Breaking

OluKai opens first mainland store at Irvine Spectrum Certified B Corp - B Impact score 83.6 Name means comfort + ocean in Hawaiian Hokulea collection stitched with real voyaging-canoe sailcloth SPAM x OluKai limited-edition drop Every sale funds the Ama OluKai Foundation OluKai opens first mainland store at Irvine Spectrum Certified B Corp - B Impact score 83.6 Name means comfort + ocean in Hawaiian Hokulea collection stitched with real voyaging-canoe sailcloth SPAM x OluKai limited-edition drop Every sale funds the Ama OluKai Foundation

Company Profile / Premium Footwear / Irvine, California

OluKai.

Hawaiian-inspired footwear built on two simple words - olu, comfort, and kai, ocean. Sandals, sneakers, slippers and boots for a life lived in and out of the water, made by a company that treats giving back like a design spec.

Est. 2005 Certified B Corp D2C + Retail ~160 employees Anywhere Aloha

OluKai. The Irvine, California footwear brand whose name translates, roughly, to "comfortable ocean." Photographed here: the wordmark that rides on sandals from six Hawaii stores to the mainland.

The Dispatch

A flip-flop, reconsidered

For most of the twentieth century, the flip-flop was a disposable object - a few cents of foam, a plastic thong, a summer's worth of use before the strap gave out. OluKai's founders, footwear-industry veterans who had worked at brands like Nike, Reef and Vans, looked at that same sandal in 2005 and saw something missing: support. They added a contoured midsole and an arch, and in doing so pulled the humble slipper up into the premium tier - a shoe you could wear "anywhere from the beach to dinner."

Two decades on, OluKai is a full footwear house. It makes sandals, water-ready sneakers, slippers, mules, boots and golf shoes for men and women, all built around the same idea: comfort you stop noticing, in materials that shrug off water and salt. The brand's name is its thesis, drawn from the Hawaiian olu (comfort) and kai (ocean). Everything downstream - the seam-sealed construction, the quick-drying footbeds, the "waterman" positioning - follows from those two words.

2005

Founded

83.6

B Impact Score

Hawaii Stores

~160

Employees

Who it serves

Built for a life near water

The customer

OluKai's shopper lives an active, outdoor life - watermen and beachgoers, travelers, golfers, and everyday wearers who want a shoe that survives sand, spray and a long day on their feet. California, Texas and Florida are the brand's three largest markets, but the emotional home is Hawaii.

The problem it solves

Comfort without ugliness - arch support and contoured footbeds in shoes people actually want to wear.
Water, handled - seam-sealed, quick-drying builds for the ocean lifestyle.
Longevity - durable construction meant to last, reducing throwaway churn.

Products & Services

The lineup

Sandals to sneakers to slippers to golf

Since 2005

Sandals & Slides

The category that launched the brand - premium flip-flops with supportive, arch-contoured, water-friendly footbeds.

Water-ready

Sneakers & Shoes

Seam-sealed, water-resistant casual sneakers built for the active island lifestyle.

Indoor / outdoor

Slippers & Mules

Comfort-first slippers, some shearling-lined, that carry island style off the beach.

All-weather

Boots

Durable, weather-ready boots for men and women.

On course

Golf Shoes

OluKai's comfort and traction technology applied to performance golf footwear.

Limited

Hokulea Collection

Limited-edition footwear made with real sailcloth from the Hokulea voyaging canoe; proceeds fund the Ama OluKai Foundation.

Market Map

Where OluKai sits

In the comfort-and-coastal footwear lane, OluKai competes with brands like Reef, Sanuk, Rainbow, Teva, Chaco, Birkenstock, Sperry and Hoka. Its differentiator is the blend it refuses to trade off: premium comfort engineering, water-ready durability, and an audited commitment to Hawaiian culture and sustainability. The chart below is an illustrative read on how the brand indexes across the attributes it competes on.

Comfort / support

High

Water readiness

High

Sustainability

83.6

Cultural roots

Core

Premium price tier

Yes

Bars are an illustrative editorial summary of OluKai's competitive positioning, not audited scores (except the 83.6 B Impact Assessment result).

How it works

Business model & the giveback

The model

Direct-to-consumer via olukai.com plus wholesale partners.
Owned retail - six stores in Hawaii and a growing mainland footprint.
Premium tier pricing on comfort-engineered footwear.
Parent: Archipelago Companies, alongside Roark, melin and Kaenon.

Giving back, by design

A portion of every OluKai sold flows into the 'Ohana Giveback Program and the Ama OluKai Foundation, a 501(c)(3) established to formalize the brand's cultural work in Hawaii - from supporting the Hokulea voyaging canoe to preserving local traditions. As a Certified B Corporation, OluKai also works to cut waste water and hazardous substances and to build shoes that last longer.

Milestones

The road so far

2005

OluKai is founded

Footwear veterans set out to build a premium sandal wearable from the beach to dinner, naming it from the Hawaiian words for comfort and ocean.

2010

Debt financing raised

The company secures roughly $3.2M in debt financing to fund growth.

2014

Ama OluKai Foundation

OluKai formalizes its giveback with a 501(c)(3) dedicated to preserving Hawaiian culture and community.

2018

Recognized for the flip-flop reinvention

Forbes profiles the founders for turning the flip-flop into a premium, sustainable product.

2024

First mainland store

OluKai opens its first storefront outside Hawaii - a ~1,600 sq ft space designed like a Hawaiian canoe house - at the Irvine Spectrum Center.

2025

SPAM collab & Forbes feature

A limited-edition SPAM collaboration lands, and the brand is spotlighted for embodying Aloha across its community efforts.

In good company

Partnerships & collaborations

Hokulea / PVS

Long-running support of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, including a sailcloth footwear collection and title sponsorship of a documentary on Hokulea's worldwide voyage.

SPAM Brand

A limited-edition footwear collaboration inspired by Hawaii's most iconic snack.

Archipelago Companies

Parent company providing capital and operations alongside sister brands Roark, melin and Kaenon.

Good to know

Frequently asked

What does the name OluKai mean?

It combines two Hawaiian words: olu (comfort) and kai (ocean) - roughly, "comfortable ocean."

What does OluKai make?

Premium footwear for men and women - sandals, water-ready sneakers, slippers, mules, boots and golf shoes - designed for comfort and an active, ocean-oriented lifestyle.

Is OluKai a sustainable / B Corp company?

Yes. OluKai is a Certified B Corporation with a B Impact Assessment score of 83.6, and it works to reduce waste water and hazardous substances while building longer-lasting products.

Where is OluKai located?

It is headquartered in Irvine, California, with six retail stores in Hawaii and its first mainland store at the Irvine Spectrum Center.

How does OluKai give back?

Through its 'Ohana Giveback Program and the Ama OluKai Foundation, a 501(c)(3), a portion of every sale supports efforts to preserve Hawaiian culture and communities, including the Hokulea voyaging canoe.

Connect

Website, social & press

Websiteolukai.com LinkedIn/company/olukai Twitter / X@OluKai Instagram@olukai Facebook/olukai ParentArchipelago Companies B Corp Profilebcorporation.net PressForbes: Embodying Aloha

Profile compiled from public sources including OluKai, Forbes, B Lab, SGB Media, Retail Dive and Archipelago Companies. Figures such as revenue are approximate estimates.