Rui Simões is the co-founder of Big Raven Portugal, a brand for conscious and ethically made surf ponchos and accessories. Since we are currently living in the same city and I usually talk about sustainability and surf businesses, it didn’t take long until I got introduced to Rui. So we met for a coffee and I got the chance to get to know more about the story behind Big Raven.
How did you come up with the idea to produce surf ponchos?
Charlie, my partner, came up with the idea. In 2018 she moved from Mallorca, Spain, to Portugal. She traveled around in her van. Started in the South and then stopped here in Baleal. When she was living here, she came up with the idea of the brand.
Living in a van during the winter is quite cold, you know. And surfing was always cold. Because of that, surf ponchos seemed like a useful thing to go for.
And then, the ponchos offered here were limited to the big brands. We wanted to do something nicer than you can find in the stores.
Tell us more about how everything started.
I am from the North of Portugal, from a place called Vizela, near Guimarães. In the North of Portugal you have all the fashion industry, all the big factories. My father worked all life around that.
I have some contacts in the North and I knew the production there is of good quality. Before Asia became strong in low-price textile production, Portugal used to be widely known for good quality of fabric and production. As Charlie had the vision around the brand and I had the connections around production, we partnered up.
We started imagining the products. We wanted to create the ponchos in a sustainable, conscious way. We didn’t want to produce new fabrics, because we know that fashion industry creates a lot of waste.
We try to be more sustainable than the big fashion industry with production sites in China or India. Our goal is to have an impact on that part - on the behavior everybody can have with nature.
That sounds great. How do you achieve that - what’s your way to create a sustainable, eco-friendly product?
I researched about the brands and what I found is that the leftover fabrics are usually not burned, they go to landfills. Basically, they create a lot of pollution. Fashion industry is the second biggest polluter in the world.
So, we decided to make use of the leftover fabric from the industry.
Usually, big brands order a lot of fabric but don’t need everything in the end. And then the fabric goes to warehouse or to landfills.
I have a poncho here, we bought the fabric and it still had the label on. It was made in 2014 and since then it was stuck in the warehouses. And it’s amazing good quality.
It is amazinig that you can make use of the fabric that would otherwise go to a landfill.
Did you encounter some challenges along the way -and if yes, how did you face them?
As soon as we started ald told people about the idea, no was the first thing we heard.
I needed to find a big place with a lot of fabrics to upcycle them. What we heared was, that this is impossible. But we went to huge factories and we saw that there is a lot of fabrics leftover.
We didn’t give up, kept asking - and in the end, the factories cooperated.
What does sustainability mean to you?
Since I was a kid, I have been living close to the beach, so the beach has a big importance to me. I enjoy surfing, going to the beach, taking a walk by the ocean.
Whenever I see plastic flying away or stuck in the sand, it’s sad for me. I catch plastic, but not to show off to other people. It’s something that I developed and I do it naturally and, in the end, it has an effect on other people.
During the winter, with the storms, you see a lot of plastic on the beach. Basically, what happens with the plastic in the oceans, it spreads a lot. When you go to the local beaches, there is a lot of plastic.
How do you do the retail for Big Raven?
We collaborate with some local surf-shops.
Hangfive in Baleal was the first one. I know the owners, they are super nice and they support the idea. We work with another shop in Bordeaux, France. Last week we had an order from a Spanish eco-surf shop, too.
Slowly, it’s starting to get there.
Was it difficult to find customers during Covid?
Most of the times we find customers because I’m also a surf instructor. I’m kind of an influencer. I give the surf lesson and I sell my product.
Last winter, we talked with many surf shops who were interested in our products. But with Covid, they cancelled the orders.
In summer, we saw that surfing and the tourism there in Portugal was going up again. We had the idea to sponsor some surf instructors that we know, that can be a member of the brand. We sponsor them, we give them some money from each poncho, and at the end of the summer, it was a really good season.
This summer, this year, with Covid was good for us, in the end.
What’s your vision for the future?
We want to create more products around the idea that we have. Now, the ponchos are our first product.
We want to produce more clothes, like yoga pants. I love shirts, I want to do shirts. We have other suppliers that have good quality fabric for this kind of products.
Rui, co-founder of Big Raven, having a good time in the water
What do you recommend other Surfpreneurs who are about to launch a product?
I would say to start slowly, to have limits.
And to have nature and the ocean included in the idea. It needs to be one of the top things. First focus on what you use - ocean, waves, idea of the surfer.
For example, for me, you are not a surfer if you don’t care about the ocean. For me surf is first about the connection with the sea. And after this comes how many waves you catch or if you catch a big one.
It’s not just about selling and making money. No, it’s about doing something with a purpose, in a way that people know what you are doing and appreciating it. Then, people want to support that idea.
Last but not least: Which is your favorite surf spot?
Let me think. Maybe it’s Baleal. Because I live here, I always surf here.
I was also in Philippines and really liked it there.
Interviewed by Lena
Lena is a yogi, nature and sports lover. Currently surfing and working as yoga teacher and writer in Portugal. Collaborating with Surfpreneurs Club for fun and inspiration!
Interviews with surf entrepreneurs
