allSisters swimwear firm and The Ocean Spell surf travel agency: together in the Maldives
The surf it's not a sport mens . They dominate it and it is thought that they set the tone, but this practice is also the passion of women who are dedicated, as much as they are, to finding the perfect wave. Unfortunately, the experience to enjoy it is not the same for both sexes: this is why projects such as the women's swimsuit firm allSisters and The Ocean Spell, a travel agency specializing in surfing, have been born.
Silvia San Laureano She has been surfing for 16 years and Maldives was her pending subject.
“I had been wanting to go surfing there for years because everyone told me about the wave quality and that it was a water park for high-level people, but I couldn't find a trip in which I felt comfortable”, comments she, who is now the founder of The Ocean Spell.
“So I decided to set up my own trips in 2016, going so far as to create my agency in 2018”. The reason? “What I found was: either get into a boat with ten guys I didn't know or go on a roll plan surf camp in which the surf offer was very scarce. I wanted what the boys did: a lot of surfing and getting better… but with a different vibe,” she explains.
And she succeeded, organizing her own itineraries , in which women from all over the world – American, Israeli, Australian, Japanese, European – could feel that they had an agenda made to measure (with yoga classes and trainer included) and leaving no one behind.
“Before receiving a single euro I need to know, connect and communicate how the trip will be, that is why I always have to interview all the people who sign up, to know that I am taking a group that is going to get along and feel good, ”she concludes. Although not all are always women. “I also get a lot of requests from men who are looking to be able to travel with their girlfriends or wives, or in family trips”.
Images from the firm's latest campaign
patty knight , owner of the sustainable swimsuit firm allSisters She was going on one of those trips. "It was in 2017 and I signed up because they organized what she was looking for: a trip just for women to surf. I think it's wonderful how Silvia manages to empower women through sports, with yoga sessions and the concern she has for the environment ", Emphasizes Pati. She refers to the fact that on The Ocean Spell trips you can not take anything made of plastic and try to minimize the environmental impact.
"For example, we all organized ourselves on the ship so as not to bring excesses , just fair. And the Brotherhood that was created to achieve it together was something that I liked a lot". Not only that, but that same compatibility of thought of all the attendees led them to unite to find the ideal places to surf and find a place in them. "In the top spots There are always the boys and it is very difficult to be all at the same time, they see us as weak. So to avoid those moments we woke up at night to get to the sunrise and to be able to enjoy those moments alone".
It was on that same trip that Silvia found out about Pati's project. "I didn't know about allSisters until a week before the trip, when Pati asked me the size of all the attendees. Upon arrival, I saw the quality of the fabrics, the fastening, that they did not rub, how they held the romps , how easy it is to sunbathe with them... I realized that she took into account everything necessary for a woman to feel comfortable surfing. There are many bikini brands and hers maintains her line, style and elegance collection after collection of hers."
"Ours are timeless designs that are inspired by the Mediterranean, classic and without joining trends ”. And always made with an Italian material known as ecotex , achieved with the plastics they collect from the ocean and transform into fabrics. “Collect leftover plastic from the sea to work with it, reuse it and re-adapt it to that same ecosystem. It's a very curious process."
The sea, women and surf: the formula that makes The Ocean Spell agency so special
After Pati and Silvia met, the synergies between their projects began, which now materializes with an initiative that seeks to unite travel, surfing and the passion of both for a destination as unique as Maldives.
"The Maldives guarantees that if you organize a homogeneous group, be it high level or beginners, you can find waves for everyone. If you know where to go, you find the wave." And in the midst of a pandemic, it is also the safest place to go. "You arrive at the airport that is on an island, surrounded by water and they ask you for everything despite being vaccinated. They are doing very well because the tourist's contact with the communities is minimal: your boat picks you up at your resort or on your boat and you cannot go ashore where the locals are. That way they protect both."
The perfect wave and the perfect swimsuit