Amidst this hot month of July we want to refresh you with a new little board/clothing/publishing company on the come up out of Switzerland called Hakuin. This is a continuation of our Little Labels feature from issue 11.4, where we sat down with Alex Schauwecker & Yves Suter and talked about the two-part company, Hakuin Airlines & Hakuin Verlag, to give us idea of what the ingredients are to their company's recipe.
Hi Alex, how are you doing?
Very well, thank you very much. Today I had my first day snowboarding and now I am very happy and relaxed…
Can you tell us a bit about the history of Hakuin Airlines and what you've been up to in the past?
The idea came up in spring 2008. My good friend Nico and I were talking about how much the industry has changed from when we began to snowboard and that we could no longer agree with certain ways some companies were doing business. Back in the day snowboarding was a part of youth culture, a little bit like the punk movement, and it no longer feels that way. So the only solution was to start our own company! Nico and I developed a freeride snowboard for the first collection, totally handmade in Switzerland, using only Swiss wood from Swiss forests. We produced three prototypes, which we tested last winter. For the next collection we are developing a park board. At the same time we also created the clothing collection, the homepage, stickers and the catalog. The theme of the first collection was the "Whale" – an animal that is almost extinct, a fact which we want to draw attention to! The "Whale" collection dropped this past October and is available in seven snowboard stores in Switzerland and one in Japan.
How important is art to Hakuin Airlines and how do you think Hakuin can distinguish itself from other artsy brands like Dinosaurs Will Die and such?
Art is definitely an important aspect of Hakuin. For us "art" is not only paintings or design. For us snowboarding for example is art, or the snowboard lifestyle is art. We want to live free and wild. Art is a way to express our thoughts and realize our dreams. We have just lately started a new project: we publish artbooks from artists with a youth culture background, like street artists or snowboard photographers. The project is called hakuin-verlag. Take a look at the website: www.hakuin-verlag.com. We distinguish ourselves from other brands by the simple fact that we are a young, independent snowboard company based in Switzerland, with our own unique style. As we are an independent company we are able to develop progressive design and ideas.
What about the time when you started Hakuin, how did you come up with the name and idea behind it? What's your message for the shred world?
The idea of doing our own company had already been growing in our minds for a very long time… We started to think about names, logos, products and the philosophy of our brand years ago. After a long time of thinking and still being slightly indecisive as to whether all our ideas were good or realistic, the moment came to make a decision and a commitment! Since then we have been working hard for this project and we are proud of it! The name "Hakuin" is Japanese, there was a famous monk in the 17th century with this name. There is a myth about him: Hakuin was a Buddhist monk who was closer to the poorer population, a poet, writer, painter, calligrapher and candy lover. According to a tale he ate so many of them that he choked to death. That's hilarious. For us the brand represents in what we believe:
- to live free and wild
- to take care of nature, our friends and society, because we are responsible for it!
- to have the courage to be progressive and believe in a positive future!
Which riders are on the Hakuin team and why did you pick these brave souls?
Firstly, all team members have one thing in common: they love snowboarding and totally stick to it, no matter what society thinks of them. They are dedicating all their free time or lives to it. More than that, they would stick their arms in the fire for Hakuin. Naturally, they all have their own personality, dope skills and a good sense of humor. Let`s start with the lady: Jennifer Maria Gonzales Sanchez, originally from Madrid, living in Flims, she just loves snowboarding so much and has supported Hakuin since the start, thanx Yeni! Then we've Lorenzo Corona, 15, from Flims, bad ass skateboarder with such a buttery style. Also Andrea Corona, 17, brother to Lorenzo. He’s our rapper! He actually won a battle in the cultural house in Chur and is about to produce his first CD. And finally there's Chris Kent Mattsson, 28, from Fagersta, Sweden. He totally represents Hakuin, be it with his lifestyle or his sweet, boned out tricks, Chris is always fun to hang out with, go skate or snowboard or party.
What's your opinion on the snowboarding industry of today and how would you change it if you had the chance?
I really appreciate the TTR tour. Snowboarding is presented and lived in a creative way! From real snowboarders for real snowboarders! We also like how the Ästhetiker in Austria make contests! There is passion, and money is not the sole motivation!
What are some great examples of brands/ideas who inspire you?
Inspiration for us are for example Ed Templeton or Mark Gonzales and how they are running their skateboard companies. Both of them are skateboarders and artists, their brands have their very own, unique style. You see the heart and the courage behind their brands!
And maybe most important question… Where can we get the boards?
Now you can order the Whalerider 158 and the Whalerider 164 by email [email protected]. All the information on how to order the products you can find on the website http://www.hakuin-airlines.com
HAUKIN PUBLISHING with Yves Suter
How has the photo book industry changed?
Due to digital workflow, printing has become a lot easier and cheaper. Nowadays everybody can publish their own photo book in a few steps, and there are no big editions needed to go to print. Independent publishing companies are spriingng up like mushrooms and with the help of the internet and a few underground stores there is a new scene starting to develop. Photographers, no matter their professional career status, can publish books and fanzines. As a consumer, I can surf the internet and buy beautiful pieces of art for little money which normally never would have made it into a bookshop or a gallery. I hope snowboard photography will also be affected by this trend. I would be cool to see more books and art in general being published on the subject of snowboarding!
How was the transition from shooting shred porn to lifestyle and non-snowboard subjects?
The transition went slowly. Due to my experiences with photography at art school and as a photographer's assistant, I became more curious about photography and started to question photography more. I took that knowledge back into snowboarding and started to focus on a different side of it, the moments and the lifestyle. You could say that, by shooting non-snowboard subjects or just by studying other photographer's bodies of work, you broaden your mind, which eventually lends you to question your own shooting style in general. Of course that's an interaction which also works the other way round. For me that mix of subjects gives me a variety which I desperately need in my everyday life. It just makes my life as a photographer more interesting and challenging.