Tanasué Fontes is from Arrecife and studied Business Administration and Management in Gran Canaria, finishing in Madrid. Upon returning to Lanzarote, he was the manager of a well-known shopping center on the island until 2023 when he created the island clothing brand 8IC, meaning Ocho Islas Canarias.
It all began with a social media profile he created in Madrid to combat his nostalgia for the islands: “I created the profile in 2012, altruistically, with the idea of feeling closer to the islands, because I lived in Madrid. I did it for all the Canarians who were away, so we would have a social media profile where we all felt represented.”
The entrepreneur from Arrecife shares that the leisure and entertainment profile on social media was called Siete Islas, “because eight was taken.” In 2023, the profile transformed into the professional showcase for his brand 8IC (Ocho Islas Canarias), and since May of this year, “I left the job I had to focus entirely on the brand.”
"I didn't think it would grow so much and so fast"
“I started it for entertainment, as a hobby, but I didn't think it would grow so much and so fast, in three years. It's true that I dedicated all my time to it after work, I gave up leisure for three years until I could dedicate myself fully to the project, I think the dedication and affection are reflected.”
The founder of 8IC is, for the moment, a “one-man band,” as he not only manages the company but also does the designs, promotion, and everything else.
For the first collection I launched in 2023 with four caps and five t-shirts, I did rely on a local designer from Lanzarote, David Morales.
“Then I trained myself in editing programs like Illustrator, completely self-taught, and currently 90% are my own designs,” Fontes shares.
When asked if artificial intelligence is part of the creative process, the creator from Lanzarote explains that he uses it “to conceive ideas, it gives me a much broader vision than I could have at that moment, it helps you expand creativity, AI is here to help, not to replace.”
“From the island, I have the Lanzarote t-shirt and a specific design of Famara, also on a cap”
Tanasué Fontes' designs are intended for all Canarians to feel identified, but there are two that are very specific to the rabbit island: “I have the Lanzarote t-shirt and a specific design of Famara, also on a cap.”
Fontes works with environmentally friendly materials. "The polyester is recycled and the organic cotton I use is guaranteed to have been harvested in an environmentally friendly way and that the workers on those farms are treated fairly in terms of labor and economics. And I recycle everything, even the cardboard boxes that arrive."
Fontes shares that 8IC's best-selling slogans are ‘Al golpito’, ‘Se me fue el Baifo’, ‘Gofio Power’ and the ‘Huella’ design. Especially the first two "thanks to our friend Quevedo because two of his songs are called that."
“The baifo cap sold out following Quevedo's album. Someone sent me a photo of Quevedo with the cap, I don't know how they got it to him, I uploaded it to the profile and it was a boom”.
"I am very happy that we are betting on what is made here"
Fontes explains that Gran Canaria is the island where she has the most sales by far, closely followed by Lanzarote and Tenerife. Apart from online purchases, there are several points of sale on all the islands. On the rabbit island, her pieces can be purchased physically at the sports store Base Bazar Sport in the Open Mall.
“I am also on all the Fred Olsen boats, it's a novelty that I haven't announced yet,” she reveals exclusively.
The growth of the 8IC brand coincides with a historic moment of great appetite for local products and for showcasing the unique and identifying characteristics of the islands, the Canarian identity.
“I notice it much more now than when I launched the brand. I am very happy that we are betting on what is made here,” says Fontes.
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