Authenticity over Algorithm

Hello again and welcome back to yet another fine piece of literary content. Two weeks ago I was fortunate enough to visit the office of SATISFY and have a conversation with the founder Brice Partouche. I had a few questions that I wanted to ask in a more formal interview for this here blog but between him being busy and me being a little nervous we instead had a genuine conversation. 
Read along for what I took from that and how we can be more authentic in our everyday lives and creative pursuits.

What started 10 years ago as a small office tucked away off a quiet road in Paris now spans a couple floors, 50 or so employees and an amazing showroom. Success leaves clues. Having worked with the team at SATISFY for over a year it was a great opportunity to put some faces to the names of those who all have a part in running (no pun intended) this incredible brand. Everyone was super welcoming and it was nice to catch Brice and have him share some time with me. 

His office is what I would expect, simple , samples and products scattered about, but the amount of RC cars was something quite astonishing. When I asked about them I could see his eyes light up and his passion was obvious. He admitted to being very obsessive over each make and model and keeping the parts all original and even down to the same year. For instance, If a car was made in 88’ all the parts on it had to be original and from the same year. While some meditate in the traditional sense, for Brice building these cars was his time to sit and be present. It wasn’t even about driving them, just building and collecting them was enough.

If you are familiar with the latest shoe release and paid attention to the build up and release ( which I wrote about in an earlier blog ) then you will know how much inspiration comes from his passion for cars. While the cult following of the brand is so strong they could have released their shoe long ago, with much less effort and story behind it. Instead Brice took 10 years to make it happen. This is where authenticity shines bright. He took his passion and didn’t follow any rules or trends to then create something that is so memorable and on brand.

He told me from a young age he loved RC cars and his parents simply couldn’t afford it. So after him sharing some of the cars displayed behind his desk he opened the biggest cupboard in the office to reveal shelves of parts, car bodies and boxes that he took reference and inspiration from in the creative process of TheRocker.

One question I did ask him was where the seed for such great storytelling came from. I will paraphrase and hopefully give his explanation justice. He told me that SATISFY is building a world. Everything they produce works within that world. If you were to take it out of context it simply wouldn’t make any sense. He spoke about romance and how he tries to weave in the idea of romance into the products they make.

So, what can we take from this? For me it’s being true to your vision and not giving a shit what anybody says. If we are able to create from a place of truth and from our heart the end result will deeply connect with those that it needs to and for those who don’t get it, that’s just fine. 
In a world full of trends and algorithms it’s more important than ever to let your individualism shine. 

This can be in whatever way you see. From the way you run, the clothes you choose to wear or the way you approach life. We need authenticity and doing so feels so good. This meeting left me so inspired to continue watering Flowerboy the way we have been and allow the people who our offering connects with grow alongside us. I am super grateful to have such an amazing brand and group of people supporting our small little coffee shop. So, thank you for taking the time to read this, buy merch and be part of this amazing community.

Hope to catch you for a run and coffee soon.

XO, FB