L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2015 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 5 The Italian Eco-Skate A new way of promoting environmental protection has led three friends to the creation of a new brand, with the purpose of sharing sports, passion and traditions. The creative innovations that have recently inspired artists, entrepreneurs, and artisans are c l o s e l y c o n n e c t e d t o t h e appearance of eco-friendly and environmental protection. T h e i n c e n t i v e s f o r t h e development of products, are drawn more and more, from the r e s e a r c h o f m a t e r i a l s a n d recycling processes. T h a n k s t o a w o r k s h o p , a common passion and a great desire to succeed, "Zio Bancale" was born. The company, formed i n F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 4 , b y L u i g i Cenciarini, Francesco Ragaini and Gianmaria Cecchetti and dated February 2014 is based u p o n t h e w o r k f o r c e , a r t a n d graphics, as well as a youthful spirit and a strong friendship. Their idea was born on the waves of the Adriatic Sea, in the small town of Senigallia, where over the years the passion for surfing has grown among local young people, creating a kind of c o m m u n i t y . T h e p a s s i o n f o r surfboards coupled with that of skateboard, especially on calm days, when instead of the waves boys would move into the streets in search of fun and adrenaline. A l l o f t h i s h a s l e d t o t h e creation and design of this new artistic concept. And the main character is precisely the exclusive use of r e c y c l a b l e m a t e r i a l s a n d t h e r e a l i z a t i o n o f s k a t e b o a r d s through the single processing of wooden pallets. The creation of a series of models is the result of an idea that was born as a joke: "We all m e t o n e a f t e r n o o n i n Francesco's workshop. He had been using recycled materials for his personal artwork and we s a i d w h y d o n ' t w e m a k e a s k a t e b o a r d ? A n d f r o m t h a t moment the project began to t a k e s h a p e " , s t a t e d L u i g i Cenciarini one of the partners. The pallets used come from some neighboring farms and are processed directly by the three partners. Individual fir pallets retain all their characteristics: they remain part of the final product and characterize both the form and appearance. I n f a c t , n a i l h o l e s , v e i n s , s h a d e s o f d i f f e r e n t t y p e s o f wood and nodes are one of the main features of their products. The lamination process, then, takes place, by means of an eco- compatible resin, composed of m a t e r i a l s d e r i v e d f r o m r e n e w a b l e s o u r c e s : c a l l e d " e n t r o p y r e s i n " i t i s a r e s i n sourced and produced in the USA but distributed in Spain. The use of materials such as glass wool, a material used for the production of surf boards and other components dedicated to navigation, characterize even more their products, making them unique. " T h e c r e a t i v e m i n d i s c e r t a i n l y F r a n c e s c o , w h o t e a c h e d u s t h e s t e p s o f t h e woodwork, thanks to his artistic experience. For the rest of the w o r k , w e d o n ' t h a v e a definition of roles, but all three of us cover more or less the same role, from the building, the d e s i g n a n d u p t o t h e advertising", said Gianmaria. First to enter the scene was a t r a d i t i o n a l m o d e l , i m i t a t i n g r e v i v e d t h e r e v i v a l o f f i r s t skateboard, dating back to the 6 0 s , w h e n t h e c u l t u r a l movement of the skater was h a v i n g s u c c e s s a m o n g American youth: 22 inches in length and available in three different shapes Sweet Lupin, Uncle and Bullet. Each of these models can be c u s t o m i z e d t h r o u g h g r a p h i c choices: all wood, with a few words in graphics or covered with Batik, an Indonesian fabric used for various decorations, w i t h b r i g h t c o l o r s a n d sophisticated shades. Added to these is another model, longer, and more like the modern concept of skateboards: Cockroach and Uncle Death, both made with the kick tale. To advertise their brand and their creativity, these three guys involved "Zio Bancale" in some commercial collaborations: a range of their products is on sale in one of the skate and surf s h o p i n V e n i c e B e a c h , Californa; they participated at t h e e x h i b i t i o n i n R o m e b y M a u r i z i o M o l i n , d e s i g n e r s B u r t o n U S A , t h r o u g h t h e creation of a skateboard using the "bricole", typical wooden beams submerged in the canals of Venice for more than 100 y e a r s a n d t h e y h a v e b e e n protagonists in a tour of Italian e v e n t s s u c h a s X m a s t e r , S u r f e x p o a n d S u m m e r Jamboree. " W e t r y t o w o r k w i t h d i f f e r e n t b r a n d s , n o t o n l y r e l a t e d t o t h e w o r l d o f skateboarding, because we want to promote the use of recycled material in multiple sectors and demonstrate how is still fruitful to work with certain products", said Francesco Ragaini. They also joined the Italian winery that has worked on the movie "Bella Vita", made by the C a l i f o r n i a n s u r f e r a n d i n d i p e n d e n t f i l m a k e r J a s o n Baffa, creating a limited wine edition called "Uncle Baffa," an entirely organic product. " O u r d r e a m i s t o c r e a t e a brand that is not only linked to economic success, but also to e x p a n d o u r c r e a t i v i t y , o u r lifestyle and our philosophy. We a r e a l l l i n k e d t o o n g o i n g r e s e a r c h a n d e n v i r o n m e n t a l pollution control environmental ", explained one of the partners. Z i o B a n c a l e i s n o w i n collaboration with the Italian d e s i g n e r F i l i p p o F i u m a n i , resident in Lisbon and creator of special graphics that will be a p p l i e d t o t h e n e w s e r i e s o f skateboarding. A project which promotes typical and traditional products, l e d b y a s t r o n g p a s s i o n a n d desire to convey the charm that has always characterized Italy. http://www.ziobancaleskateb oards.com/ GIULIA CATANI The filmmaker Jason Baffa is holding his personal skateboard made by Zio Bancale From the left: Luigi Cenciarini, Francesco Ragaini , Gianmaria Cecchetti,

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