The Italian Eco-Skate

Anew 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 closely connected to the appearance of eco-friendly and environmental protection.

The incentives for the development of products, are drawn more and more, from the research of materials and recycling processes.

Thanks to a workshop, a common passion and a great desire to succeed, “Zio Bancale” was born. The company, formed in February 2014, by Luigi Cenciarini, Francesco Ragaini and Gianmaria Cecchetti and dated February 2014 is based upon the workforce, art and 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 community. The passion for 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.

All of this has led to the creation and design of this new artistic concept.

And the main character is precisely the exclusive use of recyclable materials and the realization of skateboards 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 met one afternoon in Francesco’s workshop. He had been using recycled materials for his personal artwork and we said why don’t we make a skateboard? And from that moment the project began to take shape “, stated Luigi 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. In fact, nail holes, veins, shades of different types of 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 materials derived from renewable sources: called “entropy resin” it is a resin 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.

“The creative mind is certainly Francesco, who teached us the steps of the woodwork, thanks to his artistic experience. For the rest of the work, we don’t  have a definition of roles, but all three of us cover more or less the same role, from the building, the design and up to the advertising”, said Gianmaria.

First to enter the scene was a traditional model, imitating revived the revival of  first skateboard, dating back to the 60s, when the cultural movement of the skater was having success among American youth: 22 inches in length and available in three different shapes Sweet Lupin, Uncle and Bullet.

Each of these models can be customized through graphic choices: all wood, with a few words in graphics or covered with Batik, an Indonesian fabric used for various decorations, with bright colors and 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 shop in  Venice Beach, Californa; they participated at the exhibition in Rome by Maurizio Molin, designers Burton USA, through the creation of a skateboard using the “bricole”, typical wooden beams submerged in the canals of Venice for more than 100 years and they have been protagonists in a tour of Italian events such as Xmaster, Surfexpo and Summer Jamboree.

“We try to work with different brands, not only related to the world of 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 Californian surfer and indipendent filmaker Jason Baffa, creating a limited wine edition called “Uncle Baffa,” an entirely organic product.

“Our dream is to create a brand that is not only linked to economic success, but also to expand our creativity, our lifestyle and our philosophy. We are all linked to ongoing research and environmental pollution control environmental “, explained one of the partners.

Zio Bancale  is now in collaboration with the Italian designer Filippo Fiumani, resident in Lisbon and creator of special graphics that will be applied to the new series of skateboarding.

A project which promotes  typical and traditional products, led by a strong passion and desire to convey the charm that has always characterized Italy.