SUP Mag UK October 2016 issue 11 | Page 66

Getting to Italy represented a new Likewise, I was keen to meet the rest of the team, all these people who I have been collaborating with over the years. challenge for me; it’s a long way and a few flights from my beloved island in the ocean. However, I had a growing desire to finally meet my Italian family, who have been supporting my dreams and passion over the last four years. I really do mean ‘family’ as despite being based on a remote dot of land in the South Pacific Ocean I have been made to feel exceedingly welcome within the team at RRD. When I arrived in Grosseto, Roberto Ricci, the man himself, was waiting for me at the company’s head office. I received a warm welcome from everybody and was pleasantly surprised by the relaxed atmosphere and by the fact that everyone seemed to know who I was. Not only that they all followed my work too. I also wanted to meet the man behind the brand. Roberto, an artist and a businessman, and someone I consider to be a genius, he's able to bring together beauty and performance in each of his inventions. s t a n d u p p a d d l e m a g u k 66