Blowfish Malibu introduces first footwear collection made from recycled plastic
Illustration: Nalini Arora
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend an event held by local L.A.shoe brand Blowfish Malibu. I heard the brand was launching a collection of shoes made from recycled water bottles, and couldn’t miss the opportunity to see what steps they are taking to make a difference to our environment.
If you haven’t heard of Blowfish Malibu, they are a fashionable shoe brand that captures the spirit of So. Cal living. The brand has a cool story which you can read on their blog here , here, and here. The brand designs trend driven footwear with fun materials, and prints which you can find at Nordstrom, Journey’s, and DSW.
Their new shoe collection is called 4Earth. The collection consists of two patterns; printed sneakers, and a micro wedge sandalized open toe bootie.
Blowfish Malibu also partnered up with Oceana which is the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. The company will give Oceana one dollar for every shoe purchased. It doesn’t stop there, the brand has committed to reducing the use of plastic in their packaging, working with more recycled materials on their future shoe designs, and having low waste packaging. All shoes from this collection are made from recycled water bottles. I’m including their process here which was very cool to read about.
The event was held at Madera Kitchen in Hollywood with lots of influencers, marketing/PR, and people who are interested in living a more sustainable life. It was a very inspiring evening with an amazing panel of of powerful women who either own sustainable brands, or live a sustainable life, and are committed to influencing others to do the same. I had the opportunity to speak briefly to Blowfish Malibu Designer Director, Jannie Denney, who shared her dedication to sustainability, and how she has implemented this way of living in all aspects of her life.
I left the event feeling very encouraged in the changes the footwear industry is taking to reduce filling up our landfills. I also feel very excited about my own personal and professional journey in living a more sustainable life both personally and professionally.
If you want to see read more about 4earth check them out here.