The "Hari Mari Difference": CEO Jeremy Stewart Talks Flip Flops, God Winks, and Philanthropy

Want to wear flip flops, but you haven't found a pair that is comfortable or durable enough? Founders Jeremy and Lila Stewart have a solution: the Hari Mari difference. Photo courtesy Hari Mari

Now that temperatures are getting warmer — and summer is just around the corner — its officially flip flop season.

Do you dread the "break in period" for a new pair of flip flops, which is not only uncomfortable, and not only creates blisters; it can even draw blood?

Or worse, you may want to wear a pair of flip flops, but avoid doing so because of that weird feeling of something being in between your toes.

If so, you're not alone.

Jeremy and Lila Stewart experienced both of these problems, and with no flip flop company on the market addressing either one, they decided to create a solution: Hari Mari.

You heard it from us: Hari Mari provides the ultimate sandal for surf and beach lovers. Photo courtesy Hari Mari

Launched in 2012, Hari Mari specializes in not only the most comfortable pair of flip flops on the market; they're comfortable from the first time you put them on — no break in period needed.

Even more, their durability is second to none, and their timeless look is attractive on your feet.

The cherry on top? They're affordable.

We talked with Founder Jeremy Stewart about the company's humble beginnings, their philanthropic efforts, and most importantly, why you should give Hari Mari a try. We did ourselves, and can attest that the "Hari Mari difference" is real. — Cash Lambert

ASM: Talk to us about how Hari Mari began. 

Jeremy Stewart: It was a few things combined, and it starts with the fact that my wife and I are avid flip flop wearers.

We lived in Indonesia for 4 or 5 years, and it’s a poverty-stricken culture, 80% of the population lives on less than a dollar per day. We saw how it affects the children there, and wanted to help in some philanthropic way. 

When we returned to the states, we found that nothing in the flip flop products had changed. We saw a lack of product innovation, a lack of newness and freshness. It was the same old flip flops, black, brown, tan, nothing innovative.

I was looking for a new pair of flip flops, and when I saw those same points of discomfort, we thought we could bring something better to the market while including the philanthropic side of things. 

A lot of brands in a lot of spaces come to market, and they do what’s already out there. You can’t do that. You have to bring something new. You have to bring something innovative. And you have to bring something that solves a problem. 

That’s what Hari Mari was born out of, and fast forward over a decade, and we just celebrated our 13th birthday as a company.

Where did the name Hari Mari come from?

Hari means ‘of the sun’ in Indonesian, and Mari means ‘of the sea’ in Latin, so combined, it means of the sun and sea.

Talk about R&D the product itself. What were the first few lines like?

I keep a pair of flip flops from our first production line next to me in our office, because it’s a great reminder of how far we’ve come.

Looking back, the process has been humbling. After all, we had no footwear experience, only a passion to create something better than what was and is on the market. 

At first, we started testing different components from several brands, and our first big step was taking all the good things that we liked, and qualities we wanted to see, and Frankensteining together a pair.

We took our Frankenstein samples to a few factories, and they laughed us out of the building. That was just part of the process. 

The Hari Mari team with one of their first lines of product in 2012. Photo courtesy Hari Mari

I remember for our first production in 2011. We didn’t have a single order, yet we ordered 25,000 pairs.  They always say there's like a fine line between bravery and stupidity, and certainly at that time we fell on the side of stupidity.

For that first production, my brother in law and myself sat at the factory, watching every single pair go by. We began pulling off defective pairs.

For 10 days, we filled a box of defective pairs as they were produced.

Once the box was full, we’d toss the pairs in the trash, and bring the empty box back, and start all over. We pulled off what ended up being 10,000 defective pairs.

At the end of those 10 days, my brother in law and myself were high-fiving, thinking we saved the business.

Fast forward 2 months, and a friend pulled his pair out of a box, and said “are flip flops supposed to look like this?”, showing us the sandal bent in a 90 degree curve.

So it turns out that all of the 10,000 pairs we had disqualified as defects actually got shipped to us as final products. That was our humble start to our business.

You mentioned earlier you wanted to solve problems for flip flop wearers. What were some of those problems?

The first problem was toe irritation. The first month or two of wearing flip flops, it’s like the mafia — blood in and blood out — because your feet scab and bleed just getting used to them.

Consumers, myself included, felt like we just have to put up with that. But with Hari Mari, you don’t have to anymore. We designed this simple memory foam toe post that goes between your first and second toe that completely mitigates that break in period, and makes it super comfortable the second you put the flip flops on — even if it’s your first time. 

This memory foam toe post makes it feel like there’s nothing between your toes, which a lot of people don’t wear flip flops because they don’t like the feeling of something between their toes. This design does away with not only that feeling, but the pain of it — and, best of all, there’s no break in phase that draws blood.

Hari Mari’s sandals are comfortable from your first step.

Comfortable from your first step: that's the Hari Mari difference. Photo courtesy Hari Mari

Style is the other problem we wanted to solve. We believe in a fresh and innovative look different from everything else on the market, while keeping that classic feel, so that whatever the style is in 10 or 20 years, our current style will still be relevant with that timeless feel. 

