[Podcast in English] What could have predicted that a carpenter from Torquay would come to reign over the European surfboard business? Not much, apart from a love of surfing and a taste for adventure…and of course an undeniable talent for business. Belly was one of the first Australians to come to Hossegor in the 80’s.
For the fifteenth episode of Podcast Inside Eurosima, we welcome Fred BASSE, former Executive General Manager of Rip Curl Europe & EuroSIMA President.
Emmanuel Debrueres is behind one of the most uplifting stories of the European surf industry in the past few years: the take-over, or rather « rebirth » of Oxbow. It was an ambitious bet, fed by over 25 years of experience in Action Sports and an unwavering passion for the industry and its brands in general.
“I think you have to learn when to stay small and keep a low profile. The more you keep a low profile, the better you can weather the storms that come your way.”
In these few words, taken from the episode, Xabi sums up the Waimea surf shop philosophy. Located just a few meters from the waves in Anglet, the oldest surf shop in Europe to be still in business is more than just a shop. It’s an institution.
For this ninth episode of the Inside Eurosima Podcast, we welcome Hervé Lacastaigneratte, Founder of Surf Lounge.
Every industry has its key players and for French boardculture, Greg Poissonnier is one of them.
Originally from the North of France and having moved to Pau in the Pyrénées at the age of 12, Greg saw the rise of snowboarding in the early 90’s and how it spread to the masses, which is also when he honed his own skills in the sport. Having joined the Quiksilver pro team a few years later, he experienced firsthand the first pro contrats as well as the first editions of several now legendary events such as the Quik Cup. These travels and interactions led him to establish a wide network in the industry.
Pierre-Bernard Gascogne. PBG (“Pébège”) for friends.The name is as legendary in the boardsports industry as it is familiar to Surf Session magazine readers.
A long-time surfer (the first Frenchman to have surfed Mundaka) PBG has always strived to combine his passion with his studies and his career.
You can’t talk about female icons of the surfing industry without mentioning Maritxu Darrigand
Back in the 70’s, a visionary and a pioneer, she helped lay the foundations of the industry before it even was an industry. As a world traveler living between the mountain and the ocean, she was behind the first screenings of surf movies in theaters.
Beyond an impressive career, Juan Gonzalez-Vega’s life is above all about destiny. The destiny of a Spaniard, who arrived in France at a young age, who got into surfing as a teenager, whose ambition and talent first led him to become a trader on Wall Street for the biggest agencies in New York in the late 90’s.
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