Ian Wylie (4:48)

How long does it take to make typically one board?

Sylvain Fleury (4:52)

Yeah, the 3D printing takes kind of long time, like 25 hours. So it's gonna run during the night, running all day. And then we do the glassing. So on our side we use fiberglass and bio based epoxy resin. And this takes several steps between like seven, eight hours to do, but you have to let it dry in between some steps. So it takes a few days to, to do the, the glassing. Along the way we realized what, what we are really expert on is the mechanics inside the board. The outside shape of, of the board is really worked by a shaper and it's kind of their work and they have been like improving it for 60 years. So now we are partnered with these shapers that have big impact in the industry. And so with this kind of partnership we feel really welcomed by the community because it's part of the tradition with innovation and push the limits of the performance forward. I can remember the first time Johnny Cavianka, the first shaper we work with, he's the shaper for really good surfers for Gabriel Medina, who is, who is a three times world champion. So like really good shapers with a lot of experience. And first time he came to our workshop. So what we were doing saw the precision of the machine, the end product, which was already pretty good at this time. And so the whole potential wanted to collaborate and do some prototypes together. I think we really felt we, we were kind of touching something in oglete around our area here for like 1km from here, there are maybe 10 shapers, some really like artist shapers, some high level shapers or long board shapers. There are also people working on new materials. We have our friends from Notox working on the cork boards, other people from Canoa around with new composite material that is more bio based as well. There is a small ecosystem. We know each other, we work together whenever we can because we all share the same vision of making high performance and sustainable products. Yeah, so this part is confidential. Okay. Because yeah, it's part of our passion. Once we put fiberglass and, and epoxy resin, then there is a final step that we call the hot coat with only resin that makes the ball waterproof.

Ian Wylie (8:11)

I guess having all these surfing beaches nearby is pretty handy to test the boards.

Sylvain Fleury (8:17)

Yeah, for sure. We have the really good surf spots in Anglette, also really good riders around competitors that can provide high quality feedback on the product. So yeah, that's a huge opportunity and we are happy to be here. Next to the beach.

Ian Wylie (8:44)

Just a few miles down the coast in Biarritz is Aristide Schoen Dienst, an architect by training who co founded Polyola to develop and supply eco friendly poly polyurethane foam blanks that are made from recycled materials and are fully recyclable.

Aristide Schoen Dienst (9:02)

For the last 70 years they have been largely built from polyurethane foam, polyester resin and fiberglass. Terrific materials to work with because you can really shape each board in the desired shape, but very bad for the environment.

Sophie Carbonari (9:20)

So.

Aristide Schoen Dienst (9:20)

So polyurethane foams and polyester resins are fossil fuel based. The extraction from the environment is very toxic. And so this was one of the driving forces that we wanted to change. A surfboard always starts with a foam core, the so called surfboard blank. And that comes in all sizes from 5, 10 to 11 foot. I think there are less than 10 foam manufacturers worldwide, but I would say there are more than 10,000 surfboard manufacturers probably. We were able to develop a foam that is made from 2/3 recycled material and that produces about 73% less CO2 emissions compared to traditional PU foam and is equivalent in, or if not even exceeds in certain aspects the performance of traditional PU foam. We founded the company in Biarritz, France. Then we started to work with two different companies in Germany on the chemistry side and with a small blank manufacturer in Spain. So it's been really like a European project, you could say. And then we finally, at the end of last year, started to work with a arctic foam. One of the leading surfboard blank manufacturers that is based in California. And that gives us basically access to a global audience. Moving to France to Biarritz has been super important for us in order to set up the company, but also because it is very much the heart of the European surfboard industry. So from Biarritz to Asego, which is like, like about 30 kilometers, there's a lot of really good waves and most of the board building goes on in that area. Then going over into the Basque country in Spain. Our philosophy has always been to develop materials that could be used by everyone in the industry. So we never wanted to make a surfboard company, but be a supplier of materials to many, many different companies. Right. And therefore Biarritz has been. And that whole area has been fantastic because the density of manufacturers is so big there. So it was really easy for us to reach out to many different companies and shapers, especially in the early stages. And also we had a lot of support from the, from the region and from the government. So all of that has been key and really great.

Ian Wylie (12:00)

For Monaco on the beaches of southwest France. I'm Ian Wylie.

