Let’s start off light – assume travel time is no issue and money is no object. What does your ideal day look like?

A morning session with my closest friends, riding some powerful waves. Lunch in the sun, hanging out in the family garden, having meaningful conversations with the drinks and sun hitting us a little too hard. A nap break on the grass, sharing hugs with the one I love. A sunset longboard session — small, one-metre waves with long period swells, perfect for smooth, easy rides. A campfire, some music, and a few drinks in front of the ocean. Interesting encounters. The day wraps up with a night in a tent, listening to thunder.

When and where did Acid Magazine start and what brought you all to the idea?

The three of us were surfing together, all passionate about publishing and working in the field — and yet, we just couldn’t see ourselves reflected in the surf magazines out there. So we thought: let’s try to create something of our own — something between brothers and friends, inviting the people we love, surfers or not.

Tell us about the relationship you all have as friends and co-owners of Acid Magazine.

It’s quite an intense adventure, because Thomas is my brother and Quentin is one of my best friends. My brother and I have been surfing together since we were kids. But even though we worked in related fields, we’d never had the chance to collaborate professionally — Acid gave us that opportunity.

It’s the same with Quentin. We’re part of a big group of friends working in design, photography, communication, and architecture — yet before Acid, we rarely worked on projects together. Acid makes that possible; it allows us to do what we love, with the people we love.

If you had to condense it into a few lines, what would you say is the biggest message you’re trying to convey with Acid Magazine?

Surf? Yes, but no — that’s our editorial line. In a few words, we aim to explore surfing with depth and curiosity: understanding the practice, its stereotypes, its place in society, and its history, while also questioning it — all without ever taking ourselves too seriously.

For us, surfing is ultimately a lens through which we observe society. It gives us a way to raise and explore the topics we care about.

How would you like to see surfing culture evolve? 

It’s hard for us to set strict guidelines — the whole point of Acid is to enrich surf culture through its diversity. Our aim is for it to keep growing, no matter which paths it takes. Of course, we don’t want to see it become even more macho than it already is, or be swallowed up by marketing. We want it to remain free — as free as surfing itself allows us to be.

30 minutes after finishing a magazine, what do you hope your reader takes away? What do you want them thinking about the next day?

Maybe it’s simply about inspiring them to be more curious and to question what’s around them. And if they happen to surf — which is by no means a requirement to read Acid — we hope they reflect on their practice, their identity as surfers, and what surfing reveals about them and shapes within them. That they lift their heads, look around, challenge themselves — all with plenty of self-irony.

What’s on your bedside table? In the same vein, what keeps you up at night?

The very down-to-earth surfer’s answer would be that little knot of stress and excitement you feel in your stomach at night, just before going to bed, when you know a big day of surf is coming.

On a deeper level, it’s about the fate we, as human beings, are reserving for the planet and its biodiversity. Honestly, it eats me up inside. I have to say, I’m deeply disappointed in — and angry with — our own species.

Who (or what, or where) inspires you?

There are many farmers in my family, and their dedication and sense of personal sacrifice inspire me every day. They work so much harder than I do, and yet I’ve never once heard them complain. 

From What medium do you draw the most joy, After your own?

Quentin introduced Thomas and me to an old French magazine called New Look. It was a publication from the 1980s that set out to combine hard-hitting photojournalism — covering wildlife, war, extreme sports, motorsports, and society — with glamour photography. The result is a magazine that’s always surprising to flip through, featuring some truly incredible images. And the ads inside are absolutely legendary.

Where’s your favourite place to surf? Any surf spots on your to-do list?

Gwendrez, in Brittany — a surf spot just minutes from Thomas’s house.

Tahiti, of course — the spiritual energy of nature there feels truly beyond words.

You have one night in Paris - what’s the game plan?

Beers at Alibi with the crew. A great pizzeria with the gang in the 18th arrondissement, followed — of course — by some limoncello. Then off to Station Gare des Mines, a nightclub known for its amazing music selection. And to top it all off, a little after-party at Dina’s place — her apartment-turned-bar, where she, a Cape Verdean woman, serves up legendary homemade flavored rums.

Is France where you feel most at home? If not, where?

Brittany, naturally. 

What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken on in the last year? 

A last-minute decision to tackle a 45 km trail race, barely prepped.

How have you come to define success for Acid Magazine and how does that differ (or is similar) to how you define success for yourself?

Seeing people reading Acid on the beach, even though we don’t know them.

What career advice would you give yourself back when you started Acid Magazine? 

Make sure to talk even more between the three of you about how you’re feeling. When you work on a project with people so close to you, it’s easy to assume everything will just fall into place — but it’s important to give yourselves the time to adjust and find your rhythm.

What’s next for you, both personally and professionally?

The arrival of Acid in Australia. In September, the launch of issue 7. 

Thousands of waves, I hope.