Trend Watch: Blowfish Malibu is the Ultimate Shoe of the Season

amy

/ Apr 21, 2016,1:47 PM

www.blowfishshoes.com

Spring has officially arrived and we have already started compiling our wish lists for the season. With creations seem designed specifically to make us dream: they’re spectacular and feminine, with a healthy touch of playfulness, it’s easy to find our footing for the season ahead with the footwear that has reigned throughout Southern California and has rapidly gained notoriety worldwide.

Blowfish Malibu has cultivated a brand of footwear fantasia unlike anything else on the market right now, an aesthetic crossroads that the designer dubs “Blowfish DNA”. The collections thus far have found inspiration in everything from 70’s offbeat elegant to beachy chic. These pairs march to a beat all their own, equal parts idiosyncrasy and “effortless originality”. Step into the the new season the right way with Blowfish Malibu and our favorites you will want to slip into now.

Blowfish Shoes Malibu is a young, junior brand of shoes for women and kids! Based in sunny Southern California, the label was founded in Malibu in 2007 by shoe industry veterans Stephen Hoyt and Don Weiss who had worked for various other top shoe brands prior to Blowfish Malibu. Together they bring forth decades of experience in business and design.

Focused on fresh, unique styling, comfort and affordability; which has been one of the main reasons they have been a rapidly growing brand with distribution all over the world and are determined to bring our California casual styles to various markets at a great price.

“Our mantra is that we believe personal style is just another form of self-expression…and we try to make shoes for creative girls who can put together a look with effortless originality. We take a break from the ordinary and a cue from the past. There’s something unexpected in every shoe they create, just as there’s something unexpected about every girl who wears them.” “We know everything in the marketplace can end up looking the same to the consumer, so we try very hard to maintain some originality and what we stand for. Stephen, our head of design, is really good at what we call “hearing the thunder before the storm” and getting a feel for the next best trend – what’s special about that, is he puts a “Blowfish” stamp on the trend and tries to make it relevant to our brand.”

The Blowfish woman is confident and original and wants to create her own sense of style, rather than following the top trends. She also cares about comfort and expects our shoes to help create her signature look while being comfy!

What were the first shoes you designed?
We started the brand with 2 simple categories, flat ballet shoes that had knots and ruching and also flat casual sneaker booties so it definitely would have been something in that realm!

What do you love most about shoes and accessories?
Who doesn’t love shoes?!? We love that shoes and accessories can take an outfit that’s pretty basic and make it more exciting without too much effort. Your accessories will always fit (unlike clothes) and lastly, people always need shoes, it’s a market that we hope will always be around to design for!

What is your design process – how do you get your inspiration?
We travel the world! We see what women are actually wearing on their feet and on the streets and take a lot of inspiration from them. Inspiration comes in a bunch of forms for us – from something as simple as a pattern on a pair of pants, to the way a girl is styling a boot, and even a cool stitch on a handbag can be turned into a detail on a shoe.

Can you talk us through your latest collection – what are your favorite pieces?
Our favorite styles right now are “Drive In” which is a 70s inspired wedge, “Bungalow” a flat strappy, easy to wear sandal, and “Herz” another gladiator wedge – they can all be found on our website; www.blowfishshoes.com

For Spring 2016, our line is very 70s influenced and this trend was incorporated through various constructions. We have a bohemian inspired wedge, one of our favorites, which is wrapped in a raffia / straw material – perfect with flared pants. We designed some sandalized flats in earthy tones like whiskey and desert sand, and some 70s inspired prints.

We always focus on materials and incorporated rope, metallic and straw into some existing styles to give them a fresh update.

Using more than 1 material on one shoe has always been a hit for us – we call this “mixed media” and we continued to detail this way throughout the line.

Since the market is so athleisure heavy, we released our first line of sneakers, which have had a great response. We put our take on them using our signature buttons and zippers, and they’ve been a big hit! This is something we’ll build upon in seasons to come.

What is your golden rule of shoes.
Keeping true to our Blowfish DNA. Just because stilettos are in, doesn’t mean we’re designing them. We stay true to the California, laid back vibe.

Why do you think it’s ultimately the shoe that can completely transform an outfit?
Shoes are the last thing that you put on with an outfit or the first thing that you build an outfit around. It’s always the beginning or final piece!

What’s your go-to style at the moment?
Sneakers. It’s the in thing right now. They’re comfortable, casual and go with just about anything. It’s become acceptable to wear them any time, any place!

What you love most about California.
The weather, you’re able to snowboard or surf in the same day! We love the various cultures that can be found within this diverse state. They influence the fashion, music & food and we love that! People think California is really laid back, and trust us, it is!