Back To The Roots

Since we already mentioned it a few times that Christian Leyk’s first steps into design happened many years ago in Brazil, we thought it is really about time to disclose some photographic evidence. Digging a little bit deeper we also found out that around that time also occurred his first contact with yachts (however small) near the beautiful island of Ilhabela.

All this actually happened after crossing the Atlantic Ocean aboard the MS Augustus and posing proudly with his parents atop the Corcovado in front of the statue of Cristo Redentor. We believe it is safe to say that the career as a yacht designer was pretty much inevitable…

Christian Leyk: “Obviously, I was too young to realise the magic of that place… I have memories of our house in Sao Paulo, the beach of Guaruja and the amazing waterfalls of Iguaçu. But to be honest, it took me many years to acknowledge the fact that once you’ve been to Brazil, it will be in your heart forever. When I’m looking at the old pictures my father took it becomes obvious to me that I grew up in a really cool era and in some wonderful places (I must not forget to mention Munich either).

Sometimes I feel a little bit sad that I wasn’t old enough to truly understand it, but there was a certain atmosphere… it’s difficult to express, but it seems as in that time, people were still believing in a brighter future. It’s a shame that most people nowadays seem to have lost that feeling, so for me as a designer it is incredibly motivating and inspiring to every now and again look into the past. This way I believe I can contribute to a better future with my design…”

One more thing: Luckily, he did overcome his his love for Lederhos’n!