The inimitable Gerry Lopez with his signature shoe. Photos: Cariuma
In the world of surfing, there aren’t too many people who stand shoulder to shoulder with Gerry Lopez. He’s a living legend, a man who quietly, humbly, and confidently shot to that legend status by surfing waves extraordinarily well. It’s not just his surfing, though, or his exploration of Indonesia and mastery of Pipeline. It’s also his general presence. And today, the news dropped that he’s made the foray into shoe design with a company called Cariuma.
His influence on surfing is almost beyond comparison. One of the first to master the Banzai Pipeline, Lopez’s style and casual approach to one of the most dangerous waves on earth struck a chord, and continues to do so today. Years spent searching for – and finding– perfect waves opened up the public’s eyes to whole new horizons. And yet, through all of it, his easy smile and quiet cadence remained the same.
Cariuma’s been picking up steam in the shoe world lately. The brand has amassed a pretty astonishing team of ambassadors that includes Gerry Lopez, Kai Lenny, Jamie O’Brien, Italo Ferreira, Kelia Moniz, Alana Blanchard, and Jack Freestone. Its athletes are Olympic medalists now — Italo, of course, but also skateboarders Kelvin Hoefler and Jagger Eaton, to name a few.
The Cariuma-Gerry Lopez collaboration has been a long time in the making. It’s the first collaboration Cariuma has done, although it’s not the first one for Lopez. It’s a good matchup, considering the brand’s environmental slant and Lopez’s dedication to the environment. “Gerry Lopez is a king within the Sport of Kings,” Cariuma explained. “Considered by many to be the most iconic surfer to ever live. Gerry’s poetic tube-riding is the stuff of lore; he’s a master yogi, lifelong meditation practitioner, and dedicated environmentalist.”
For his part, Lopez is thrilled to partner with the brand. “I think as we humans grow older, our awareness and appreciation for our surroundings/our world increases,” he said. “We want to leave the planet for our children in at least as good of shape as we have enjoyed it. The importance of working with companies who make strong efforts to create products in a sustainable manner as well as raise awareness of our increasing environmental crisis is paramount. Cariuma is a business that uses its successes to do the right thing in this regard. The more we can embrace this philosophy, the better our future looks. Living with Aloha is our responsibility. Just like people, our world has feelings too so thoughtfulness and respect for those feelings should be a big part of our mission statement in life.In my mind, my Cariuma shoe symbolizes these, our responsibilities to our world and our planet to leave it a better place for those who follow.”
Find Gerry’s line of shoes on Cariuma.com.
