Flip Flop Ocean Waste Sculptures
“Why are they so expensive?”
It’s no surprise that the flip flop sculptures have been a huge hit with our community over here in the UK. As many of us are avid beach goers and love life along the coast, we can appreciate that the issue with the waste that is washed up onto our shores needs to be dealt with, and of course at a much higher level than just the odd family beach clean - that being said, family beach clean-ups is a great place to start for sure!
As many of you are aware, we teamed up with Ocean Sole based in Kenya last year in 2024 and brought to life the WaveMe exclusive Vanlife Dubs which we then added from upcycled wood or logo on at the front of the camper van. The price is what was set to shock many who came to visit WaveMe at the pop-up-shop along the Devon shores and the country town of wiveliscombe in Somerset (Where WaveMe Ltd) was born.
How can the price be so high for a small colourful lightweight sculpture? Well isn’t that one of the biggest questions, when it comes to art anyway? And a question that we hear many times. What one person calls expensive, another finds value and affordability in. What one person feels is expensive, another person will see the benefit of the exchange between money and goods - especially when the majority of that money is going straight back in to the community that so desperately needs it, the community that offers them employment, food and shelter while they so tirelessly dedicate their lives to preserving marine life and wildlife.
It takes an entire day for Ocean Sole to hand carve one of WaveMe’s exclusive Vanlife Dubs, but it takes them much much more time to clean up the shores, manage their no-profit organisation, hold events and raise awareness of the incredible work they do. In-fact, every 60 seconds that goes by, they upcycle another flip-flop that has been caught up on the shore. They recycle 1276,000 lbs per year of ocean waste and save 240 trees annually. That being said, we understand that some of you find the cost of one of these sculptures a little high. Sadly, the import duty and the postage costs also have a huge amount to play in the pricing of these beautiful creations but it is with pride WaveMe can say that we do not make any profit on our flip-flop sculptures - in fact we have been at a losss when we chose to donate a percentage back to Ocean Sole to contribute towards the running of their beach cleans. Every £5 donated to Ocean Sole will host a beach clean so for every single sculpture we sell, we donate enough back to host at least one beach clean.
We are proud to say that we are a part of that. The more we sell, the more we can order in from the wonderful Artisans.
Our StayDri collection of Sherpa lined beach robes are at the heart of our brand and business but we have a huge belief in always giving back, growing alongside this beautiful planet and not being part of the wider issues so that is why we have a zero single plastic use policy, offer a huge range of sustainable clothing and do our best to stick to our word and always give back, whether that be through our own programme of beach cleans or donations to local and worldwide charities which fall inline with our ethos and philosophies.
It all started with an idea for a bumper sticker and led to many other avenues but WaveMe will continue to grow so that we can continue to give and we thank you for being a part of that.
