We’re by no means masters at it, but seeing it day-in, day-out over the years subconsciously offers you a little intuition on the front-line reaction to a lot of brands and products in our little echo chamber. It’s rad to see so much consumer spending being directed to small independent brands. There are so many people that come in-store and buy Former, Octo, and EPØKHE in one fell swoop. We see daily which brands people are looking for, and which styles hit the sweet spot for a certain season. Also the way that different brands complement each other is really powerful. I’m a big fan of mixed retail and brands. How did working with brands and doing mixed-use retail change your approach to the brand? If you want some for your store just hit us up! Our mags are free, and always will be so it’s epic having people come to our store and pick them up as well as a ton of other stores across Europe. However, I really feel if we had to can everything else and just do print, our team would still be stoked. We’ve been really lucky to do some great collabs with brands, which is a key little sweet spot-that marriage between good marketing and good product. We’re really lucky to work with some amazing brands who trust us to tell stories. It adds a structure to everything we do, whether it’s timing or just sniffing out stories or personalities. Print is what we’re most passionate about. How does it work, mixing retail with a magazine? I love the melting pot, it’s a great place to throw ideas around. We hired an epic store manager, Marion, and suddenly we were like ‘Wow, stores can be a business in their own right.’ Footfall was through the roof and we’re super lucky to have a diverse crew who come by regularly, from execs of the bigger brands to the local ding repair guys. The turning point was when we opened a much bigger store, with the guys from Waxed Coffee taking some floor space as well. Having different crew flowing through day-to-day will nurture a community far more than any website or online store. However, the sense of community that stores create if done right is second to none. We always wanted to make films and magazines and were always really marketing-focused with everything we did. The retail side was always there for us, although at the beginning it wasn’t a big draw. How did that process shift your ideas about what Wasted Talent “was”? If the surf was good on the weekends, the Saturday retail window was simply a non-event. I think the beers started most days around 2 pm. Looking back on it now, it was pretty classic. We actually first started with a tiny store from the very beginning that was half-store, half-office, out the back of Hossegor. Stab: So for those unacquainted, where did Wasted Talent start and how did it evolve to, say, opening the first shops?Īlex Obolenksy: I guess Wasted Talent started in earnest in 2015.
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