See how influencers are wearing the new BALLA4EARTH style. (Hint: it’s super cute!)
This year, we wanted to make more conscious decisions that would have a positive impact on the environment. So, we set out to create the 4Earth Collection. One of the eco-conscious shoes we launched was the iconic Balla silhouette. Balla, a cut-out sandal with strappy details, features an upper made of recycled plastic bottles. Additionally, other features include a micro-wedge, distressed hardware, and an inside zipper for easy on/off. Obviously, we were so excited to get these new sandals on some feet! So, we sent the BALLA4EARTH style to some of our favorite content creators across the country, and the consensus was the same across the board. Turns out everyone thinks Balla is good for the earth AND adorable on your feet. So won’t you join us in taking a step in the right direction?
Scroll through for style inspiration on how to rock our new favorite casual sandal for summer:
@mamashocks
@aliviafields
@choosingchelsea
@courtneysteeves
@haleyparkerstyle
@ivajorg
@katelyn_bowen
@kylahamlin
@maddy_lee_ann
@mr.pokee
@natdaddieco
@ya_girl_taylor_allen
@curlyemgabs
So tell us what you think! And let us know how you wear your BALLA4EARTH. Post a photo and tag us @blowfishmalibu on Instagram using #4Earth4Life
Learn more about the 4Earth Collection.
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We’re excited to FINALLY be able to share some of the Behind the Scenes content from our 4Earth campaign photoshoot. (Which took place last OCTOBER!)
In a downtown Los Angeles studio, we got together with our go-to stylist, make-up artist, and videographer to create fabulous images for the new 4Earth campaign. What’s 4Earth, you ask? 4Earth collection is a new line of some of our most iconic styles with one major change: the uppers are composed of recycled plastic. This is just the beginning for us, and going forward, we promise to do our best to ensure Blowfish Malibu shoes are good for the planet, and good for your soul.
We don’t typically do indoor studio work. Usually, we prefer natural-looking photos shot outside at various Southern California locations. But for this campaign, we knew we wanted a very specific look and feel for the imagery. We loved a solid, bright-colored background, which showed off the fresh shoe styles and California inspired outfits.
While our photographer was shooting looks, a separate team was working on creating some fun stop motion videos, which will be used on our social media pages during the campaign. (So keep your eyes out!)
Fun Fact: we drank water from the plastic bottles we used on set for the full week before the shoot (and on set), and all of the plastic bottles used for this shoot were recycled!
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Get to know from a designer’s perspective about Blowfish Malibu’s more eco-friendly collections!
We sat down with one of our lead designers, Marcy Cail, and asked her a few questions about the line, her inspiration and how she and the team were able to design both our Vegan and 4Earth lines.
What journey did the design team take to create the collections?
The road to designing more eco-friendly product is bumpier than you’d think because its fairly new and unpaved in the fashion industry. There is definitely a lot of trial and error involved. Some ideas work, some do not. For example, it’s possible for hardware to be made from recycled metals and we looked into replacing the buckles on our shoes with this option. However, we found that those materials are not always controlled and therefore may not pass a chemical test – which is a scary thought!
Its very important to move towards creating cleaner, better product, but its even more important to be responsible when doing so. That’s why designing more eco-friendly products is an on-going experience for everyone.
What materials are considered “vegan”?
Currently, the most widely-used faux leather option in footwear is polyurethane, which is man-made material, and can be produced to closely replicate leather. Beyond this, some interesting materials being used to replicate leather are made from organic materials such as apple cores and pineapples! But even organic faux leathers bring up concerns on how these will impact the environment agriculturally.
Our whole design team at Blowfish Malibu is really loving apple core, pineapple, cereal grain, and grape skin based leathers. These are newer (and very cool) material options that we hope will shape the future. However, the biggest challenge for us using these materials is that they are more expensive. Footwear options currently using these organic based faux leathers retail beyond our budget and we have to stick to that budget in order to offer affordable choices for our customers.
We hope organic faux leathers become an industry standard we can afford to offer our customers soon, until then, most of the materials we use are man-made.
Which vegan leather options are used on Blowfish Malibu products?
There are lots of material options that can be used that are considered vegan, such as canvas and microfiber. However, the possibilities for ‘faux leathers’ are a bit more limited and tricky. The materials we use in our Blowfish Malibu vegan collection vary from style to style. Most of our shoes are currently made with polyurethane or canvas.
What is the design team doing to find more eco-friendly vegan material options?
Our team is constantly working with other industry leaders on sourcing new material options. It’s an on-going project, a real learning process, but most importantly, its bringing change to the world. Therefore, this is something we work to improve everyday.
We do offer material options in our 4Earth collection that are more eco-friendly such as recycled materials, vegan fabrics, and recycled dyes! This is an exciting new offering for us, and we’re excited to see what we’re able to introduce into the line in the future.
All photography by Nicole Knox.
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We are so excited to announce our newest eco-conscious collection, 4Earth.
In 2020, Blowfish Malibu is stepping up to make more conscious decisions that will make a positive impact on the environment. We acknowledge the fact that 300 million pairs of shoes end up in a landfill a year, and know we are part of that problem. So moving forward, we will assess everything we do from an environmental standpoint. This includes diving into the process of how we manufacture, market, and design our product in the hopes that we can make substantial changes and limit our footprint on the planet.
That brings us to our newest collection: 4Earth. New to the brand for 2020 spring and summer, the 4Earth collection is our first venture into creating a product that haves less of a negative impact on our environment. Our team is excited about the challenge, and we want to challenge you to try and make a positive change for the earth, as well.
The line consists of two of our classic styles; the Balla sandal and the Marley sneaker. These sneakers are composed of an upper made entirely of recycled plastic. Additionally, we’ve teamed up with Oceana, a non-profit that actively works towards cleaning up the world’s oceans.
With the launch of our new campaign, we’re also introducing our #4Earth4Life Challenge. For only seven days – just one week – we challenge you to completely eliminate your use of single-use plastics, as well as to cut back on waste in general.
Document your experience on social media, using the #4Earth4Life hashtag. Get your friends involved! See who can cut back the most. Create and educate your followers about the techniques you’ve learned on how to limit your single-use plastics usage. Teach your loved ones about how they can make the earth a healthier place. At the end of the day, there’s no limit to the good we can do by cutting back together.
Learn more about retailers in your area carrying the 4Earth collection HERE.
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