Internship Project: Designed by Bella Boak Weinstein for the Gaiam brand at Galaxy Active 

Where Sustainability Meets Inclusivity

Made with recycled materials and algae, the Soothe Stepper is sustainable by design

In 2021, Galaxy Active licensed the Gaiam brand to launch a line of sustainable off-price shoes. I was hired in 2022 as a summer intern to provide sustainability strategy and market research across all Galaxy Active’s brands and create an original sustainable shoe design under the Gaiam brand; that shoe is the Soothe Stepper.
This shoe combines principles of sustainability and inclusivity through design. The flip-flop is designed to be taken apart and put back together, allowing the user to replace broken pieces and customize their style. This increases the lifespan of the shoe making it inherently more sustainable. To create an inclusive design, this flip-flop features a neutral toe shape to be worn by anyone and everyone. Paired with the customization options, this shoes allows people to express their individuality.

Market Research

“More than half of Gen Z (61%) believe that mainstream fashion ignores minorities, such as trans and non-binary people.” -Unidays

Gaiam is first and foremost a yoga brand. Selling everything from weights to massage tools, Gaiam provides products for every part of the yoga experience and lifestyle. Their new shoe line seamlessly integrates the relaxation and comfort yoga provides into a line of casuals for women that incorporates sustainable materials into every shoe. Due to the fact sustainably marketed products are growing 2.7x faster than products not marketed as sustainable, this is necessary for brand growth.
Emphasizing wellness, Gaiam brands itself as an inclusive with their continuous campaign of #ForEveryBody. The Soothe Stepper expands on this inclusivity, designing a shoe #ForEveryBody. This is important to customers as 48% of Gen Z consumers and 38% of consumers in other generations value brands that don’t classify products by gender. The Soothe Stepper integrates sustainability and gender neutrality to give the customer a flip-flop that aligns with their values. For an extra bonus, platforms are proven to be "mood enhancing!"

Technical Drawings

Design

Color Variations

Materials

Recycled PVB

Recycled PVB is a synthetic leather made from old car windshields
 

Recycled Polyester

String for stitching and stuffing made from recycled polyester
 

Recycled Rubber

Rubber made from rubber scraps
 

EVA with BLOOM

BLOOM is a material in which EVA is infused with algae. This minimizes the amount of EVA plastic needed. The material is made from algae blooms which are harmful to the environment. This harvesting cleans the water.