A day in the life of Filip Elerud

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We meet with Filip Elereud in Uccle, 1 of the 19 municipalities in the Brussels-Capital region. The 39-year-old Swede works in the skateboard industry, where he helps brands develop and market their products. He tells us about his life as a family man, his city, but also skateboarding, obviously.

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Filip Elerud, I’m 39 years old. I was born in Austria, but I grew up and lived in plenty of different countries, including the United States. My passport is Swedish, though.

What do you do for a living?

I’m a marketing consultant for clothing brands. I help these brands develop their products, which are always in some way related to skateboarding.

You live in Brussels. You’ve travelled all around the world; I’m curious, how did you end up choosing the Belgian capital?

Levi’s has its European headquarters in Brussels. I worked there for 11 years in total before starting my own business. I still do a bit of freelance marketing for them. I first moved to Brussels in 2004, and only briefly left between 2009 and 2010 when I travelled quite a bit, going to Bali and Australia, amongst other destinations.

What was your position at Levi’s’?

I first joined Levi’s to manage their digital brand platform. I later started their skateboard programme. At the very beginning there were only three of us. My colleagues left after only one year, and I was left pretty much by myself. It was a start-up of sorts within Levi’s, a small structure on the fringe. During the remaining 6 years I spent at Levis’, I managed their skateboard-dedicated denim line.

Why did you leave the brand?

In 2013, the brand’s skate programme - which was originally limited to Europe - went global. At that time I was in charge of both product development, and marketing and sales. We had to start working together with the global headquarters in San Francisco. With time everything became a bit more corporate, and further removed from what I was looking for professionally. I wanted to get back into more of a start up mode in my career.

So you decided to start your own business. Did you this on your own?

No, I have a partner who also used to work at Levi’s. I do business with a lot of people I already worked with when I was at Levi’s. The skateboarding world is quite a small one, you know (laughs).

What did you do before landing at Levi’s?

My background isn’t in fashion; I was trained in digital communication and e-commerce. In 1999, when the first Internet bubble burst, I was working for a digital communication agency in Stockholm. I also worked for Intel in Brussels, but on the business side. That was how I was put in touch with the Levi’s digital management team. I liked the brand, obviously, and appreciated the atmosphere, so I ended up staying there.

Have your work days changed in any way since you started your own company?

I used to have a lot of work, and consequently, very busy days. Now every day is a little different from the other, to be honest. I often spend time talking to clients, or working with brands on their brand development. My associate takes care of the product development silhouettes, fabrics, and designs. My responsibilities lie with the distribution, marketing and business side of things. That way we’re complementary! My days never really end, even if I do try to log off more than I used to.

Do you travel much for work?

I travelled more when I was still working for Levi’s than I do now. I contributed to the creation of skate parks in Bolivia, India, and I obviously spent a lot of time travelling back and forth from the global headquarters in San Francisco. I also had my fair share of standard business trips and meetings... My approach to business trips has changed now. If it isn’t absolutely necessary, I do without.

You have two children. Does that change anything to your daily routine?

When you have very young children you often end up feeling the lack of sleep. I’ve always been more of a morning person. Even when I don’t particularly feel like it, I get up at 6:30am. I do have to say that when you have children the amount of coffee you drink increases proportionally to the number of hours’ sleep you miss (laughs)! I try to keep a more flexible schedule too, so as to spend more time with my children.

What’s the first thing you do when you get up?

I help my wife feed the kids, and then I have breakfast. Coffee, granola, yogurt… I have different phases! After breakfast comes the shower. I always use simple products. Incidentally, that’s what I like most about the Horace products. Before discovering the brand, I tended to stay away from male grooming products as I never felt like I was the adequate target for what was being sold. The market in itself, the products’ packaging, the strange fragrances, I didn’t really get any of that. I used to simply apply some aloe vera oil to my face, but I’ve since started using Horace products as they are simple and efficient. I’m particularly fond of the facial puff; it’s so easy to use!

How do you commute to your office?

Mostly on foot. I also have a bike, but I live on top of one of Brussels highest hills, and my office is at the bottom. I have to face a 2.5-km uphill ride every night, which is often enough to put me off. I generally make it to the office before 9am.

Do you practice any sports, on top of your daily commute?

Well some bike riding as stated previously and obviously some skateboarding. I don’t run, I hate it; it doesn’t get any more boring than running. I’m not much of an athlete, even though I did quite a lot of boxing and wrestling in my younger years.

What can you tell me about life in Brussels?

The city has greatly evolved over the past few years - but in my opinion is still underrated. Once you get past the first impressions, it’s a much cooler city than most other European cities. The architecture is amazing, and every part of the city is different from the other. I often say it’s one of the only remaining strongholds of anarchy in the European Union. There’s so much freedom.

You say the city’s evolved. How so?

Brussels used to be the city of expatriates who would come to work for the European Union institutions and the major companies with offices here. The artistic and creative scene has really flourished of late. Artists come to live here, big international galleries open branches, and the people you meet are very different and interesting. Brussels is a fascinating city. And so affordable, too!