Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashley Moore. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ashley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Lastwaveco first began around three years ago at the beginning of Covid. I had lost my job and after a few weeks of sitting around I knew there had to be some way that I could keep myself busy as well as embrace the entrepreneurial and creative spirit I’ve always felt throughout my life. I’d just taken on a new lease with some friends in Hawaii and I wanted to furnish the house on a budget, yet have a “Hawaii Surf Culture Chic” vibe. A friend of mine had just broken his surfboard that day and called me “Hey Ash, you’re creative, do yo want this board I just broke… you could probably do something with it?”. Later that day he dropped it off, a gorgeous shortboard that had a broken fin box in the back… so visibly the board looked in great shape, there was no visible dings, yet it couldn’t be surfed again. Up until this point, I’d seen surf board fences, the odd surfboard in a hotel, but nothing that drew great inspiration. I decided to buy a can of spray paint that day (whilst I’m an artsy person I’’d never spray painted before) and spray painted the board navy to go with the interior design vision I had for my house. The next day I decided to draw very basic banana leaf line art. My manta is “less is more” when it comes to art, and I thought this would go great in the house. Once I’d completely it I was pretty chuffed, so I asked all my roommates if I should list it on Facebook Market place to see if people would buy it… so I did later that night. The next day I woke up to around 100 reply’s to that one ad. That was the point I was like “oh okay, I think I’ve got something here”.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Lastwaveco is a sustainable surfboard art company, where we take old and broken surfboard from local surfers and turn them into Upcycled art pieces. With the story of the last surfer on the back, we breathe new life into these boards, so it’s never ridden its last wave.

A sustainable art business incorporates environmentally-friendly practices, ethical sourcing of materials, and a focus on social responsibility. It minimizes waste, pushes money back into the surfing community, and engages in community initiatives. This approach aims to balance artistic creativity with a commitment to long-term ecological and societal well-being.

Sustainable surfboard art is beneficial because it combines artistic expression with eco-friendly practices. It promotes the use of renewable materials, reduces environmental impact, and raises awareness about conservation. By creating surfboard art with sustainable methods, we contribute to preserving our oceans and natural resources for future generations while enjoying beautiful and functional creations.

Have you ever had to pivot?

During the first months we solely did Navy x Banana leaf boards as that was the original design and something I was comfortable with. As the months went on, customers started to ask for new colors and new designs. So we decided to take risks and take those challenges on. So you see, the colors, designs and inspiration behind what we are today is a direct result of what the customer wanted and we had to pivot and change as their needs and demands did.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Running a one-woman show business can be rewarding, but it also comes with its unique set of challenges. Some of these challenges included being burnt out, workload, growth, scaling and loneliness. Throughout this 3 year journey there’s definitely been some ups and downs, but the love for creating, pushing through and continuing on this Lastwaveco journey has shown me that no matter how tough it can be sometimes I really wouldn’t rather be doing anything else.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lastwaveco.info. (A new website is under construction should be finished in a few weeks)
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lastwaveco/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/lastwaveco