Cariuma Pushes The Footwear Envelope Forward Using Thoughtful Design

I am excited to introduce you to Cariuma - a remarkable sneaker company founded by two former industry execs who put people at the center of their mission. The founders saw a gap in the market for comfortable, good-looking, good-for-the-earth footwear that will never go out of style, creating true sustainability through natural premium materials and longevity of the product life cycle. Cariuma Co-founder, Fernando Porto, spends over a year and a half to create a single new silhouette, looking at consumer needs to make informed choices and or educing waste through thoughtful design. The sneakers are designed for the consumer’s ever-evolving lifestyle - for the things that will matter in five years and are not just a passing trend. To further solidify their responsibility, they work exclusively with ethical factories and clean tanneries, source only natural, premium materials and recycle and reuse 100% of the water in the process. All shipping is carbon neutral and our single box shipping method is crafted with recycled and 100% recyclable materials.

Every vendor who works with Cariuma has to sign a strict “Code Of Conduct” and comply with fair wages and conditions for all their employees. In October 2019, CARIUMA launched the IBI - using technological advances and their own proprietary blend of natural and recycled materials, they created the first ever one-of-a-kind, sustainable bamboo knit and Sugar Cane EVA shoe that is totally carbon neutral. Below, you’ll find the bullets on key points of differentiation for our IBI sneaker all broken down in more detail to follow:

Low-Impact Bamboo - Why bamboo? It requires no fertilizer and self-regenerates from its own roots, so it doesn’t need to be replanted. There is zero water waste and it’s a carbon-neutral fiber. No brand has successfully turned bamboo into a high-performance shoe fabrication - until now. With bamboo being a material known for its lightweight, flexibility, and resistance, this proprietary blend composed of a high percentage of bamboo and a percentage of recycled plastic from water bottles, creates an all-day-hug-for-your-feet, form-fitting upper out of this sustainable plant. Since they are temperature-regulating, these sneakers can also be worn in any weather.

Our Knit’s Different - Our upper construction is made from 3 pieces total including the lining. This requires minimal cutting, less labor, and less energy overall, thereby eliminating waste, reducing C02 emissions in the process and creating a much more efficient design. This construction also reduces pressure points, allowing for ultimate comfort all day. Big Deal, Small Footprint - IBI’s production & shipping is 100% carbon neutral - making us one of the first footwear brands in the world to achieve this. In addition to reducing C02 emissions during the entire process, we partnered with Native Energy to fully offset our carbon footprint through Amazon rainforest conservation and preservation of biodiversity initiatives.

Lighter Than Air, Made from the Earth - Sugarcane EVA makes our soles 30-40% lighter than the competition’s. We have pioneered a unique cupsole construction that touts perfect shock absorption and is far more durable due to our proprietary stitching method. Our knit features a generous amount of flex, so your sneakers move with you. We have also created a memory bio-foam insole using cork + mammona oil. People First, ALWAYS - It goes without saying, the people who create our sneakers are our number 1 priority. Every vendor who works with Cariuma has to sign a strict “Code Of Conduct” and comply with fair wages and conditions for all their employees. We audit every single factory we work with rigorously. The Evolution - Getting IBI Just Right - After 12 months of development, 6 design constructions for the upper, and 4 design constructions for the shoe itself, we were ready to make the IBI. With an obsession towards comfort and quality, the goal was clear: the world’s most comfortable shoe should be really good-looking (and sustainable).

© Scoop Media