The Bureau of Unconventional
Interview & Words: Elisa Routa
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“We wanted to make stuff without any barriers or filters. Patti is about self-expression, being yourself and doing what you love, what makes you feel something even when it’s against the grain.”
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On the surface, Patti’s visual aesthetics clearly depicts expressions of fun and joy. Upon closer look, Patti gives voice to people that live unconventionally. According to the cofounders, it was important to create a project able to advance the status and visibility of female skaters and surfers not only in the skateboarding and surfing industry but also in arts and music. In that sense, while there are numerous artistic projects inspired by the skate and surf culture, Patti remains wholly unique, bringing “free thinkers, pioneers, rule breakers, creators and doers to the center stage.”
We had a chat with Elley Norman and her husband Scott Wynn in order to discuss creativity, diversity and inclusion within an industry which has long endured the torment of stereotypes and expectations.
A career in action sports is still a lesser known pathway for women, however Elley Norman has been naturally drawn to the surfing industry, working as a Global Marketing Creative Director at Billabong Women’s. “I gravitated to this industry because of the lifestyle. I grew up and live in this world so it kinda made sense.” Despite her rich experience within the industry and the vast diversity of the projects she’s been part of, the California-based Creative Director never really saw herself as an entrepreneur. “ Everything I’ve done has always been in partnership with Scott (Wynn) or supported by a good team, which feels very special.” When she’s asked about the obstacles she overcame along the years, Elley prefers to look at the future through the eyes of a kid full of weird dreams and crazy ideas. “I’ve had my fair share of hurdles to jump as a women in a male-dominated industry but, just like anything else, you’re always going to come up against challenges no matter what industry you’re in, or who you are.” Learning a lot through experience, Elley turned herself into a remarkable and powerful creative mind, convinced that everything is possible to the ones who believe. Earlier this year, she started to build her new project with a bunch of friends animated by common passions and ambition. “Working with an amazing team both internally and with the surfers really made me realize how important it is to surround yourself with people that pump you up,” she explains. “For me, I also learnt what makes me happy, focus on the parts that you’re going to remember and make the big things bigger!”
“Described as “the home of women’s counter culture”, Patti is bridging female skateboarding and surfing under the thumb of women’s counter culture.”
“Two surfers. One skateboarder. One 1994 stretch limo. 120 cans of PBR. One long road down the east coast of the US. 9 days of fuckin good times.” That’s what reads the caption under the very first photo. This picture of 3 girls skating on a pavement was posted in last March and, for the world including us, that’s when the Patti adventure started. Described as “the home of women’s counter culture”, Patti is bridging female skateboarding and surfing under the thumb of women’s counter culture. Since her childhood, creativity played a huge part in Elley’s life. “I grew up in a pretty creative family. My parents have always been in bands and making random short films and stuff. Mum’s an artist and dad’s got a funny sense of humor so, thinking about it, I suppose self-expression was something I was always around.” Today, this same bubbling creativity seems at the heart of the vision around Patti. “It’s not so much that we didn’t like what was out there but we wanted to make stuff without any barriers or filters. We wanted to build a place to be random and be completely creative. Patti is about self-expression, being yourself and doing what you love, what makes you feel something even when it’s against the grain.”
“Just because you do one thing doesn’t mean that it’s all you do. That’s where Patti all started.”
Elley would like to underline the multidisciplinary talents of the creative community brought organically together around the project. “Just because you do one thing doesn’t mean that it’s all you do. That’s where Patti all started.” she explains. “There’re musicians that surf, artists that skate, and creative people seem to do a bunch of things. Even though Patti is about different sports, the common connection is people. There seems to be a super tight bond when you get the right people together.”
Nora Vasconcellos is one them. The 25-year-old pro skater who became the first female professional on the Adidas Skateboarding pro team belongs to the amazing Patti People. Starred in the very first film entitled ‘This Way’ and produced by Patti, the Massachusetts-born shredder embodies alone this precious feeling of freedom, dear to Patti. She belongs to the wonderful world of weirdness and aliveness where the whole crew seems to have taken up residence. “Nora speaks French in Japanese. She’s a lover not a fighter, she’s also a fighter so don’t get any ideas. Her blood smells like flowers. Every time she goes for a swim, dolphins appear,” Elley jokes around. “She is really one of the most incredible and kind humans we’ve met and are so proud to call her a friend.”
“We wanted to encourage being an individual and give a voice to people that lived unconventionally.”
Having developed a community of skaters and creatives across both generations and genders, Nora shines a light on the notions of inclusion within the skateboarding industry. And that’s what Patti’s about. “There’s lot of women out there doing cool shit beyond selfies. We wanted to encourage being an individual and give a voice to people that lived unconventionally. The more and more exposure, support and initiatives there are, the more the sport progresses.” While dudes own the brands and work as team managers of the industry’s leading companies, female skaters and surfers are being viewed differently than they were a decade ago. Today, Patti is one of those entities and individuals making considerable efforts for more visibility. “There are some pretty amazing people like Nora doing great things to help that path be more achievable. From the skaters themselves, Mini Koop is really dedicated to creating positive change,” she says about the solutions brought for a more inclusive and diverse industry. “A bunch of other foundations like Skateism are also opening the eyes and opportunity for a lot of females around the world.”
