012: Tom Kay/How I Built Finisterre
If you only have five minutes…
Listen to this section - Tom on why the new Finisterre wetsuit recycling initiative is his 'challenge to the surf industry'.
Show Notes
- First sea swim of the year in Brighton
- Sea temperatures
- Tom’s upbringing on the water in North Norfolk
- Getting into surfing and building his life around it
- ‘Surfing became an obsession’
- Earliest surfing memories
- The romance of UK surfing, and in particular in scenes like Brighton
- Early working years – Marine Biology at University, a year in London as a Chartered Surveyor
- ‘I began to work out what it was I didn’t want to do’
- Identifying the need for a new surf brand
- The founding principles of Finisterre
- The brand’s early years – and first product development
- The virtues of passion, common sense – and blind optimism
- Early victories – including winning the Observer Ethical Awards
- Some of the early mistakes that helped Tom define his purpose
- Expanding the line and the staff
- The importance of creating a good working environment
- The ‘story’ of Finisterre
- Where the name comes from …
- … and the quintessential Britishness of the Radio 4 Shipping Forecast, and how it inspired Tom from an early age
- Tom’s role at Finisterre today
- The character of a Finisterre product
- Resurrecting a 100% British supply chain with the Bowmont Project
- Finisterre’s new wetsuit recycling initiative – and their new role as Head of Wetsuit Recycling
- Challenging the surf industry – and how the industry has reacted
- ‘Put yourself out there in anything, and you’ll always get naysayers’
- The launch of the Women’s Wetsuit Tester Programme in AW17/18
- How a brand like Finisterre can keep its identity today and in the future
- The importance of provenance
- The one piece of advice Tom would give the Tom who started Finisterre 15 years ago
- The importance of remembering and appreciating the high points
- Difficulties in working with friends – and understanding when not to take things personally
- The importance of Cornwall in the Finisterre story
- Tom’s role as a helm on the St Agnes lifeboat in the RNLI
- Loving being a new Dad
- The importance of the sea to Tom now
- ‘The sea is a source of energy’
- The legacy of Finisterre
Places Mentioned
- Brighton
- St Agnes
- Seaford
- Blakeney Point
- Moreston
- Cornwall
- Bristol
- London
- Leeds
- Devon
- Wheal Kitty Workshops
- Fitzroy
- Bristol
- London
- Falmouth
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Ireland
People mentioned
- Robert FitzRoy
- Lesley Prior
- Debbie Luffman