The Single Fin Collective Story
We are Francesca (Chez) and Sam, two surfers who make up The Single Fin Collective (that's us in the photo!). As well as surfing, we share a passion for illustration, screen printing, graphic design and anything else a little bit creative. We started The Single Fin Collective on a rainy, surf-free Sunday in late 2016. Instead of surfing, we spent a creative afternoon painting and drawing, which eventually led to us launching our Etsy shop with a handful of designs in early 2017.
How we've grown
Since then we've really grown our business. We regularly exhibit and sell our pieces at local markets and creative events. As well as our online shop, you'll also find our artwork stocked in shops and galleries across the South West of England and further afield, as far as the spiritual home of surfing, Hawaii!
Highlights
2017
April 2017 – We opened our Etsy shop with just 12 print designs and a tiny level of stock. Our first order cha-chinged through, we were sat on the sofa together at the time and just looked at each other in shock. This also became our first 5 star review!
July 2017 – Our first international order came through from a customer in the US.
Sept 2017 – We hit 100 sales on Etsy.
Sept 2017 – Our first market stall at the Museum of British Surfing in Braunton. Looking back at photos of our stand, our set up was so basic, it's amazing to see how far we’ve come.
October 2017 – We received our first wholesale order from Surf Girl Magazine and their online Beach Boutique shop. We were over the moon to be working with them although slightly terrified as we didn’t have a clue what we were doing!
2018
Jan 2018 – Byron Bay Youth Hostel in Australia bought 21 large A2 prints for a trendy refurb they were doing, this was a huge sale for us and such a confidence boost!
Feb 2018 – We hit 500 sales on Etsy.
Feb 2018 – We were approached for a DIY SOS episode in Torquay and donated a few art prints, this included going up for the filming of the big reveal day.
Sept 2018 – We hit 1000 sales on Etsy.
2019
Jan 2019 – We received our first international wholesale order to Sea Green Gallery in North Carolina, USA.
April 2019 – Our 2 year anniversary, we posted on our social media at the time to say we’d hit 1700 sales – wowee!
April 2019 – We were pleased to do some design work for the Museum of British Surfing based on vintage surfboard registration stickers, the designs were turned into t-shirts, stickers, tote bags, tea towels and other items for the Museum’s shop.
May 2019 – We did our first Native Makers market in Plymouth, I (Chez) had been to this market many times as a customer and was always impressed by the quality of the makers, it felt like a real “we’ve made it” moment.
May 2019 – June 2020 – Over this period we successfully filed UK, EU and US trademarks to protect our business name.
2020
Jan 2020 – With Etsy fees increasing, we launched our own website using the Shopify platform (the website you’re on now!). We built this with massive help from Jon at Saltwater Digital.
May 2020 – Well you know what happened in March 2020, COVID hit and we were all sat at home wondering what to do with ourselves. Sam designed a fantastic rainbow print which we sold with profits going to our local hospital. It took off in an extraordinary way and we ended up donating just over £2000 to Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, read more on this story here.
Aug – Sept 2020 – We were approached to design a bookplate for Andy Martin’s Surf, Sweat and Tears book as well as new commissioned artwork for the Museum of British Surfing – more on this story here!
End of 2020 – Sadly due to Brexit, it was time to turn off EU-wide shipping and move to just a few select European countries with manageable customs and shipping regulations.
2021
Jan-March 2021 – We successfully bid for EU funding to buy some new equipment including a new camera and lens for Sam, this has resulted in some beautiful photos being captured and sold as part of our range.
July 2021 – 5000 sales on Etsy!
2022
April 2022 – We were approached by the Wave in Bristol to create and license some new designs, solds as prints and also kids t-shirts. This was our first foray into licensing which was a little stressful but we survived!
Sept 2022 – We joined the Faire wholesale platform and found a new range of stockists in the UK and the USA.
2023
Oct 2023 – We were interviewed live on Radio Cornwall – it was nerve-wracking but a great experience! You can listen to our interview on BBC Sounds via the link above.
2024
May 2024 – We added a new bellyboard and body surf range to our cards, prints and enamel mugs.
Nov 2024 – We added laser etched tumblers to our product range, expanding the colours over 2025 too.
Dec 2024 – We worked with Finisterre on an exciting commission, creating a Christmas gift for all of their staff. This was a unique design of a surfer in the water, wearing a Finisterre wetsuit.
2025
Nov 2025 - we found a new supplier for photographic prints and added some beautiful new photos to our product range. There's more to come too!
2026 – Who knows! 😊
Throughout this time we surfed A LOT, took up belly boarding and body surfing, Chez’s mum passed away and Sam moved from Southampton to Cornwall to join Chez. We still both work full time in our University roles whilst managing the Single Fin Collective as a side hustle.
We love what we do and hope you do too!
We hope that you find a piece of artwork that will look perfect in your home. Or that unique greeting card for your surf loving friend. If you're ever in Cornwall, we'd love to meet you at one of our pop-up events or do say hi if you recognise us in the surf!
If you ever have any questions please get in touch. We're always happy to chat and hear your feedback.
