Welcome to the UnStruktured Podcast!
In this episode, I talk with design leader Hadrien Monloup, cofounder of the premium brand Bellroy and the ultimate community for carry called Carryology.
From his early years growing up in Paris with a family of artists, to moving across the globe to build his design career with Rip Curl in Australia, Hadrien has spent his life making leaps and taking risks to keep growing as a creative. Coining the term 'carry' and starting Bellroy with the idea of 'slimming down the wallet', Hadrien has been an integral part of creating a new way to view how we move freely in our day-to-day lives.
Hadrien and I talk about our shared passions for design and martial arts, his experience starting new companies, what's broken in corporate design, and his plans for the future running his agency, Monloup Creative.
CREATIVITY IS AT THE VERY CORE OF MY LIFE
Growing up in a family of creatives in Paris, I fell in love with the power of creating meaningful things.
The day I walked into a new design school that had just opened in my street, I found my calling. Totally inspired, I dedicated my life to creating great products.
With a desire to expand my creativity and see more of the world, I moved to Australia where I designed bags and accessories for the renowned surf brand, Rip Curl.
It was there I embraced the challenges, and impact, of designing for global markets - working across multiple products ranges, teams and suppliers. I also saw how frustrating big-brand constraints can be. I couldn’t help but think there must be a better way.
THE BIRTH OF BELLROY
So, a friend and I took the leap to create our own brand. Bellroy and Carryology were born. My days were immersed in every aspect of design, business, and brand-building. We came up with new ways to think about design, creativity, and process. Better, faster results followed. In a few short years, Bellroy grew from just 4 people to over 100 staff, first selling in 1 country, to being in over 150.
This time taught me how to see the business as a whole. To ask the right questions and drill down to the parts that really matter. We focused on building stronger objectives, aligning the entire leadership and creative on them, and executing well and fast.
From Bellroy, I became passionate about sharing my knowledge, ways of thinking about design, creative processes and collaborative work with other brands.
I want to help others in their journey to success. So, I created Monloup Creative.
Now, here we are.
STRUKTUR SOCIETY
This episode was brought to you by Struktur Society, the community for creators in art, design, and music. For almost a decade Struktur has brought together creatives from across the industrial, apparel, graphic, and sound design industries, building professional relationships, creating a platform for knowledge sharing, and raising the bar of product creation.
From live events and workshops, to publication and podcasting, Struktur continues to evolve to build the strong creator community needed to craft our future. Find us at struktursociety.com and subscribe to our Substack at struktursociety.substack.com.
© StrukturSphere llc 2024. Original music by Greg Brace Music.
UNSTRUKTURED, 11: Hadrien Monloup + Defining A Career In Change-Making Design