If you’ve got into outdoor lifestyle clothing in the last five years, you can partly thank 114 Index for that. The cult Instagram account turned creative agency was one of the focal driving forces behind the ‘Gorpcore’ boom in the UK, thanks to its meticulously curated carousels and extensive research on all things nice outdoor gear.
For a long time, 114 Index was shrouded in mystery with no one knowing who or what was behind it – the only clues being a cryptic pixelated profile picture and a handful of photos of men with swirly faces. In the last couple of years, however, (mostly) all has been revealed, with the genius behind it revealing himself as a very friendly, finely moustached Scotsman named Wilson.
114 has come a long way since its humble beginnings as what many would call a ‘mood board’ account, and we’ve even had the pleasure of working with the man himself a few times, so we thought it was about time we virtually sat down to put all of our long-burning questions to him…
Hello Wilson, how are you? Where are you? And could you provide some information about what you do?
How we doing guys? All good over here. Currently based up at home in Manchester as I write this. So, I’m Wilson, and I run 114 Index – a creative toolkit and agency for brands to tap into the cross-section of fashion, function and an active lifestyle. It’s a product of both my tastes and interests and it’s definitely evolved over the years as I’ve matured and been exposed to and tried out new things. I think it’s for this reason that I’ve seen it grown to what it is now and the successes I’ve had off the back of it.
What did you do before what you do now?
Bit of a funny one actually. From as soon as I left school up until I moved to Manchester in the middle of 2023, I was actually a mechanical engineer specialising in heavy lifting equipment. The kind of ramps and jacks that lift up trains, military vehicles, trucks and even at one point, planes. Quite the change in career pivoting over to fashion for sure, but it was actually such a fun job and the nature of it meant I could also pursue passions at the same time.
No way haha, so how did the account start + where did the inspiration for it come from, have you always had a keen interest in functional design and gear?
It sort of started out of nothing really. I used to repost pictures of clothes on my own personal story, or stuff for sale. I thought at one point that it’s probably better to just have both of those things in one place and so came the inception of 114.index. From an early teenager I’ve always found myself being conscious of my image, which later evolved into wanting to know more about the clothes I wore, leading me down a bit of a rabbit hole to the more functional aspect of garments.
We’ve got to ask, what’s the significance of 114?
It’s nothing crazy really. 114 is literally just the house number of my family home back in Glasgow.
From what we can gather, 114 started off as a community purely sharing other peoples’ images but you’ve recently stepped more into the spotlight yourself, how have you found the transition?
Yeah, I guess as of the last 18 months or so I have taken a bit of a step forward in terms of putting a face to the name, so to speak. I always hid my face, even earning a bit of a nickname from a few people as one of the “swirly face guys”.
I always approach 114 Index with a disconnection to me, not having it about me as such. But recently I’ve realised that with the personality I try to inject into it, it’s actually really valuable to have my face as a recognisable element these days and it doesn’t need to be about “ego” or a “look at me” attitude.
A lot of your followers probably haven’t heard your accent, but we have, and it’s most definitely Scottish. Whereabouts in Scotland did you grow up and how has this influenced your interest in clothing?
Aye! It most definitely is. I’ve never really thought I had a particularly strong Glaswegian accent until I moved down south. But I have pals here that’ve been close to me for 3+ years now and they even struggle sometimes to this day.
I grew up about 10 mins from Glasgow city centre, a wee place called Cambuslang – probably akin to a Burnage or Levinshulme kind of area, one stop on the train sort of suburbs.
I think being Scottish and having any sort of remote interest or connection to the outdoor spaces back home has influenced my interest in functional gear. We definitely need the waterproof gear up the road, for sure.
We’ve noticed you’ve been doing a lot with HOKA recently and running in general over the last couple of years, what originally got you into the activity, and what do you like most about it?
I’ve got a great relationship with HOKA and it’s a really nice back and forth in terms of how we work on things together. Running for me really started when I moved here in 2023, a very modest 1-2 5K runs a week for quite a long time as I battled the discontent for the sport that almost everyone has at first.
A little under a year ago now though, I started to get consistent with it and since also stopping drinking, have seen my progress come on leaps and bounds to the point now where I can’t get enough of it. Really caught the bug.
What’s your favourite running shoe for everyday miles?
For everyday miles, for someone of any ability – whether that’s entry-level or having a packed race schedule – I can’t recommend the New Balance 1080v13 and v14 enough. They’re a shoe that’s super stable and plush feeling, but still has a bit of response if you need to up the tempo a little. Such a good all-rounder that’ve done me 350+KM from each of the pairs I’ve owned.
On top of running, it seems you’ve tried your hand at most outdoor activities whether it be hiking, climbing etc. Any elusive ones you’re still keen to try your hand at?
The one thing I’ve always wanted to do that I’ve never got the chance at would definitely be a multi-day canoe expedition. Somewhere remote with lots of rivers and lakes – Scandinavia or Canada type locations. I feel like that aspect of outdoor exploration predominantly from the water gives a completely different perspective to the environment you’re in. Pair that with the self-sufficiency of packing everything into the canoes and finding different locations to pitch up for the night and it’s a dream.
