Real Riders
Continuing with our #HSBerlinBerlin2 festivities, our Berlin-based Gorillas riders Dea, Dan, and Zoei share what they love most about the city they call home.
Croatia-born Dea came from a family of musicians and artists, who has spent 3 years in Ibiza, working in public relations for different clubs before moving to Berlin and eventually starting a techno-electro project ERIS with a friend. Dan, meanwhile, is a psychedelic visual artist from Toronto, Canada who has started an art/fashion brand @cravefluidity. And, last but not least, we have Yolo County, California native and DJ Zoei, who has moved to Berlin after a stint in Melbourne to pursue her passion for music.
Catch them flexing some of our special edition Highsnobiety x Gorillas hoodies & shirts for the editorial shot by Felix Gärtner, styled by Esteban Pomar, and produced by Highsnobiety. 👀🍌
Meet Zoei
How does this buzzing hub of a city inspire you? Berlin seems to be a city where you can do anything you want to do if you set your mind to it. It is a DIY city, if you want to make something happen, you can do it yourself. And people are supportive of creative ideas, the more out of the box the better. But being in Berlin is not easy. You have to hustle to be here, so it's inspiring to see how people are so determined to be here in this city.
What do you love the most about being here? In many ways, Berlin to me seems like a nonjudgemental city. Whatever your art, work, or passion is, you will always find people that will support you.
How has your journey with Gorillas in Berlin been so far? When I first got the job at Gorillas, I felt a bit ashamed and embarrassed to say what I do. I came to Berlin to be involved in the creative industry and felt like I was going steps backward with it. Then I realized that this job was such a necessary part of my journey. Before Gorillas, I was broke and sad and this job saved me from that. I was able to pay my rent again, put food on the table, have something to do instead of sitting at home all day, and get exercise as well! When I started working for Gorillas in January, I thought all I was signing up for was a delivery job and it wouldn’t be so exciting. I was so pleasantly surprised to go from being quite alone and not having much social interaction to having a job where I’m working with interesting people from all over the world. Very fast, we became a family in Gorillas and we're always looking forward to going to work and seeing each other at work.
Get to know Dan
What made you move to Berlin? And what are the things you love about Berlin? I heard from many that Berlin is where to go when you want to be surrounded by creativity. I had a summer free in 2019 and came here to work. I made some good friends here and in August of 2020 I decided to move back and build my life here. What do I love about Berlin? The people I would say. You walk down the street and the people have a look in their eyes that they’re on to something. They’re dreaming, following a passion, or just being in the moment. I get that feeling of inspiration walking around these streets very easily.
What are some of the Berlin highlights or memorable Berlin moments you've experienced while working at Gorillas? I think making friends with other Gorillas [staff] has been the best part of the job. I currently live with three other coworkers and made so many connections with amazing people throughout the company.
How was your experience working with Highsnobiety and how did you find the shoot and the styles? I had a great time working with Highsnobiety, the shoot was a thrilling day and it meant a lot that they took photos of me also wearing my custom art hats with my Crave Fluidity designs I sewed on. I think it was a really nice thing for the collaboration to feature artists in the company to show how diverse and creative our workers are, and show the passion and projects we lead, in the most creative city in the world!
Introducing Dea
Share with us your Berlin story. Berlin was love at first visit back in 2003. It always felt like home, so I kept coming back until I eventually just accepted that's where I belong. It's kind of a 'black sheep' city—like a place where all the outcasts, rebels, weirdos, and people just too different to fit in wherever they are from, come together to create this unique vibe. You can see a drag queen in full disco attire sitting next to a woman in hijab in a subway. I can wear my spandex catsuit coming from two days of clubbing, or go to the studio in my pajamas, and nobody will raise an eyebrow.
What are some of the Berlin highlights or memorable Berlin moments you've experienced while working at Gorillas? What comes to my mind as a typical Berlin thing experiences while being a Gorillas ride on duty would be delivering drinks to the same afterparty on Monday morning three times in a shift, on the 3rd time the gang inviting me inside, asking how is my day going, am I stressed working for Gorillas, are we pressured to make the delivery in under 10 min, do we get the tips that are paid over the app. I think this type of concern for labor rights, even from a bunch of kids at the end of a weekend bender is very Berlin in nature.
How did you find the shoot with Highsnobiety and also the hoodies and shirts? The shoot was very fun, everyone on the crew was very sweet, funny, and professional. I really loved the work of the makeup artist. I am always dreading the makeup at these kinds of shoots that usually feel and look like a mask, this time was really perfect, very natural, just smoothed out skin to enhance natural features. I love the hoodies we got and I'm wearing them a lot! I think the very theme of a large number of Berlin's artists working for Gorillas is as 'Berlin at the moment' as it gets.