BIG BREAKS
Surf trips, waves, climbing, diving, adventure talk, blood, sweat and tears – that’s what Staunch Industries is made of
Will Beeslaar and Janeanne Gilchrist of Staunch Industries are creating surf wear and incredibly cool designs in Edinburgh
Will Beeslaar and Janeanne Gilchrist set up their independent Scottish lifestyle brand and Edinburgh-based design agency Staunch Industries in 2006.
The couple met while working for an advertising agency in the capital. ‘She swept me off my feet and seduced me by taking me to the Highlands and taking me to the beach,’ laughs the South African designer and illustrator. Janeanne admits that she wanted to show Will the places in Scotland that you wouldn’t find without the help of a native and the couple still take surfing trips to Thurso and Lewis when they can get precious time away from the office.
Despite admitting that Scotland was not really on his radar when he came to the UK – he thought ‘who goes sufing in Scotland? It’s too cold’ – he now says that surfing here has been a life-changing experience. He was amazed by the surf culture in Scotland and, with a background in graphic design for fashion brands and youth culture, decided to start creating T-shirts to sell out of the back of his van on windswept beaches to fellow surfers. ‘ This hobby metamorphosised into this big huge monster,’ recalls Will.
Staunch has now diversified into other clothing, bags, wallpaper, furniture, art and surf boards. They have also designed a one-off piece of art to wrap around the three carriages of the train for the new Borders railway. The design represents the three areas that the line passes through: Edinburgh, Midlothian and the Borders, but when the carriages sit together they form a moving art installation piece.
Will and Janeanne’s inspiration is drawn from their mutual love of the great outdoors. ‘Whether we are surfing, skiing, biking, spearfishing, climbing or just walking the dogs on the beach, that’s what inspires us,’ explains Janeanne. ‘We try to bring that feeling into our work and designs, and that’s probably Staunch in a nutshell.’
Their signature design is the kelpie, a mythical horse-like Scottish sea creature which can be seen across their designs. ‘You either get it or you don’t, You’re either going to like it and buy it or you’re not. The people who get it, that’s our market,’ explains Will. And people do buy it, from their website and through independent retail outlets around the world.
Despite Will admitting to being a creative, rather than a creative businessman, he and Janeanne have their business plan up and running and are employing staff, expanding their studio and securing new business with retailers.
Part of their success is down to the creativity and quality of their products, but the fact that everything is made in Scotland also plays a part. ‘That’s the hard bit,’ admits Janeanne. ‘If we’re not able to make it ourselves then we collaborate with someone else in Scotland who is making what we want. It’s very hard financially, but it’s what we have stipulated from the beginning and it is important that we keep money going back into the economy here.’
www.staunchindustries.com