Slowtide - How Surf and Art Sparked a Global Brand

The Story of a Brand Show

Ramon Vela

Business, Entrepreneurship

5 • 145 Ratings

🗓️ 20 August 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

I had such a great time talking with Dario Phillips, Co-founder of Slowtide. What started as a simple idea—a better beach towel—has grown into a lifestyle brand that’s as much about art and culture as it is about function.

Dario shared how Slowtide turned a category often overlooked into something exciting, combining creativity, collaboration, and sustainability in a way that truly resonates with today’s consumer.

What really stood out to me was the way Dario approaches brand building. Slowtide isn’t just about selling towels; it’s about creating products that people connect with and want to showcase in their everyday lives. From artist collaborations to pushing the boundaries of what a towel can be, this is a story about vision, persistence, and transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Here are a few key moments from the episode:

* How a love for surf, art, and culture inspired the very first product idea.

* The journey from a side hustle to a full-fledged brand stocked in major retailers.

* Why artist and brand collaborations have become such a powerful part of their identity.

* The challenges of scaling while staying true to their creative roots and sustainable values.

* Insights into how Slowtide turned a utilitarian product into a lifestyle statement.

Join me, Ramon Vela, as I listen to this episode and discover how Slowtide transformed a simple towel into a cultural canvas, building a brand that inspires creativity and community.

For more on Slowtide, visit: https://slowtide.co/

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Transcript

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0:00.0	And we just feel like it's like bringing art to the beach into new areas and making it really
0:04.8	inclusive for everyone, trying to have something for everyone. And then more recently over the last five
0:09.9	years, a lot of the brand building has been about brand give back. Like how do we give back to
0:14.7	our communities that have supported us? You know, we love the ocean and the environment and the artists
0:20.3	that we work with. So when there's
0:21.8	issues happening there, we try to have give back components with that. And that really resonates
0:26.2	with our customers and our staff and for us. Like, we want to have a purpose. Like, I was born to
0:31.2	just sell towels. You know, I was born to like give back and do something that's gratifying. You know,
0:36.6	you want that. So I think that's a
0:38.2	huge part of the brand. And like there are other towel companies out there. Why would someone
0:42.4	choose slow tide over another is because of another episode of the story of a brand.
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1:54.0	Visit storybrandoffer.com to start today. Welcome back, everyone. We have a great show for you today. Today, I am joined by
	...

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