“We’re all just a bunch of weirdo’s that find stuff funny.”
Patti is both a project and collective that blends home movies, trips, and arts events. No more speeches here but powerful actions are made, able to enhance their vision for a better future. “There’s a real opportunity in surfing to push the sport into a more diverse and creative space,” Elley explains. “In women’s skateboarding, it’s also an exciting time because there is more attention on the sport which means more brands are investing into it. It also means that we can build and grow a strong crew of photographers and filmmakers, both men and women.” With a fresh eye, rejecting the industry’s social norms, their recent film productions prove that there’s still a lot to be created. “The magic around ‘This Way’ was in the combination of the crew. Nora (Vasconcellos), Laura (Enever) and Jaleesa (Vincent) are all super hero’s. This trip wasn’t about telling them what to do but putting a group of like-minded people together for 9 days in a limo to see what happens. And the result from that was a bond as strong as nails.” Today, fun, humor and goofing around are a big part of the project. “But for us, it isn’t really planned that way. We’re all just a bunch of weirdo’s that find stuff funny (laughs).”
“There are too many women out there doing cool shit that often get overlooked by brands and media because they might not fit the traditional mold.”
Here, the weirdo’s have names. And attitudes. Onboard of a 1994 Lincoln Stretch limousine, that came complete with a tape deck, an analogue television and a VHS player, were American skater Nora Vasconcellos, and Australian surfers Laura Enever and Jaleesa Vincent, affectionately nicknamed « little Jalapeño”. With Otis Redding and Van Halen in the speakers, they were off for concrete jungles and city beaches. “The common element to all these women is that they all dance to their own beat”, she says about the female crew, part of the first opus. “Laura is a funny Aussie that’s doing things most have nightmares about. When you’re on a trip with Laura, the best memories you have involved her. She has a knack for creating special moments, maybe because she’s silly, clumsy and down to have a good time. But honestly, she’s really a genuine person with no ego and heart as big as the waves she surfs.” Elley remembers meeting Jaleesa in Australia, when shooting ‘Tuckeroo’. “We drank beers, roamed through abandoned golf clubs, tap danced in cane fields, listened to Patti Smith and Raised Fist and laughed all day. Jaleesa is what the surf industry needs, she’s not your typical ‘surfer girl’ and hopefully inspires the new generations of progressive surfers.”
As the celebration of women through actions, Patti has a few more years of creative supplies. You realize it especially when you watch their recent film featuring, front lady of punk band Surfbort. Oh be careful, it might shake up your usual way of thinking and put you out of your comfort zone. “Dani was once concerned with traditional beauty standards. She was nervous to dress a certain way, would hide her teeth with a retainer and struggled with mental health,” she explains. “She then discovered that being herself allowed her to do whatever she wanted, she become happy and confirmable in her own skin. That decision payed off because not only is she front women on Surfbort, she is all an ambassador for Gucci and the face of the new Gucci Beauty campaign. Her teeth out there for everyone to see. I think we should all take a page from Dani’s book.”
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“Power in the people, strength in the creative.”
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Over the years, Elley Norman sharpened her skills marketing in the professional realm of women’s surfing. What fuels her determination today is the idea that “there are too many women out there doing cool shit that often get overlooked by brands and media because they might not fit the traditional mold.” Inspired by people who are a little outside of the box and represent themselves in a unique way – like Andrew Reynolds, Elissa Steamer, Nora Vasconcellos, Steph Gilmore or Ozzy Wright – the only goal Elley set for herself and Patti is to “do more, better” she says. “My focus is now not only of expanding women’s progressive surfing but also getting into other creative outlets like skateboarding, music and the arts. We want to unbrace that and really give opportunity to the people that are individuals creating cool stuff. The people within these worlds are really the inspiration for me.”
Reflecting the complexity and diversity of women, be (again) very careful, Patti might disrupt your entrenched habits. “I think that everything we do with Patti should make someone either love or hate it.” says Scott, amused. “It was important for us to increase the visibility of different types of women, not only within the surfing and skateboarding industry, but also in arts and music. We want to contribute to social change, be a positive influence on our youth and encourage individuality.” Similar to Andrew Reynolds’s daughter, the 13-year-old shredder Stella Reynolds recently featured in the film ‘Dear Stella’, Patti focuses on the young generation and their distinctive style. “In both surfing and skating there are is some serious talent happening, exciting to watch. The next generation is killing it.”
And if you need a conclusion or a Pinterest caption to write under your Instagram picture today,
here it is, at the Company’s expense:
“Embrace your inner freak, fuck the haters and get out there and be you.”
