Knowing Hayden | Part 3

Hayden’s vision has always been clear, it’s the one thing that he’s always kept in front of him. An excerpt from Hayden’s book, New Wave Vision, elaborates:

“The creator of the surfboard didn't have to be the person at the bottom of the surf industry food chain. Every other link made money except, it seemed, the person with the skills and artistry to create the fundamental piece of equipment. My vision was that the shaper didn't have to be like the starving poet or ripped-off painter.”

Hayden also has a strong vision around manufacturing and is material obsessed when it comes to surfboard construction. For the past 8 Years, 100% of his boards have been created using only epoxy resins - his preference over polyester – and was one of the industries first adopters.

“Personally, I just love experimenting with new materials and design concepts and always knew that I wanted to build my boards differently. I wanted to create a unique flex and experience for surfers from a performance aspect. It wasn’t just for the sake of being different, keeping up with market trends, or for aesthetics alone.”

His recently published a book, “New Wave Vision’ – reveals valuable insights into the building of the Haydenshapes brand, approaching business creatively and starting young. It includes contributions from inspiring people like Tony Hawk, Oakley founder Jim Jannard, Google Maps co-founder Noel Gordon, Vissla founder Paul Naude and others.

“These people have innovated and changed industries and having them contribute and be so candid was really cool. The book isn’t just about surfing, it’s about ‘creating’ in general and the realities you face in the process. The good and the bad.”

The ‘White Noiz’ is one of the latest board models Hayden has released, which was developed with Craig Anderson from his feedback around this type of smaller wave performance shape. Craig has been riding for Hayden since his grom years, from the time he first arrived on the Australian shores of Newcastle at 15 years of age from his native South Africa. As Hayden’s key design muse, Haydenshapes have been lucky enough to see ‘Ando’ rise into becoming one of the most influential free surfers of today.

In terms of other individuals that inspire him creatively, he cites people like industrial designer Marc Newson and designer Rick Owens as key influencers.