Quality is critical, too. For flip flops to still be in good condition that far in the future, we’re using great materials and not cutting corners on leather or rubber. When you put on a pair of Har Mari’s, you have a real rubber outsole, so you don’t slip when you’re walking on wet surfaces. 

A sense of comfort comes with that. We didn’t want a big, clunky orthopedic look. We wanted a flip flop to be comfortable, yet look like a flip flop. 

That's all been our focus: great colors, great comfort, great materials, and great construction in all a timeless look. 

Hari Mari recently partnered with Sage Erickson and Daniel Norris. Why the partnership? 

I would say two reasons. I’m a baseball junkie, and I’ve followed Daniel’s story for years. He’s a very unique person, and his story and personality doesn't come along very often in the world of baseball.

And when he and Sage married, we as a company were pushing further into the surf realm. I felt that they really stood for the vales and passions that Hari Mari does as well.

Working with them, we’re introducing more beach-focused models, great for pre and post surf, so it’s all really exciting. 

Talk to us about Hari Mari’s "Freedom Flops" initiative. 

Freedom Flops starts with a story. We had someone reach out to us a few years ago who told us about his cousin, named Jacob Schick, a veteran who deployed to Iraq, had lost his leg from an IED explosion, and since that moment, couldn't wear flip flops on his prosthetic foot.

Before being deployed, Jacob was an avid flip flop guy, so it was frustrating for him. 

The Hari Mari difference includes a uniquely tailored option for veterans and first responders who have lost their limbs and/or feet while serving our country. Photo courtesy Hari Mari

We designed something specifically for him — a flip flop with a strap on the back of the foot that would be a solution. I emailed the guy back, telling him the good news for his cousin, Jacob, but didn’t hear back for something like 6 months.

Then, one day without any heads up or warning, they both showed up at our office. We gave Jacob the flip flop to try on, and he started crying, I started crying, everybody was crying because it was such a significant experience for him to wear a pair of flip flops for the first time since his injury. 

I said look, if this was so meaningful for him, I’m sure it would be for other veterans, so now we offer a free pair of flip flops for any veteran or first responder who has a prosthetic leg or foot. 

Marine Jacob Schick (left) inspired the Freedom Flop, and he continues to serve as an ambassador for the program. Photo courtesy Hari Mari

Talk about Hari Mari's pediatric initiative as well: Flops Fighting Cancer.

Pediatric cancer has been near and dear to our hearts since the very beginning, going back to the philanthropic passions we had back in Indonesia.

We wanted to have a meaning and purpose beyond selling flip flops. So we have a few partnerships with hospitals in the Texas area. Our work ranges from donating a portion of sales to help supplement medical bills, to volunteering, even doing “flop drops” where we hand out flip flops at a hospital. 

It’s been a meaningful part of our business that has been baked into Hari Mari since day 1.

What’s been the most fulfilling aspect of running Hari Mari? 

Without a doubt, it's a philanthropies that we're involved with.

A close second is seeing your product on people’s feet at random. Starting and running a business can be difficult, and sometimes your emotions can go from glee to despair. There have been moments that have really inspired us, moments where we’re being spurred on, and I call them “God winks”. 

One example is that I remember being in the Tokyo airport. I can’t remember all the circumstances, but I remember being really down, emotionally at zero. I was sitting on the ground at the airport, just watching feet walk by, and all of a sudden, I noticed someone walking by wearing Hari Mari flip flops.

That was a really special moment, a God wink, that brought me back to life, and I said, okay, we’re supposed to be doing this, and let’s keep going. 

For every story like that, there’s 10 other “God winks” that have really propelled us to where we are. 

What’s been the biggest challenge of running Hari Mari? 

Our biggest challenge remains brand awareness, because we’re going against brands who have been around for 40, 50, 60 years. We want to be the first in mind when you think of premium flip flops, and it takes patience and perseverance, and we’re not cutting any corners to get there.

That’s why it’s been so important to give our customers a reason to try us, and just to let them know there’s another option out there.

Hari Mari has a ton of flip flip options — which option is best for surfers and beachgoers?

Our Dunes Line is the perfect fit for surfers and water enthusiasts. From the style to how it’s quality, we created it for those who love the water.

For the color strategy, we took inspiration from 1980s ski boats, so it has this great, retro feel to it. And it’s completely water friendly. It has a great grip on the outsole — which has real rubber by the way — and this is worth mentioning because a lot of our competitors don’t actually use rubber.

The flip flop is also designed to channel water away from your foot on the insole, so if you’re near water, it won’t pool up under your foot; instead, it will drip off.

Like I said, give it a try, and we think you’ll love it — the look, its comfort — as soon as you put a pair of Dunes on.

Spending time near the water this summer? Give Hari Mari's Dunes a try. Photo courtesy Hari Mari

Hari Mari just celebrated its 13th birthday. What's next for the brand?

We have a lot of exciting things coming, including more with our partnership with Sage & Daniel. Overall, we're continuing to push our foot forward as a brand by providing a product that fits a need, and serving the community along the way.

Learn more about the Hari Mari difference by visiting their website.