In a lot of ways what Sungwan Park started with Nature Troopers reminds me of my earlier days of inviting some of my closest friends to venture out and fish the shorelines of local ponds. When on the water, aside from talking and bragging about our fishing tactics, gear, etc., conversations would stem from the latest web design trends, the newest kicks that were about to drop, or vibin’ off Lupe Fiasco’s “I Gotcha” video. I even designed t-shirts and hats to convey we were a crew of bass fishermen. That was over a decade ago, yet these types of conversations remain the same today. Nature Troopers is comprised of individuals that share the same passions outside of bass fishing, and the time on the water is their platform to congregate as a creative collective unit.

-Lloyd Gomez

 SUB: WHAT UP Nature Troopers?! Please tell us about yourselves and your backgrounds. Who is involved with Nature Troopers and how did it begin?

NT: Hi! We are Korean Nature Troopers. The establishment of Nature Troopers was in 2012, when the Founder Sungwan Park (@skate_angler), Jangsoo Um (@um_jangsoo), who was famous for bass fishing, and hip-hop Emcee, Chanjuelz (@chanjuelz) started to go fishing together. more and more members have joined including:

Megabass Korea Field Staff - Sung Hoon Yang (@lunker_megabass_yang)

Helinox Advisor and Art Director - Taehun Kim (@7jensen)

Videographer - Yohan Joo (@ntps_yoda)

Entertainment Agency Manager - Bonjin Koo (@finesse_angler)

B-Boy - Trance Kim (@trance.frzm)

Fixed biker and Shop Byclipse Owner - YS Jung (@byclipse_ys)

Sneaker Collector - Mason Choi (@masetheslugger)

We are composed of passionate and creative friends. That’s Nature Troopers.

What’s up Nature Troopers! 여러분과 여러분의 배경에 대해서 얘기해주세요. Nature Troopers와 함께 하는 사람들은 누구이며 Nature Troopers는 어떻게 시작됐습니까?

안녕하세요! 한국의 Nature Troopers입니다. 네이처 트루퍼스의 시작은 2012년Founder Sungwan Park ( @skate_angler )과 배스 낚시에서 유명세를 떨치고 있었던 Jangsoo Um ( @um_jangsoo ), 힙합 MC Chanjuelz ( @chanzuelz )3명이 낚시를 함께 하면서 시작 되었다. 그리고 친구들이 모여서 Megabass Korea Field Staff - Sung Hoon Yang ( @lunker_megabass_yang ) Helinox Advisor and Art Director - Taehun Kim ( @7jensen ) Video grapher - Yohan Joo ( @ntps_yoda ) Entertainment Agency Manager - Bonjin Koo ( @finesse_angler ) B-Boy - Trance Kim ( @trance.frzm ) Fixed biker and Shop Byclipse Owner -YS Jung ( @byclipse_ys ) Shoe Collector - Mason Choi ( @masetheslugger ) 지금은 열정 넘치고 크리에이트브 한 친구들과도 교류하며 함께 하고 있습니다. 

SUB: What inspired you to start a fishing group? When did you guys start fishing and how would you describe your style and the region of water you fish? 

NT: The team was created with those people who were born and grew up in the city but who loved to go fishing in the nature. In the early to mid-2000s, we enjoyed fishing, and in 2012, we made a team called Nature Troopers. We usually enjoy fishing on foot by using big baits or swimbaits, but sometimes go fishing with various lures depending on situations.

fishing group을 만들기까지 무엇이 여러분에게 영감을 주었습니까? 언제부터 낚시를 시작했으며 여러분의 낚시 스타일과 어떤 곳에서 낚시하는지를 어떻게 표현할 수 있습니까? 

도시에서 태어나서 자라온 사람들이 자연과 함께 어우려져 할 수 있는 낚시가 좋았고 팀을 만들어 활동 했습니다. 2000년대 초반 중반에 낚시를 하였고 2012년에 Nature Troopers라는 이름으로 팀을  만들었습니다. 워킹 낚시를 주로 하는편이며 빅베이트나 스윔베이트를 사용하여 낚시하는 걸 주로 하지만 보통은 상황에 맞게 다양한 루어로 낚시 하며 즐깁니다. 

SUB: Like many fishing crews we see on Instagram, did you guys just start off printing t-shirts? What inspired the idea to create products under Nature Troopers name?

