The paddle market is strongly represented, why launch yet another marque??
For the new use we're bringing in. The idea is transparency. The purpose of the board is to see the bottom, to see the fish under our feet. The experience we bring is this important visibility on the seabed. We are selling a new experience, which has no equivalent in the world.
If we chose a paddle rather than a surf it is also because of the technological breakthrough. With the material it is not yet possible to surf. It took 4 years of study to produce the paddle and we will then extend it to something else. We've been studying surfing for two years now.
Can you tell us more about the subject utilisée??
People in the approach see Plexiglas, but it's not that at all. Plexiglas scratches, deteriorates and even more so in seawater and consequently, the transparency fades. We have worked for 4 years to produce this unalterable material.
We have filed a joint patent with Arkema, which produces the chemical formula. And we won an innovation prize in 2016.
Unlike other polymers, it is resistant to chemicals, shock - it is a nanostructured material - does not scratch, and does not yellow, etc. The resistance rate is incredible compared to a normal board and in the event that it is damaged, simply heat the impact point - whitened by the violent impact - so that it can be reformed.
Where is the board of paddle? built?
In France. It is also the first production board manufactured in Europe. All other boards are made in Asia.
All the primary functional elements: electronic boxes, LEDs, drift, leash, carbon... come from France, and almost mainly from the Aquitaine basin. Thermoforming is done in Toulouse, batteries are built in Bordeaux, just like LEDs... 99.9% of our boards are françaises?!
Why did you choose the Moncao Yacht Show to launch the Loeva? brand?
By positioning ourselves in the luxury boating sector, we had the choice between 3 lounges: Dubai, Fort Lauderdale and Monaco. For us, the latter best represented what we were looking for. So we signed a 3-year partnership with MYS.
In exchange for managing our brand communication for the launch, we had several representation spaces available at the show to present the paddle.
It was a win-win concept. We enjoyed a great visibility on the first luxury boat show and they benefited from a brand launch - French and in the luxury sector.
What is your cible??
We target hyper-luxury in tourism, i.e. very high-end, confidential and out-of-class hotels, particularly in lagoons. That represents about 60 hotels worldwide. To give you an idea, the night in the smallest one costs several tens of thousands of euros.
For private individuals, we are talking to super-billionaires, the type of clientele that frequent these hotels, superyacht owners...
Why choose the luxe? market?
It is semi-handcrafted and it is an exceptional product. It is the first transparent board in the world. I've been a surfer for 40 years and I've heard about transparent boards for years, but no one has ever done that. The product deserves its positioning.
It is also related to cost, just in terms of material. It is so specific and not societal.
What is the price of the board and through which distribution? network?
We're going to produce 300 paddle boards a year to start with. We start our production year in 2019, with the delivery of the boards next year. We sold almost all of our stock at the Monaco show through pre-sales. For hotels, we offer a long-term rental of two years.
Online reservations can also be made via the website, which will be launched when the final version of the board is ready ( NDRL: The model presented in Monaco was a prototype and some improvements are planned on the final version).
For the price it's confidential, the luxury industry itself is confidential, we don't talk about these things.