Tom Edwards (12:08)

My thanks to Ian Wiley for that report. You're listening to the entrepreneurs. I am delighted to say more sunshine has arrived in the studio. Right now I've been joined by Monocle's very own Fernando Augusto Pacheco. What a treat. Thanks for being on the entrepreneurs.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (12:31)

It's a pleasure. And what an interesting story. You know, Tom, that I love surfing. The idea of surfing, I do not surf, okay? But I think it's the most magical and beautiful sport. There's something quite special about it.

Tom Edwards (12:44)

I do know what you mean. Why would you not take to the waves yourself? Is it as it is in my case, a sheer naked terror?

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (12:51)

Well, not just terror. I don't think I have the coordination for it.

Tom Edwards (12:54)

Okay.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (12:55)

Am I not a problem? Also big problem. I don't have the elegance for it.

Tom Edwards (12:58)

But I thought you surprised me.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (13:00)

Well, unfortunately it's a very unfortunate thing, Tom.

Tom Edwards (13:03)

Okay, now listen. Surfing Sunshine France. Monocle's beautiful sunny Mediterranean newspaper is out. We've been obviously on the road in all sorts of sun kissed climbs as well. Tell us a bit about why this is such a lovely time of year for sunshine lovers like yourself, Fernando.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (13:20)

It is indeed. It is my favorite season. Of course, we have the Mediterranean paper out full of sunny stories, Tom. And talking about sunny as well, I think we need to take care of our skins in the summer, even, I have to admit. You know, I'll tell you a secret. Ten years ago I did not wear that Much spf. You know, I was kind of against. I was like, I was born in the seventies in a way. I did change. I'm getting older so, you know, things start appearing in the skin here and there. But that's why I wanted to meet Paris top facialists. So figure carbonari. You know, when I was planning the Parisian trip, she was always the top of my list, Tom, basically not just a celebrity. I think she's quite interesting. She has kind of innovative ways to do a facial. And she started a skincare line as well. She was such a delight to talk. She gave us some tips as well on how to protect her skin in the summer. How's your skincare regime, Tom? Paired back, which is fine. Fair enough.

Tom Edwards (14:17)

Is that good? You tell me. You can see the results right here. Luckily our listeners can't.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (14:22)

I think excessive products on the face. I think even the top facialists and you know, estheticians, they would agree that perhaps that's not also a good thing.

Tom Edwards (14:31)

The natural look.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (14:32)

The natural look. But you do need certain products. Maybe a good serum. You know, maybe you should arrange a meet of you and Sophie.

Tom Edwards (14:39)

I think I probably need. Does she have an emergency number? Okay, well, let's have a listen to you and Sophie in conversation.

Sophie Carbonari (14:46)

So it started in really early age so I have the chance to grow up in a really like house where my mom and my father was taking really care of themselves, like in really ritual way. So you know, taking like self care, skin care. The moment then you, when you go and you enter, enter into the bathroom was really one like one ritual that I was obsessed with because I could watch my, that shaving for like minutes and I didn't like. It was so hypnotic to me. So I create this kind of connection into what is it really to use cosmetics and have this kind of preparation to the word. And then when I was turning 8, I was a kind of hyperactive child. Yeah, so I was a hyperactive child because I'm. I'm a dyslexic person. So you know, I'm like, I was like. And my mom, she was like, okay, so I have to find something then she can be focused on. And then, so she, she find this like when I was like doing fake facials to her or extraction to her or doing her fakely doing her hair in front of the TV or anything I was really focused on and I could do that for hours. So then I loved it. And then it was my thing. And when I turned 15, it was time for me to like having a choice like about, you know, in France, it's really in early age and you have to do a choice about your career, whether you go professional, whether you continue to do study. So yeah, my mom, she just said like, maybe you should go and be an esthetician. And I didn't want it at beginning because I was thinking that I was too introvert. Which actually, as you can see, it wasn't true. But then. Yeah, and I embraced that career since then. And it's been like 18 years. Then I work in 20 years. Then I start into this, this industry now.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (16:39)

So is it true that one of your start was actually in London?

