“With good chemistry comes success” Jason Woodside on his collaboration with Kathmandu.
In 2024 Jason Woodside can be found at his studio in Auckland, shaping surfboards and working on commissions. He’s also in Paris, Madrid and Tokyo. He’s in Sydney and he’s in London, he might even be down the road from your mum’s house. Woodside’s large scale, hand painted murals can be found on inner city walls all around the world. Defined by contrast and inspired by nature, textiles and light, Woodside’s art combines vivid colours, patterns, and shapes, that inspire feelings of happiness and instil positivity. It’s not surprising that he’s been approached by the likes of Google, Maclaren, Adidas, Colette Paris and the Getty Museum.
Jason Woodside working on his mural for Kathmandu in the Blue Mountains.
For his latest project, Jason Woodside collaborated with Kathmandu to create a bold collection of wearable and functional art pieces. Famous for their quality and sustainable ethos, each product has been purposefully designed to help us take advantage of summer, Kathmandu Head of Product Creative explains:
“This has been such a special project. As a brand, we focus on the joy the outdoors can bring, and to put it simply, Jason’s colourful work is joyful. Pairing that with our combined love for nature and the outdoors, our connection feels seamless. Jason is a stunning, modern, geometric artist. He brought his large scale approach to the collaboration, and we worked together on how we could apply that to a series of small-scale pieces, that are perfect for summer and representative of the Kathmandu colour palette.”
Jason Woodside x Kathmandu Beach Shelter.
To celebrate the collaboration we flew to the Blue Mountains where we spent two days with Woodside and the Kathmandu team. Putting the product to the ultimate test, we hiked Lockleys Pylon and asked Woodside why nature plays such an important part in his work.
“Nature has always inspired me and I think particularly when I was painting in bigger cities, it was an escape, like coming home. The outdoors mean everything to me. It’s the fresh air, the surf, the beach, and the sense of adventure I feel when I’m out there… it all triggers my inspiration.”
Jason Woodside x Kathmandu Beach Shelter.
For this collaboration, Woodside worked backward, envisioning a pitched tent on a remote beach. He used the vision to inspire the choice of colour, shape and patterns landing on blue, purple, yellow and red.
“My initial thoughts were to create something that contrasted nature but also worked with nature. The only visual I really had in my head was a tent placed in the wild but just vibing out. I wanted to make something that was reminiscent of a sculpture. With the art, it’s something I thought was wearable. It provoked happiness and positivity in a sense but it’s also familiar to people who are interested in my work. It was a super fun process, working with larger companies can often confine you but Kathmandu was open to doing anything. I went down to Christchurch and designed everything down there. Everybody was so lovely, I got to meet the team and have a beer. It was great, with good chemistry comes success.”
Jason Woodside x Kathmandu Shorts and Blanket/Picnic Rug.
Jason Woodside x Kathmandu Beach Chair.
Woodside’s vibrant artwork has been applied to a carefully curated range of Kathmandu apparel and hard goods, including tees, shorts, hoodies, joggers, hats, a beach shelter, festival chair, backpack, drink bottle, beach towel and trolley. The limited-edition Kathmandu x Woodside range is available online and in store.
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