Damien Girardin Resigns From Naish To Pursue New Projects
Thu 15th Aug, 2019 @ 11:30 am
After 15 years of working at Naish as brand manager and kite designer, Damien Girardin has decided to resign from his position to pursue new projects. He is “proud of all the accomplishments made in the past 15 years.”
Simply saying that Girardin is a “great designer and brand manager” would be an understatement; he has played a pivotal role in the brand’s success over the years. Through his seemingly effortless innovation, Girardin has reshaped the industry and allowed clients to view kite design and material through an unseen, new perspective. His original creation of the Sigma series propelled him into the most recent design of the Pivot and Boxer kites, both of which have largely impacted the industry in recent years. Furthermore, he continued with impressive work like the apex binding, largely viewed as the leading, unparalleled kiteboarding binding on the market and the eventual fabrication of innovative control systems.
One of his highly regarded projects remains the Quad Tex material developed with Teijin. His work on the latest inflatable SUP range introduced a whole new dynamic to said segment of the brand. His last masterful creation for Naish, the Wingsurfer (coined through the remembrance of his father’s use of the original Windsurfer), has propelled the commencement of an entirely new sport: Wingriding.
Girardin’s constant quest for perfection and incessant intent of providing user-friendly material has been a cornerstone of the Naish kiteboarding brand for the past 15 years.
Girardin served as the mind behind and coordinator of countless marketing projects such as the Naish House I and II, Naish kiteboarding TV seasons, and multiple photos and video shoots. He aided in launching unique projects with passion, creativity, and ambition.
“It has been a great journey and I’m grateful to Andy Church (Naish’s General Manager) and Robby Naish for the opportunities presented to me over the years. My gratitude further extends to all of the Naish distributors, dealers, and customers that I ultimately view as those I truly worked for. My overall mission has always been to create an exceptional experience for all individuals, from the moment they purchase my products all the way through their riding time. Additionally, I was offered incredible opportunities to interact with brilliant professional athletes whom I have seen rise from young aspiring pros into world champions, kings of the air, and true legends of kiteboarding.
Although I’ll always cherish the past experiences, I am ready to embark on new personalized projects. I will be pursuing my passions and am excited to work as a designer and marketer through my new company DGD and on other projects. Mahalo to you all, the journey is just beginning!”
Damien Girardin has a Master’s degree in Industrial Design from Université de Aix Marseille and a Master of Engineering in Mechanics and Materials from École Centrale de Marseille. To contact for work or internship inquiries, please click here.
