{"id":2064,"date":"2009-09-17T13:00:20","date_gmt":"2009-09-17T12:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/driftsurfingmagazine.driftdigital.co.uk\/?p=2064"},"modified":"2009-10-15T10:41:53","modified_gmt":"2009-10-15T09:41:53","slug":"keep-it-local-neon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/driftsurfingmagazine.driftdigital.co.uk\/index.php\/archives\/2064","title":{"rendered":"Keep it local: Neon"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"elsie\"Cornwall\u2019s number-one seamstress and super-laidback entrepreneur Elsie Pinniger<\/a> on surfing, sewing, and Bon Jovi\u2026 You\u2019re going to see her name in lights, but she\u2019s more driven by a creative passion than a desire to become a millionaire.<\/p>\n


\nHow did you end up taking this path through life?<\/strong>
\nGrowing up, we were lucky to have a mum that wanted us to try different things and pushed us to be active and try lots of sports. I remember always doing something, climbing, swimming\u2026 I think I could swim before I could walk!
\nAt 17, I decided the education system wasn\u2019t for me and bought a ticket to Australia. I get bored quite easily, so surfing seemed like the thing to keep my active and restless side at bay. After buying a crappy 6\u20190, I was getting a little frustrated with the lack of progression, as you can imagine! I figured I was rubbish at surfing, so didn\u2019t try very hard to master it while I was in Oz.
\nWhen I came back to England, I worked as a beachguard in Cornwall. I started surfing heaps more at that point \u2013 being at the beach all day, every day, it\u2019s hard (and stupid) not to. I spent the next five years working the summers lifeguarding and teaching surfing here in Cornwall, and surfing the winters away in nice places. Working on the beach is great and I had heaps of fun but eventually I needed a change, to do new things, so the next few years I worked on building skills in other areas of interest.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a bit of leap from surfing to sewing\u2026 or is it?<\/strong>
\nSewing\u2019s a funny one\u2026 I\u2019ve always done it because mum is a really talented dressmaker and she used to make our clothes (SO not cool when you\u2019re 10!). When I wanted a change from working on the beach I took a job as a soft-furnisher for a few years, which was really good for my design and manufacturing skills.
\nThen I ran a restaurant (I told you I had a restless side). I\u2019d been a waitress on and off in the evenings since I was 13 so knew the trade and got offered the job so figured I may as well give it a go. It was good to do the business thing, but not really my cup of tea for too long.<\/p>\n

\"cnv00020b\"How did Neon<\/a> come about?<\/strong>
\nWell it wasn\u2019t planned it just kinda happened \u2013 I wanted a long arm. very short leg wetsuit, but couldn\u2019t find one anywhere so I drew a design and got Paul at Bodyline<\/a> to make it up for me. I loved it, it was just what I wanted and heaps of people commented on it in the sea. I had a couple more made for friends that wanted them and they were stoked too. I can\u2019t really remember where the name came from; I\u2019d been surfing with my friend Nina and we were in the carpark talking shit and it came out of that somehow!
\nI spent a while working with Paul \u2013 he showed me how to make wetsuits and I helped him with his repair work. It was a nice little trade off and we still help each other out like that now \u2013 Paul\u2019s ace!
\nI was offered an awesome studio space, so I took the opportunity and decided I may as well try it and see what happens. At the moment Neon is slowly developing its style, which is super fun. I\u2019m messing about with colour and patterns \u2013 there\u2019s so many possibilities!
\nI also do a small women\u2019s clothing range \u2013 I started making the things I wanted to wear and got heaps of positive feedback, so Neon branched out.
\nI\u2019m happy at the moment taking it slow and really enjoying what I\u2019m doing. There\u2019s so much to think about when you start a business like this, it would be great to do more research into using new environmentally conscious materials, for instance, but hopefully it won\u2019t take long to find my feet.<\/p>\n