NT: In 2012, as we worked as a team, we put all our ideas into action and started a brand. Nature Troopers expresses people who enjoy outdoor life in the nature by fishing and camping, and named them Troopers. The name was partially inspired by Storm Troopers from ‘Star Wars’.

우리가 인스타그램에서 보는 많은 피싱 크루들처럼 여러분도 이제 막 t-shirts를 만들기 시작했나요?

2012년 팀을 만들어 활동하면서 항상 생각해 왔던것을 올해들어 실행에 옮겼고 브랜드를 시작하게 되었습니다.

Nature Troopers 는 낚시, 캠핑등 Nature 속에서 아웃도어 라이프를 즐기는 사람들을 표현하여 Troopers라고 불러 이름을 지었습니다. 약간은 영화 ’Star Wars’의 Storm Troopers 이름에서 영감을 받기도 했습니다.

“Nature Troopers expresses people who enjoy outdoor life in the nature by fishing and camping.”

“ Nature Troopers는 자연에서 낚시와 아웃도어를 즐기는 녀석들을 일컬어 표현했다. ”

SUB: Where does the inspiration for your designs and products come from?

NT: The basis of OUR designS is A combination of street culture, such as skateboard and graffiti, and outdoor life. We try to create our own style by supplementing pros and cons with people who went fishing together for a long period.

“The basis of our designs is a combination of street culture, such as skateboard and graffiti, and outdoor life.”

SUB: Tell us about your influence from skate, hip-hop, and graffiti? When and how involved are you guys in these subcultures?

NT: Sungwan Park, the creator of Nature Troopers, was a sponsored skater, and he was naturally involved in these subcultures. Other members were also similar. The designer of Nature Troopers is graffiti artist @jinsbh. You asked us how involved we are in these subcultures, and our answer is that it was our life.

여러분 디자인과 제품의 영감은 어디로부터 왔나요?

디자인은 기본적으로 스케이트보드나 그래피티등 스트릿 문화와 아웃도어 라이프의 접목하여표현할려고 노력하고 있습니다. 제품은 오랜시간동안 낚시를 했던 사람들과 함께 장단점을 보완하여 저희만의 스타일로 제품화하는 시도를 하고 있습니다.

네이처 트루퍼스를 만들었던 Sungwan Park은 스폰서를 받던 스케이터 였고 자연스레  Subcultures 연결고리가 있었다.

함께 하는 친구들도 비슷한 부류라 말할수 있으며 네이처 트루퍼스 디자이너 역시 그래피티 아티스트 ( @jinsbh )이다.

깊게 관련된 것에 물었는데,  그냥 삶 자체였다고 생각합니다.

SUB: Aside from your passion for fishing, do you guys have other passions or hobbies that you enjoy?

NT: We all have different hobbies like skateboarding, fixed biking, and b-boying, but most of us love drinking. Haha!

“We all have different hobbies like skateboarding, fixed biking, and b-boying, but most of us love drinking. Haha!”

SUB: What should we look out for in the coming months or year from Nature Troopers? 

NT: We plan to develop our products with different attempts of combining the subcultures with fishing, and we will show you various features by collaborating with other brands to express ourselves better. Please give us a lot of support as we grow.

낚시를 제외하고 여러분이 열정을 가진 다른 분야나 즐기는 취미가 있나요?

Skateboard, Pixed bike, b-boying등 다양한 취미들이 있지만 대부분 술을 즐긴다. haha

 

앞으로 몇 달 또는 몇 년 동안 우리가 Nature Troopers에게 주목할 포인트는 무엇인가요?

서브 컬처 기반과 낚시에 접목할수 있는 여러방식의 시도를 통해 제품을 개발해 나갈 예정이며 저희를 잘 표현해줄수 있는 브랜드들과도 콜라보 하며 다양한 모습을 보일수 있도록 하겠습니다. 

저희가 멋지게 성장해 나아갈 수 있게 관심 부탁 드립니다

“WE ARE composed of passionate and creative friends. That’s Nature TrooperS.”

“우리는 창의적이며 열정이 가득한 친구들로 구성되어 있다.  그게 바로 네이처 트루퍼스다.”

출처 SUBSURFACE (https://www.sbsrfc.com/main/2018/23/11/nature-troopers)