My name is Federico Traverso aka Skull

I go into the water every day, literally every day, rain or shine, or even snow.
My name is Federico Traverso (Skull), I’m a designer and a photographer.
I used to live in Genoa, but not on the coast, so as soon as I could, I moved to a small village overlooking the sea: Bogliasco.

After finishing school, I got involved in the Surfactivity project, a surf shop opened by the Massa brothers, for whom I designed the logo and developed a complete clothing line that made its mark in Genoa between 1995 and 2005. With them, a fraternal friendship was born that continues to this day, and it’s thanks to them that I, who was born and raised with a mountaineer father among rocks, ropes, and carabiners, approached the sea and began to love it.

I founded Skull Creativelab in 2001, and for several years, I have been collaborating with Cressi, for which I design and test various products: bags, wetsuits, clothing. I became their ambassador, not as an athlete (I don’t compete, and I don’t fish) but because through my work and my life, I embody the Cressi spirit, which is unconditional love for the sea. It is precisely this love that drives me to be in the water as much as possible. When I’m in the water, I feel good, and with my photos, I try to share this state of grace with others.

I worked hard to “figure things out,” to have a job that excited me, a house overlooking the sea from which I could go directly for a dawn swim in my wetsuit, a small boat to explore new views to photograph, and a studio nearby where I could dive even during lunch breaks.
Every time I go into the water, I bring a camera with me, whether it’s the reflex with its underwater housing or simply a small compact camera. Over time, I’ve learned that every day the sea offers me something to capture, be it the animals, the bubbles and rings I make with my mouth, sunsets, sunrises, or waves.

As a (terrible) surfer, I love the waves and enjoy photographing them in various conditions: with surfers, without, from above and below. Just like the waves, bubbles, and rings are always changing subjects and never the same, which is why I will never tire of photographing them because they always manage to offer new perspectives every time.

I have the need to get into the water every single day, and when I really can’t, I feel like something is missing.
And perhaps that’s why water, the saltwater of the sea, is always present in my work as well. Whether it’s organizing a Surf Festival or designing a new wetsuit. Does it seem like an obsession? Yes, maybe it is, a little. The sea has enchanted me. It’s no coincidence that when looking for a title for my first photographic book, it could only be “The Water Conspiracy”.