Knowing an organisation with purpose from the inside is something that really inspires me. If the founder himself is the one telling its history, the brand becomes something human. Carlos Ferrando is alma pater and CEO of CLOSCA (www.closca.com). CLOSCA is much more than the products full of personality showcased on its website and also available in the stores of iconic museums such as MoMa in NYC or Victoria & Albert in London. That’s just the beginning. The brand’s history began when Carlos was 10 years old and wrote his “Libreta de Inventos de Carlos” (“Carlos’ Notebook of Inventions”). Years later, the universe he designed as a child turned into something bigger.
Educated as an industrial engineer and marketing expert, Carlos, together with his team, develops the CLOSCA concept day by day as an ecosystem, embracing products and ideas which want to create a more sustainable, contemporary and, why not, beautifully practical world. There’s something human within CLOSCA and its DNA that really connects with everyone. When somebody knows the brand, its products automatically become a part of this person’s private world. It might be because, deep inside, we all share the same vision of the world we want to live in.
1. What was the origin of CLOSCA? Where does its name come from?
CLOSCA is born from the necessity to create something which delivers a positive impact to our society. One day, having dinner with some university friends, I shared with them my idea of creating a brand which was something different. A brand which could inspire society to move towards a place where people could be more simple and authentic, where everything was more transparent, more beautiful and more personal. This brand would offer products and concepts helping society to create a more conscious, sustainable world.
I needed my friends’ support to build the brand. They are very industrial minded, so they needed a different insight. So, my approach was “What would it be like if we created a brand which could segment attitudes, contrary to digitally segmenting people like Facebook or Google do?” One of my friends said “Listen, I don’t fully understand what’s exactly in your head, but you have my support!” And he helped me with 50% of the funds I needed to start. And such was the beginning of our first product, the CLOSCA bike helmet. There is no eco purpose behind it, but the idea of economic sustainability: as you do not have to buy a car because you use a bike, you can use the money you save to travel the world and discover new realities which are eye-opening experiences.
The name is directly linked to my origins. I come from Valencia and CLOSCA is a humble recognition to my heritage, to my mother tongue. I looked for a word in Valencian, a short one, with a feminine touch (we think our clients are mostly women). Thinking about our international market, we thought about the sound in English, where you do not often find a word with 2 Cs.
I chose the turtle as a brand icon because it is an honest, humble animal.
2. CLOSCA has a very clear purpose. How can an individual purpose become a collective one? How can a purpose be the backbone of a whole organisation?
Our purpose is a leitmotiv we repeat over and over again: we want to create attitudes which can lead to changes in our behaviour. People use products to express attitudes. It goes further than the clothes we use. We are shifting from lifestyle to mindstyle.
When someone carries the CLOSCA bottle, he/she is expressing very definite attitudes which communicate a message: I do not use plastic to drink water. I want to create a more sustainable world. In the same way as a watch is not only an instrument to check what the time is, but an accessory which defines your style, the CLOSCA articles go beyond their primary purpose.
And that’s the very backbone of our organisation.
3. What is the creation process of a CLOSCA item? What’s the history behind each of them?
Our products are right in the middle of technology and history, since both worlds are very appealing to me. The best way to improve the future is by learning from the past. Bearing this idea in mind, we project where we are heading as a society and we propose products accordingly. If we think about plastic, we consume 60% of this material in 15 minutes. We are unable to recycle 81% of plastic waste. What kind of society are we creating? What would products say if we gave them a microphone?
We thought about generating a movement which creates a comfortable framework for people to give up using plastic for drinking water. A movement leads to a community and a community needs a flag which generates that belonging feeling. The CLOSCA bottle represents this flag. Our idea was to design a water bottle which created a trend. In fact, our bottle is inspired by a wrapped dress. So, I carry my water bottle which is a very cool one. Drinking water from a bottle like this becomes something cool.
And the same happened with the CLOSCA helmet, which is inspired by NY’s Guggenheim Museum.
When we start to design an item, I always have my children in mind and what world I will leave behind to them as a legacy.
4. What’s the CLOSCA APP?
The aim of our APP is to create a community of people who do not use plastic to drink water. You can use it to spot public water sources where you can fill up your bottle.
Behind our APP there’s the idea of making companies committed to the fact of offering water to boost its consumption. If, for instance, an insurance company is offering water, it creates a lead that supports a specific behaviour. If we are able to identify how people drink water, we will contribute to create more efficient attitudes and we will generate information about our water consumption habits. Who knows? Maybe our future will be linked to creating water sources in partnership with private companies, generating a win-win for everyone.
5. Talking about the future, what will be CLOSCA’s next steps?
We are in a crucial moment since people are finally aware of our brand message. They check our website and say, “Now I see the idea!” Our next step is focused on improving awareness and operations volume. We cannot only be the brand selling its helmet and bottle in the stores of two iconic museums. Through our products we want to cooperate with artists, designers and innovation boosters to share our purpose. We want CLOSCA to become a platform to something else. A platform to insightful concepts.
Million thanks for sharing your journey with us, Carlos!