Proper expedition stuff. You’re pretty on it with modern, techy gear, but are there any older brands that you get equally excited about?
It’s something that really got me stuck into researching clothes at a younger age and to this day still something I acknowledge as the pinnacle. And that’s Massimo Osti and the Osti universe that’s spanned from his earliest work, to most modern influences.
I used to collect C.P. and Stone Island – spent all my 18th birthday money on a big piece and was over the moon. Osti brand products were never too “functional” so to speak, but the early technical design and fabric research is a cornerstone of modern technical clothing in a lot of ways. So it’s got to be that for me.
You’re doing a lot of project work now, is there one project in particular that you look back on fondly / would like to do again?
Great question, I’ve had the pleasure of working with a wide variety of clients now and a plethora of different projects from having full creative input, to producer roles and media partner – amongst other things. However, in the last year, one of my favourites was producing and executing a trip to the Scottish Highlands for the launch of the HOKA Kaha 2 Frost Moc boot.
We got to stay on a private island estate only accessible by boat, which also inspired J.M. Barrie to conceptualise “Neverland” in the original Peter Pan novel. We had such a good group and being able to really open up what I believe is the most beautiful part of Scotland to them, along with cuisine and a real educational element of both the biodiversity of the region alongside the rich history just felt like a full circle moment to me after the years of work I put into 114 Index. Going from posting about my trips north of Glasgow hiking and camping, to bringing a global brand and my network there left me feeling a wee bit smug – in the best way.
Haha, what does an ideal Saturday look like for you these days?
A lot different than it used to, that’s for sure! I feel like it’s now either a long run or a couple hours in the gym. Then it’ll either be a post-gym feed or hold off and go out for food with the boys. I feel like I often still “work” on Saturdays now, too. Not quite the same as midweek work, but I’m just so tuned in and motivated at the moment that I’ll find myself brainstorming ideas or having impromptu discussions about what me or my mates are trying to do. It’s nice.
Favourite shoe of all time?
That’s like asking a parent who their favourite child is. Prada America’s Cup, if I had a gun to my head. Such a versatile shoe, I remember there was a meme about them a while ago, saying it’s the only shoe that’s equally good for a night out, wedding, funeral, job interview and meeting the missus’ parents. It wasn’t wrong, I’ve worn mine on each of those occasions.
Jacket?
It’s got to be something Osti-related. But again, hard to choose as there’s been so many old Stone Island or C.P. jackets I’ve seen that I say this to myself about. If we go with something in my wardrobe though, I’ve got a couple of 1990 camo Ice Jackets that are in unreal nick. One in the Harrington pattern, the other in the “Tela Stella” shape.
Very jealous of those. Favourite car?
Car wise, I’m such a Porsche guy. To me, they’re the thinking man’s sports car, so I’ve always wanted a 1997 911 Carrera 4S (or Turbo S), the year I was born. The 993 iterations were the first 911’s to use a 6-speed manual box, I believe. And I just adore the way they’ve got those wide arches and strip of lights across the back of the car.
Film?
This depends on my mood, really. But it usually ends up at Apocalypse Now (redux, obviously) when push comes to shove. I remember watching it for the first time as a young teenager and it kickstarted my total obsession with the Vietnam War. I think that movie is a good representation about how that conflict was world changing on so many different levels beyond just the fighting. Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando are both incredible in that film. I also read somewhere that loads of the cast and crew got hooked on drugs while filming, which for some reason, doesn’t really surprise me.
Manchester spot recommendations (food, drink, anything)
I keep finding myself going back to Ancoats Deli recently. The staff are great, sandwiches even better and when that courtyard gets the sun you’d think you’re in Europe. The Castle is still my favourite pub, as well. Even if it’s just for a 0% Guinness now, I’ll still be in there regularly.
Any notable figures that you look to for style inspiration / appreciation?
I feel like nowadays stylists play such an enormous role in how the image of a celeb or notable figure is presented that it almost seems like a bit of a cop out to label it as “their” style. That being said though, Stone Island recently featured Hidetoshi Nakata in their campaign, which naturally caused a few IG moodboard pages to deep dive his style and post up flicks of him sitting front row at fashion shows and featuring on magazine covers in the 2000s. It almost feels like he’s a bit of a Japanese Becks with his love of fashion. Pretty cool guy. I’ve always appreciated Max Holloway’s adoration for Acronym and really wearing the full uniform well, and often.
If you’re ever not exercising or working, what’re you doing?
Probably absolutely nothing ‘cause I’m always knackered! Unless it’s eating out, always got some energy reserved for that.
What can we expect to see from Wilson / 114 in 2025 and beyond?
Hopefully, on a personal level continue to grow as I have been the last year or so as things have developed career-wise at the same time. Really just more of the same and continue to nurture the good mindset and company I’ve been keeping. I’ll have a few things happening which I’ll be really excited about as and when they start to transpire. I want to travel more now that I have some form of safety net of recurring work, so maybe you’ll see me popping up in some random locations later this year.
Thanks for chatting today Wilson, all the best.
To see what Wilson is up to at the moment, visit here.
