Mindful Wandering: An Interview with Tarvas
A brief chat with Tarvas co-founder Jukka Lehtinen, unpacking the creative process behind The Wanderer — a walking shoe that, for me, stands as one of the most wonderful releases of 2025.
Before We Start
If you’re new here, you can catch up on some recent work:
I Think, Therefore I Tastemake: My thoughts on tastemaking, influence, and intention in modern content — exploring slow style, fatigue, and what’s to come
New Year, New (Kinda the Same) Me: A year-end reflection on growth, fear, and staying honest — along with the designers and pieces that caught my eye recently
Basic? (How Japanese brands get labelled “boring” or “expensive,” and the disconnect between passion, content, and algorithm-driven taste)
I’m Not a Hater, But I Am a Hater: The current state of menswear discourse & fashion bros
If you’re enjoying Duchump and want to help keep it going, consider subscribing.
Between tracking down pieces, speaking with designers, and writing these essays, this project takes more time than my weekly screen-time report would like to admit — and your support truly does make this all possible.
Update: I will be in Paris from the 20th until the 26th — expect plenty of coverage throughout the week, along with interviews and features to follow.
Thank you for being here.
Introduction
“Nature brings clarity and keeps you connected with yourself.”
A sentiment that’s resonated with me more and more in recent months.
We live in this ever-evolving technodystopian world — one that grows darker by the day — keeping us endlessly engaged through the palm of our hands, while slowly disconnecting us from the real world. Our minds go brrrrr as we double-tap another reel of someone exploring the outdoors on Instagram — an experience you can have for the low, low price of zero dollars.
We’re sold faux self-help guides, meditation apps, and wellness narratives daily, yet we continue to crave peace, stillness, and some sense of contentment. The self-care section at your local bookstore remains popular, though I can’t help but feel people are often more interested in ticking off a Goodreads achievement than actually absorbing what they’re reading.
As I mentioned in my previous post, people have grown tired of the ADHD-paced style of content we’ve lived with over the past six to eight years. It feels natural to search for an escape right now — something grounding. A way to slow time down, or at the very least, remind yourself that it exists beyond a screen.
