Bahari Orthotic Flip Flop
Bahari’s aim was to produce better quality footwear that reduces a consumer’s environmental footprint. The Bahari flip flop was the first design for the start-up brand which fuses a comfortable ergonomic design with bio-foam to produce a comfortable and reliable shoe. Designed from the ground up, the flip-flop takes inspiration from sporting orthotic footwear to produce a lifestyle flip-flop for daily use.
The Brief
Bahari approached Beta in 2020. It became clear that most of the market was saturated by fast fashion shoes that break down quickly and are produced by harmful plastics. Beta wanted to create the most comfortable flip-flop on the market, that in addition was made from an eco-friendly material.
Design Development
Beta went through countless prototypes and testing rigs to produce a footbed that perfectly comforted and conformed to the foot. Using a variety of 3D prints and silicone moulds to gain the best understanding of what felt natural to wear, Beta undertook constant user testing and evaluation with consumers to ensure the correct fit was achieved.
The Orthotic Flip Flop
The sustainable flip flop is made from a bio-foam using algae. Excess algae in our waters suffocate aquatic life, so harvesting the algae bloom keeps the ecology of our waterways in balance. Beta created a colour palette to best represent the virgin material of the product.
Algae Foam
“The rise in global temperatures, excess nutrient runoff, and human activities have led to harmful effects like massive algal blooms in ecosystems around the world. Water pollution is an invisible problem made visible by rampant algae growth.
Bahari is determined to do its bit to reverse the effects of water pollution by working with natural resources like algae to create sustainable products that in turn maintain healthy ecosystems.
