Some people are built to create – to shape their future with their own two hands. The Working Artisans’ Club is a celebration of that fact.

Over the course of this year, HUCK will meet the craftsmen and women who choose to live life the artisanal way. They shape boards, sew suits and build beautiful objects inspired by their passion for the outdoors. And they make life better for us all.

In 1952, with a needle and thread in one hand and eyes firmly on the surf, Jack O’Neill invented the wetsuit, so that he could stay out in the water longer. His simple ambition led to an extraordinary future, both for himself and the surfing world as a whole. The Working Artisan’s Club is the next chapter of that story. It’s about the makers of today, and the future that they’re shaping.

Second in our six-part series comes Elsie Pinniger of Neon Wetsuits, who is channelling the energy of Jack O’Neill by handcrafting couture designs from her studio in Newquay, Cornwall.

“These days, every time we can’t do something or something takes too long we find a machine that can do it quicker. So going back to doing things by hand, in the long run, is better,” says Elsie. “I think we’re all learning that technology isn’t the be all and end all. […] Having the choice just to make something yourself is amazing.”

The Working Artisan’s Club, a week-long exhibition presented by HUCK x O’Neill, opens at 71a Leonard Street, London, September 2013. 

To read the full interview, grab yourself a copy of HUCK#038.

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