Sophie Carbonari (16:42)

Yeah, yeah. So London, it's a really, really interesting city for me, first of all, it's. I find, and I think everybody who lives there will agree with me, it's really inspirational, really energetically, you know, oriented to push people who just have like this, whether it is entrepreneur mind, but a creative mind to excel. And it's funny because the first time I've been to London, it was for my first three days. And I have my first paycheck, which was nothing at that time. And I said, okay, let's go to have a weekend in London. I've been there a weekend. And I felt, I knew at that moment I was 8, 19. I say, okay, I will leave here one day and three years later, like, yeah, three years. Three years later I moved to London because I didn't speak English at that time. And I just thinking, like, I have my salon in Aix en Provence and I closed up because I was not a good entrepreneur and I was really young, not prepared and nothing. Then I say, okay, I close and now I have to learn. So I closed and I first I knew that something will happen if I like I was speaking English and, and you know, learn this new language and open my mind to new perspective. So I moved to London and. And so I stayed for, for over six years.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (17:58)

Today you correctly mentioned Provence.

Sophie Carbonari (18:00)

Yes.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (18:00)

Is that where you grew up? So not, not Paris?

Sophie Carbonari (18:02)

No, I'm not a Parisian person. I'm proudly from south of France. So yeah, so I was, I'm. I'm adopted. So I was, you know, like born in West Africa, in Mali. And then I arrived in France when I was eight months and moved in south of France in a city close to Arles, where there is the. The beautiful. Beautiful. Exact. I love it. So I was raised there. There really on the middle of nowhere in countryside. Yes. When I was 18, I moved first to Marseille after Aix en Provence. And then I ended up In London.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (18:37)

Well, let's talk about what makes you unique as well. Because when people think of facials, I think some people have some misconceptions. Just someone doing some little things in your face, putting some toners, but you go deep, you have a different technique.

Sophie Carbonari (18:50)

Yeah, explain to us. Yes, so what I first of all I have this, as I said, you know, I have this connection about like not simply cosmetic way of my work. So I think what I do is really intimate. It's connected to first of all to the human body and to the face. It's really important. And then what I did through this almost 20 years of my career is like, you know, go deep inside and learn how to. I can like, you know, learn the language of the skin. That's what I did. And it took me like a lot of time before I knew then that could happened. And so I did like the regular study for like purely aesthetics. But then I have always this affiliation about what is it then the narrative. Then you can bring like learning ayurvedic techniques, learning techniques from Africa, from although from South America, from China or Japan. Like there is a different approach of what is it to be to touching the skin and what is it to be an esthetician and doing beauty in each different country, region of the world. And I really wanted to embrace that level of taking care of the person and then I wanted to you know, like go deeper. And so I'm kind of a geek. So I just like learn all of the about like skin apothecary products and everything. So I start to mix and match all of the like the ingredients that I wanted to include it in my treatment. So I do my own product. And then after that, with that I build a certain way of touching the face and it go deeper into the facial level. And so I come and I unlock tensions who are linked into the meridian. So it's an inside, an inside out kind of process and good enough, it works, it works well and it lasts longer than a regular facial in term of result. So the. That makes me popular.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (20:49)

And it's funny you're saying that you make your own product and it's true, you now have line, you have a serum. So, so tell us and which makes sense because you're really, I can see that you're really interested, you're geeky, as rightly said.

Sophie Carbonari (21:02)

I love it.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (21:03)

So it makes sense that you have the serum. So tell us a bit more about the launch of a product because that's different to just being a facialist. And you're also own outline.

Sophie Carbonari (21:12)

So the thing is, it's really funny because you see, when the first time I did enter into beauty school, the teacher was like asking, oh, so like introduce yourself and give us like an insight about where you like why you do this study. And me, it was, you know, it was the beginning of Google and everything. So I'm old, but I just, I knew, you know, when I was like saying like, okay, esthetician and everything. So the name who was, came out was like Elena Rubenstein, Elizabeth Arden, all of those person who shaped the beauty until now. And so I knew then that's what I wanted to do. And when it came to my turn, I say, okay, so I'm Sophia Renari. I want to be an esthetician because I want to have my brand and I want to do like Elena Rubinstein. And the professor was looking at me and she said, you will be only an esthetician. And I was like, what, sorry, what does, what does that really mean? I, I knew what she meant in term of like, oh, I don't have that much, you know, aspiration of life or anything because this is like one woman and you will not be at that level. I'm not at that level yet. But what I wanted to do, it's like going my way, creating my own philosophy and you know, protocol and aspiration and being inspirational for others. And that's what I created it. And for me it was not making sense having this, you know, like, intuitive approach and every, like building something without building the products behind it and not being sure about what you put on the face of the client. So that's how I came into, you know, like create my own cosmetics. And this was really something then, you know, it was inside me. I just, I start like, do, you know, making my synergy of oils first and after I say, okay, I can do a mask. And I tried and it works. And so I improve, improved. Now I'm just like, I self invest. So I'm really on the early stage of my brand. But what I'm proud of is like I bring something into the market which doesn't exist. It's the serum. And I bring. Although a beauty tool, it doesn't exist because I designed it because I felt like we need something that works and it's like, you know, intuitive and playful on the skin and everything. So that's what I want. I just, I don't want to be like another brand. I want to change the full narrative. That's what I want.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (23:39)

I was going to ask so there are plans for expansion from products, of course.

