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Libby Fitzgerald: Sea Star Beachwear launched in the summer of 2015 with the goal of creating a fashionable water shoe. I saw a white space in the market for a quality, attractive, functional water sport shoe that would easily transition from ocean swimming to rocky beaches or rainy city pavement while staying comfortable and cool.
After graduating from Duke University and moving to New York, I worked at Hermès of Paris for years, overseeing press relations and the opening of several freestanding stores as the Manager of Public Relations. I then took time off to be a full-time mother and raise three boys.
Over the years, we vacationed in resorts where the beaches were rocky and full of coral. The only water shoe option at the time was the poorly constructed black mesh variety. After my teenage boys called me out for wearing “ugly” shoes, I researched alternatives and found there were none. Thus, our Beachcomber Espadrilles were created as a fashion/function alternative and Sea Star Beachwear was born.
Joseph DeAcetis: In your words, what is your competitive advantage in the footwear market?
Libby Fitzgerald: Traditional water shoes are poorly constructed and purely functional. They do not resonate with today’s more style-conscious and quality-demanding customer. We re-imagined the timeless espadrille design with a water-friendly, quick-drying neoprene upper and a protective rubber sole. We hold US design patents on all three of our core silhouettes. We have sold over 90,000 pairs of shoes to date.
Joseph DeAcetis: How do you intend to market to Millennials and Gen Z with advertising dollars?
Libby Fitzgerald: We are mirroring this audience’s media consumption habits across social media and developing new ad formats to cater to and connect with them. For example, Instagram collection ads expose users to our brand story and experience all in one place and platform, without asking them to click off to get more information elsewhere.
We are also consistently editing our creative assets to customize them by placement across social media platforms, ensuring the advertising experience is as native as possible to the respective platform.
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Joseph DeAcetis: In your words, what are consumers seeking today in espadrilles?
Libby Fitzgerald: We’ve heard from so many customers that they love espadrilles but hate the way they unravel and fall apart when they get wet. Our designs are uniquely “water-friendly” and solve that problem. Our customers are practical, savvy, and looking for a multi-functional, comfortable footwear option for both travel and everyday use.
Joseph DeAcetis: Talk to Forbes in detail about the current collection and why it is important for consumers to be aware of this brand?
Libby Fitzgerald: Since we are a classic lifestyle brand focusing on creating a well made, functional product, we keep our core silhouettes the same while bringing in new colors, prints, and collaborations each season.
This season we introduced the first-ever denim neoprene, which we’ve been developing for over a year. These styles are just as water-friendly as our classic neoprene shoes, combining the style of dark, light, and white denim with the utility of lightweight neoprene. We also added waterproof white floral embroidery to select women’s styles.
In addition, we launched collaboration with Ocean Sole Africa this year. They are a social enterprise that up-cycles washed up flip-flops — over 750,000 each year — from the beaches and waterways of Kenya into works of art. In tribute to their mission, we created an exclusive espadrille with a sole made from a colorful mosaic of up-cycled, and otherwise discarded, rubber scraps from our factory. A percentage of proceeds from these women’s and kids styles benefit Ocean Sole.
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Joseph DeAcetis: If you could choose one celebrity to wear your brand, who would it be and why?
Libby Fitzgerald: Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and their children come to mind immediately. We are a lifestyle brand for women, men, and kids, and their family embodies the resort, healthy, and active lifestyle that we value.
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Joseph DeAcetis: Talk to Forbes about how technology aided you in the development of your brand both product make-up and e-commerce? Details please.
Libby Fitzgerald: Our water shoes are made of neoprene and rubber, revolutionary for the classic style. This high-tech composition makes the shoes lightweight, quick drying, comfortable and cool. From an e-commerce standpoint, we use a consumer-friendly DTC platform that makes the purchasing experience easy.
Joseph DeAcetis: What are your day-to-day responsibilities?
Libby Fitzgerald: As the CEO of a small start-up, I am intimately involved with all decision-making, from the day-to-day to the big picture!
Joseph DeAcetis: Where is the product made and why?
Libby Fitzgerald: All of our products are made in China. We get great quality and pass the savings on to our customer. We are in the process of researching and converting all of our materials to recycled in order to meet our goal of being 100% sustainable within 2 years.
Joseph DeAcetis: You have the floor: Talk to my viewers about why they should try this brand?
Libby Fitzgerald: Our espadrilles are only stylish water shoes on the market; yet they’re functional and wearable for everyday life, whether you’re walking on city pavement, hot sand, wet grass, or anything in between. Plus, they’re an affordable luxury under $100.
Joseph DeAcetis: If Sea Star beachwear were a song, which would it be and why?
Libby Fitzgerald: Summertime Magic by Childish Gambino. It’s always summer somewhere for Sea Star Beachwear!
Joseph DeAcetis: What are you future projections and growth strategy for the next few years?
Libby Fitzgerald: We are looking to grow our higher margin, direct-to-consumer sales channel through digital and traditional marketing and PR. We will expand our wholesale channels internationally. And we’ll continue to strategically collaborate with resort brands, wholesale partners, and nonprofits to diversify our product assortment.
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