Firstly Ivan, give us an overview of SPG. How did it all begin, and who started it all…
SPG was born in 2013 by a group of riders, designers and shapers that were passionate to create a performance brand that had an authentic family ethos and would also become a global platform for other shapers, athletes and designers to expose their hidden art to the sports world.
At the helm was myself and family, who, apart from designing boards for over 40 years, personally also came from a professional sports and media production background, with roots in both South Africa and Hawaii, two perfect destinations for innovating new gear and operating logistics on a global scale. Nicki Carstens, former world champion athlete headed up board design, while Michael Oxley and James Leigh, both avid watermen, spearheaded the production. The original “Signature” concept was to create surf and skate products while also marketing the athletes and designers with their own specific Signature product. Today, much of this still runs in the veins of the business but has also grown on a much wider scale, especially in the foil division.
We know you now have several wings (forgive the pun) to the business, right?
Yup, surf