Sophie Carbonari (23:43)

Yes, yes, yes, I do. Currently, right now I'm looking, I'm. I'm raising funds for my savory a. So the idea is like to be more and more, much more personalized. I really love, you know, like what's this new, you know, like technology can bring into our kind of random routines and, and then I see like my clients using ChatGPT to just generate them on routines and everything. So I like this perspective and I would love to dig into it and create something then it's not like generic something for each person and related to much more lifestyle rather than a skin type, you know, because we all know then it's depends where you live. If you live in the countryside or in the city with the best of your level of stress and cortisol into your body and everything, everything have an impact. And this new kind of wave of longevity who's just like bloom right now. That's just the beginning of the blooming side. It's really something that I feel affiliated to because it kind of. I was. When people start to talk about it, I say, I say to myself, okay, so it's been 10 years. Then I say, this is happening guys. But good enough, I'm there. I know and I'm acknowledgeable now, but that was my philosophy.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (24:57)

And finally I have to ask you because we're in the middle of an European summer. It is very hot, especially in Paris. Do you have any, any tips related to skin or do you change what you do depending if it's winter or summer?

Sophie Carbonari (25:09)

Of course.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (25:09)

Does he have a big change?

Sophie Carbonari (25:10)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, it's different.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (25:12)

And it's fashion week as well.

Sophie Carbonari (25:15)

Yes. So no, actually everything change when in term of like the temperature. Because you know, like it does, it does have an impact into your full system. And rather than you leave into a city or if you live on the countryside or by who you are by the city. See, everything is have to be adaptable. One key thing is like you have to. It looks stupid saying to say it, but it's true. You have to keep. To keep your skin cool, you know, like using like, you know, mineral water spray on those kind of things just to refresh your skin and to like, you know, keep the temperature of your skin under 37. Because the question is like it doesn't have an impact in your of new melanin on the cells of your skin. And that can create a degenerative impact such like pigmentations or like acne or those kinds of Things so keep your skin fresh. Taking care of your sleep is really important. Even if we sleep less because of the light, we have to taking care of your sleep because of like the health of omicrobium. It's really important wearing SPF obviously double cleans because more than ever with the heat and the warmness and the humidity in the air we, we have the pollution who just stay stuck on the top of the skin. Seasons have an impact on skin so we have to readapt and regulate everything.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (26:32)

I struggle with spf. I know, I know it's horrible for to say in front of you.

Sophie Carbonari (26:36)

I understand I have oily skin.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco (26:39)

It's so difficult.

Sophie Carbonari (26:40)

I know I can you make an spf. I will. You know I wish, I wish I could do. I wish I could launch every product that I have in mind that will, that will arrive obviously. So, so I will say I understand when you have oily skin SPF is difficult. So there is two brands that I love for oily skin. So one, it's a Korean brand called Benton and which is like something that you can find on Amazon. It's FPS 50 plus plus plus it does product for blue light too. It's really good and it's based. You have two different one it's the one with Centella asiatica inside which is anti inflammatory and prevent for acne and it doesn't clog your pores and the texture is really thin and you know, doesn't get this white weird spectrum spectrum on the top of your face. The second one then I'm just starting to use like since two weeks, one and a half weeks is the ordinary one. The SPF 45 really light doesn't leave any like white shade on the top of your face and doesn't clog your pores and really thin and doesn't you know, doesn't give you like oily type skin or anything. So that's those two I love so far there is Lancaster but Lancaster leaves a little bit of whiteness so I will not recommend but those two are really good.

Tom Edwards (27:55)

That was Sophie Carbonari, the world renowned founder of her eponymous skincare line. You can find out more by heading to sophiecarbonari.com and that is all for this sunshine edition of the Entrepreneurs. We'll be back the at time same time next week. The program's produced by Laura Kramer with audio editing by Jack Jewers. If you'd like to reach Laura and the team, drop her an email on LRK monocle.com I'm Tom Edwards. Goodbye and thanks for listening to the entrepreneurs.