Something’s fishy… maybe it's Jean Jullien’s marine-inspired surfboards

A collaboration between the designer and surfboard company Fernand sees a series of surfboards transformed into minimalistic whales and fish.

Date
20 August 2021

Although this British summer isn’t quite living up to our expectations, we all still appreciate a day by the seaside. Creative powerhouse Jean Jullien has channelled these calming ocean vibes into four unique surfboards inspired by the simplicity and joy of being in the sea.

Each surfboard is hand-painted onto the foam before being glazed by Resin League and polished by Paul Hyde. Jullien’s recognisable illustration style – which often features comic and minimalistic story-book-esque characters – takes centre stage on the waves in the shape of two little fish (one smiling, one looking decidedly more anxious), a happy whale and a mischievous seal (or maybe he’s just nervous about the sharks below).

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Julien Binet: Fernand x Jean Jullien (Copyright © Fernand, 2021)

The playful and innocent designs on these surfboards seem to contrast with the “coolness” we generally associate with surfing, which is refreshing and perhaps encourages us all to take ourselves a little less seriously.

Jullien has also designed some tiny – yet very cool indeed – surfer dudes which have been embroidered upon sweatshirts and a T-shirt, which come in soothing ocean tones of deep blue, khaki and black.

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Julien Binet: Fernand x Jean Jullien (Copyright © Fernand, 2021)

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Fernand x Jean Jullien (Copyright © Fernand, 2021)

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Julien Binet: Fernand x Jean Jullien (Copyright © Fernand, 2021)

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Julien Binet: Fernand x Jean Jullien (Copyright © Fernand, 2021)

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About the Author

Dalia Al-Dujaili

Dalia is a freelance writer, producer and editor based in London. She’s currently the digital editor of Azeema, and the editor-in-chief of The Road to Nowhere Magazine. Previously, she was news writer at It’s Nice That, after graduating in English Literature from The University of Edinburgh.

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