IWC Schaffhausen and surfboard designer / brand ambassador, Hayden Cox celebrated their ongoing partnership with the launch of ‘Remote’ – the world’s first floating Surfboard design studio. Themed around the concept of sustainability, this unique surf concept has long been a vision of Hayden Cox, and business, Haydenshapes Surfboards. The ‘Remote’ floating pop up studio showcases the art of surfboard design and Haydenshapes’ pioneering approach to upcycling manufacturing waste.
Last week, select media and friends of the brands were flown to the studio in an IWC Schaffhausen-skinned seaplane following a scenic flight from Rose Bay; all to experience a masterclass on how manufacturing waste, which would typically be discarded, could be repurposed into performance surfboard components, with Hayden Cox himself.
In front of a captivated audience, Hayden Cox molded a center stringer made from a mix of upcycled chopped carbon, glass fiber, foam dust and bio-epoxy resin waste, as well as an upcycled custom fiberglass cloth made from factory offcuts. Guests were then guided into transforming waste into light-weight accessories like tail pads and fins.
“There is still a lot of work and research to be done in our industry when it comes to creating a more sustainable product and one key issue is that at least 30% of foam and fiberglass is wasted through off-cuts in manufacturing” explained Hayden Cox. “The ‘Remote’ studio is a space where I can work on some new ideas outside of the day to day work and distractions in
order to come up with new creative ideas which I will then be able to bring to life either through my brand or by making them available to the industry” he added.
“Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do” commented Florian Gutsmiedl, IWC Brand Manager for Australia. “How we manufacture our products, how we promote them, and even how we package them. In fact, our new high quality packaging concept uses 90% less plastic than previously. We are proud to see our efforts recognized by the WWF which recently recognised IWC Schaffhausen as best player in the Swiss luxury watchmaking industry.”
IWC Schaffhausen and Haydenshapes, both pioneers in their own fields, have come a long way on the sustainability front, looking for new methods to minimize waste. For example, at IWC Schaffhausen, the newly built Manufacturing Center is exclusively powered by renewable energy and features sensor-controlled sunshades, rooftop solar panels and production machines, ventilation systems, and air compressors capable of recovering heat generated in the production process. Moreover, by recently signing the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, IWC Schaffhausen has committed to further reduce waste.
Another thing IWC Schaffhausen is proud of is to support home-grown talent Hayden Cox on his journey of innovation. The floating shaping bay at Lilypad Palm Beach marks the first of an exciting global release of similar experiences for Haydenshapes.