An executive who hates suits

'I'd rather be on the beach, waxing my board, than stuck in a room talking figures.'

- Hein Kaiser

WAREING: ISLAND STYLE FOUNDER HAS NEVER FITTED MOULD OF TRADITIONAL BUSINESSMAN

He's not a suit and tie kind of guy and has given board meetings the middle finger, literally.

Warren Wareing is the founder and chief executive of the iconic South African surf brand Island Style.

He has never fitted the mould of a traditional businessman.

"Suits just aren't my vibe, bru," he said. "I'd rather be on the beach, waxing my board, than stuck in a room talking figures. That's just not me.

"Suits have come knocking a few times, wanting to get in on the action, but they just don't get it. They come in with their degrees and their balance sheets, thinking they know how to run a surf brand. They don't understand the culture, the lifestyle. This isn't just a business; it's a passion."

Wareing runs the company from his office-cum board-room cum display area in the factory shop.

His uniform is shorts, flip-flops and a tee.

Staffers around him sew, cut, make and trim everything from surfboard travel bags to board shorts and sexy bikinis.

Almost everything is done in-house, from the pots on the two-plate stove cooking up surfboard wax to the hippie-illustrator who's been handdrawing Island Style designs and prints since day dot.