At the age of 18, Iconoclast Founder, Mike Wallace, embarked on his journey learning to surf relatively late in life on Oahu. But he made up for this late start with a vengeance, ending up coaching the high school surf team in Half Moon Bay and getting drawn into the art of shaping boards for family and friends.

Influenced by Marc Andreini, George Greenough, and Michel Junod, the inspiration to design and shape his first board occurred while writing an “In the Green Room” column for SurfPulse in San Francisco.

Twenty years later, he is now collaborating on edge board guns for 3-time Big Wave World Surf Champion Grant “Twiggy” Baker, Mavericks chargers Wilem Banks and Steve Rice, and customers chasing new sensations in the water.

Each board begins with the customer: exploring where and how they want to surf and what feeling they are seeking. Once a design is approved, the blank is ordered, milled, and shaped before going to top-end glassers.

From a Sim-nough hull-edgeboard for a recreational surfer to the most advanced guns on the planet, every build starts with the same focus.

“Feedback is the true currency of shapers, closest thing to being Santa Claus.”

Continuously pushing boundaries, Mike runs frequent trials with new glassing layups, resins, blank materials, and Swellcycle’s 3D-printing innovations, elevating board design and performance.

Blending unique designs with equally advanced materials, in the most eco-friendly manner possible, is the goal. It’s not “eco” for its own sake; the economics and business case must hold. The design should be as advanced as the raw materials, delivering improved performance at a comparable price point, that’s the gold standard.