, so I decided to buy a paddle board. When I was in school, I kayaked a lot and knew I loved being out on the water, but I didn’t know I liked paddle boarding until recently. My partner is planning to buy a paddle board as well so we can go together. My goal for this summer is to get good enough to stand up on the board.
