Dallas shoe enterprise Hari Mari cobbles out distinctive area of interest

Jeremy and Lila Stewart said they knew they wanted a new career path that would encompass helping children after returning from Indonesia. Jeremy had produced a documentary there about the effects of malnutrition on children in Southeast Asia, and Lila spent her time helping children in orphanages. However, they wanted to start a business, not a nonprofit.

“We ultimately decided that the flip-flop market was stagnant,” Lila said. “The brands that have been around for decades were resting on their laurels, and we felt it was ripe for disruption.”

In 2011, the couple launched their footwear company Hari Mari from their home in Lakewood. They included in their business model that 1% of every sale is donated to help children fight cancer. Hari Mari has since partnered with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The Stewarts said they felt the industry needed improvements for being comfortable, and they point to a specific part of their flip-flops as a comfort cornerstone.

“When we first started the business, we hired an engineer who designed a memory foam-encased toe piece … that we patented,” Jeremy said. “It gently holds your toes and mitigates any irritation.”

Another void the Stewarts said they saw pertained to marketing.

“All our competitors are steeped in the surf culture,” Jeremy said. “We’ve never been on surfboards. … In the city of Dallas, where we don’t have the ability to surf, like so many other cities and states across the U.S., we felt like that was a disconnect.”

Over time, the business has grown exponentially. It sold approximately 5,000 pairs of shoes the first year and will sell around 500,000 this year, including boots and slippers.

“We’ve changed from a flip-flop brand to a footwear company,” Lila said. “We positioned ourselves in the market as a lifestyle brand and didn’t pigeonhole ourselves to surf, [which] allowed us to add all these categories.”

After meeting Jacob Schick, a local veteran who lost his leg while serving in Afghanistan, the Stewarts produced a flip-flop he could wear because Schick said he missed wearing them. That gesture grew into launching Freedom Flops, through which they give veterans sandals made for prosthetic wear at no cost.

“Both of my grandfathers served in [World War II],” Lila said. “Jeremy and I have always been incredibly patriotic. We give them as a thank you for their service.”