\"dscf0225\"It takes some balls to start your own business\u2026<\/strong>
\nIt feels good at the moment to be here, there\u2019s a lot of very creative and talented people around me doing the things they love and making it work. There\u2019s nothing more inspiring to me than a person who takes risks \u2013 not stupid risks like putting their house on a horse! \u2013 but, you know, people who aren\u2019t scared to believe in what they want to do and go get it. I\u2019ve wanted to do something by myself since I was about 16; I was too scared for ages but I guess I just wasn\u2019t there until now. Trying things is what\u2019s important; if they don\u2019t work, it\u2019s not the end of the world.
\nIt does make a difference having people around you who inspire you to push on, and I\u2019m super lucky for that. I have great friends to surf with and also to run ideas past. Loads of people are really passionate about surfing and the creative culture that runs alongside it; it\u2019s a great scene to be inspired by. Mostly because it\u2019s passion and belief that is the driving force, not money. Hopefully that\u2019s where you find happiness.<\/p>\n

What are you scared of?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019ve never been a fan of wolves! There\u2019s a mental guest house in Newquay called the De Wolf \u2013 the owners are obsessed with them. Weird! I’m not super-scared, but I used to dream about them a lot\u2026 They were trying to eat me.<\/p>\n

\"cnv00024\"What\u2019s rocking your world right now?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019m super-loving my surfing at the moment, trying lots of different boards, loving my Jacobs log, and excited to be getting a pig from Squire Surfboards<\/a>.
\nIt just takes a weekend away from Cornwall to remember how special it is. I love it here, and I know how lucky I am to live and work and surf here (a few more points would be good though). There have been some fun summer waves here recently, and the odd proper ground swell which is nice in the summer. I\u2019m looking forward to doing some travels this winter though \u2013 it\u2019s important to have a change of scene and get some winter sun and fun.<\/p>\n

If you could be anywhere, where would you be?<\/strong>
\nI’d be eating a picnic on top of a hill in some warm but not too hot sunshine, looking at the sea but surfed out so not botherd to rush back in, with some lovely company\u2026 and ginger beer!<\/p>\n

You\u2019re a Howies<\/a> teamrider too\u2026<\/strong>
\nI\u2019m super lucky to have such an inspirational company as a sponsor. I\u2019m not too sure how I came to be part of the Howies surf team, but I\u2019m stoked and I\u2019m proud to be able to represent them. I don\u2019t think there are many brands I could say that about. Good companies are few and far between, and the surf industry is lucky to have a few of the best ones in the world among them.<\/p>\n

\"cnv00004\"A movie is to be made about your life; who would play you and which other actors would play your friends?<\/strong>
\nWhoopi Goldberg would play me. My friends would play themselves \u2013 no-one else could do them justice.<\/p>\n

Are there any songs that would have to be on the soundtrack?<\/strong>
\nAnything by Elvis or Bon Jovi. James Taylor \u2018You’ve Got a Friend\u2019 (a bit gushy but important); Marvin Gaye \u2018Sexual Healing\u2019; MC Hammer \u2018Can’t Touch This\u2019; Ryan Adams \u2018La Cienega Just Smiled\u2019; Prince \u2018Let’s Go Crazy\u2019, Bill Withers\u2026<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n

Which fictional character would you most like to be?<\/strong>
\nMama Flump \u2013 remember them? They just wobbled around picking up rubbish wearing really cool hats!<\/p>\n

What is your most guilty pleasure?<\/strong>
\nBon Jovi!<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the nicest thing anyone\u2019s ever said about you? <\/strong>
\n\u201cYou’re alright for a chick”.<\/p>\n

If you had to have a motto, what would it be? <\/strong>
\nEat well, sleep if needed, be nice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cornwall\u2019s number-one seamstress and super-laidback entrepreneur Elsie Pinniger on surfing, sewing, and Bon Jovi\u2026 You\u2019re going to see her name in lights, but she\u2019s more driven by a creative passion than a desire to become a millionaire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[88,6],"tags":[2023,489,1974,488,301],"class_list":["post-2064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-angela-rivers","category-goods","tag-cornwall","tag-elsie-pinniger","tag-howies","tag-neon","tag-wetsuit"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t