Aloha!

During this dark and cloudy weekend, we shared a coffee and had a little talk with Benjamin Fabre about one of his projects, Salt Water. 

He is running a Kickstarter Campaign to launch the first Salt Water Magazine which (we hope) it will be available on the your nearest surf shop very very soon. But, what is Salt Water?

 

DEFLOW: First of all, explains us who is behind salt water and which is the concept.
BENJAMIN: I created Salt Water in 2016. At the time, my idea was to offer to photographers, writers, travellers, shapers, filmakers… a playground to express their art. Today the community has grown and counts more than 150 contributors from everywhere. So Salt Water is the fruit of many talented persons who trusted the project. Today, after 3 years of digital life, Salt Water will also become a print magazine, in which our contributors will be able to share their work. For this new challenge I was lucky enough to find on my path 2 persons who accepted to join the adventure: Thibaut Spoe Paruite who design all the magazine and Joseba who is in charge of communications and marketing.

 

D: How did you came with the idea of Salt Water? and why “Salt Water”?
B: The idea came discussing with my girlfriend late at night in a pub we loved after too many beers. But more seriously, I really think that there are many talented creators who don’t have enough visibility. Surfing industry is tough and it’s hard for small photographers to build a name.  Recently some brands have contacted us to collaborate with some of our contributors because they saw their pictures on our website. If Salt Water can help content creators and brands to connect, everyone would be happy.

 

D: Ohh that would be great, reciprocity. Also, there is something you say on your web that seems very interesting for us: “We believe that surfing has a lot more to offer than performance shortboards and wave pools.” Explain us more.
B: Surfing is evolving so quickly. Surfing contests are organised in the middle of the desert in pools. Crowds are gathering on the beach at every WSL events to see their idols. In one sense it’s good. Surfing is becoming a mass activity. It will be at the Olympics in 2020. But I feel we are loosing the real essence of the sport. Experience a close connexion with nature, discover remote places to ride empty waves, enjoy seshs at home with friends or just try any crazy trick in shitty waves for the fun of surf. More and more riders are riding different shapes, asymetrical, longboards, twin fins, single… That’s for this part of the surfing community that Salt Water was made.

D: Then, thanks Salt Water for being here! hahaha…Tell us about the evolution of Salt Water. Until now it was a community of content creators. Now it has become a magazine. Which are your thoughts for the future?
B: Salt Water started as a blog, animated by our contributors who hared some articles. In few weeks Salt Water will also be a print magazine that will be published 2 times a year. Our goal is also to develop our agency activity to create content for brands using our network of creative minds. Brands have understood the power of surfing and are using its image and values. That’s where we position our agency: from strategy to content creation and amplification, our goal is to inspire consumers to live outside and enjoy the fabulous playground nature is offering us.

D: About the magazine. On your Kickstarter campaign you say you will launch 2 magazines every year. Which is this first issue about?
B: Our first issue called “Somewhere Else” is a 200 pages magazine featuring 14 contributors. Their articles focus on the theme “places”. Because location is the most important ingredient in the surfing experience. Each article will describe a moment, an adventure, a simple routine that makes our living so exciting. Whether it’s searching for empty waves on the other side of the world or enjoying the simple pleasure of surfing your home break with your friends, we all have a place in our mind that motivates our future.

Want to support the Salt Water KickStarter Campaign? Click here.

The pictures we’ve been sharing on this blog posts will be featured on the Salt Water magazine, and are taken by: Simon Fitz, Xue Gil Guidonet, Ben Thouard, Fabien Voileau and Adrien Belagner