Close Search Input
At the beginning of May, we ventured out to the Westside to shoot our campaign for F/W 2018! Take a sneaky peek at the behind the scenes below…
If you are a regular reader of the Blowfish Malibu Journal, you know we love bringing you behind the scenes of our campaign photoshoots. (If you haven’t read them yet, check them out here!) Photoshoots are never easy; they involve a lot of effort, both physically and emotionally. Especially large campaign shoots like this one. Over the course of two days, our team ran all around Los Angeles getting everything together; doing it all from working with outside vendors, sorting out catering, styling models, and running across town to pick up permits at the (literal) the last minute.
This time around, we crossed our fingers that the weather would hold out, as a couple of days prior to the shoot, we dealt with rain storms and cloud cover. Seriously, just two days before the shoot, it was pouring at our headquarters in Culver City! Ultimately, we had perfect weather, fabulous locations and great people on set who made everything run smoothly. That being said, we still have plenty of time to have fun and enjoy the creative experience. Come on, who wouldn’t want to spend two days at the beach in the middle of the work week!?
We sat down with the resident Art Director at Blowfish Malibu, Nikol Drapeau, and asked her a couple of questions about prepping for the shoot. The biggest challenge for Nikol and her team? “The biggest challenge that we regularly face with photoshoots is trying to pair the shoes with outfits so we’re not cross-shooting the shoes for the same customer,” she says. “When we’re planning the shoes with outfits, they have to be different so the customer receives a variety of images.”
The customer in question? You(!) via our retailers. We sell directly to retail accounts like Amazon and Journeys so our team has to be aware of each individual account, as well as the customers (you again!) who shop with each of them. Everything we choose from the locations, to the models, to the styling, are selected with these specific retailers (ultimately you!) in mind.
Another challenge? “It can be hard to stay consistent with the theme. For example, we shot at El Matador State Beach and there’s only so many ways you can shoot there without it looking the same. It takes a team of creative people to come up with concepts that are different enough to keep the shots fresh and relevant.”
Despite all that, the biggest reward of photoshoots makes perfect sense. Nikol says: “The best part of all of this is getting to see the final images, once they come back to us from the photographer and his team. I always love that day that I get to go through all of them and see all of our hard work come into fruition!” Thanks for talking with us, Nikol!
Overall, the two-day shoot went perfectly and we’re so excited to see and share with you the finished product!
Insider tip: Keep an eye out for lots of shades of purples (specifically orchid!) as this color is going to be big for Fall/Winter. We’re bringing out some fresh prints for our sneakers, which are all designed in-house by our design team. Also, we’re bringing back a classic all time fave! (But you’ll have to stay tuned to find out what style that is…)
Throughout the course of the shoots, we took a TON of behind the scenes footage, so enjoy our little sneak peek into what is coming in the near future! Enjoy, and if you have any questions about to creative process or questions for Nikol and the team, don’t hesitate to reach out and ask!
Follow Blowfish Malibu on Instagram!
For this installment of Malibu Mondays, we accompanied world traveler and NYC blogger, Jackie, of @getlostwithjackie on her day in Malibu.
We are always excited to see where in the world you are wearing your Blowfish Malibu shoes. We love seeing photos of you all rockin’ your fave styles all over the globe. @getlostwithjackie is one of our favorite travel bloggers and Instagram accounts, so we were beyond thrilled to see where she would be taking her Blowfish Malibu shoes next.
My friends at Blowfish Shoes sent me a few pairs of shoes for my upcoming trips. My adventures started in LA so it felt fitting to break in my new kicks in Blowfish’s hometown of Malibu.
Malibu is famous for its beautiful beaches, big homes and upscale zip-code. While the lifestyle of the rich and famous is always intriguing, I wanted to find a more laid-back vibe with my Blowfish shoes. I did just that when I stumbled upon the popular El Matador Beach State Park.
There were a few picnic tables a short walk from the unpaved, parking lot. The no-frills locale was right up my alley and the perfect spot to stop and take some photos! I started the day wearing my favorite Blowfish Granola sandals in the beautiful hues of nude-steel and grey dye-cut.
These are my second pair of Blowfish Granola sandals (they come in heaps of colors!). My first pair has successfully made it with me to SEVEN countries! These are my favorite sandals because they are fashionable, yet super comfy. I can walk miles in them without feeling any pain!
While my pose in the photo above may say “cool, calm, collective,” I was actually a bit freaked out. The heights of the cliffs overlooking El Matador Beach were crazy! I love the glimmer of the nude-steel color of the Blowfish Granola sandals shining pretty in the California sunshine.
I was actually a little surprised by how chilly it was! Maybe it was the ocean breeze or perhaps my bones were still chilled from the rough New York winter.
If you know me, you know I have a thing for rose gold, so it was only appropriate that I slid my feet into the Blowfish Play Sneakers that come in a beautiful hue of rose gold! I love these sneaks because they’re perfect for travel. Who wants to deal with laces before you head out?! Just slip your foot in and go!
It was hard not to admire my own shoes! El Matador beach was the perfect backdrop for a ‘shoe-fie’ (a shoe-selfie LOL).
Even this little seagull came to check out my Blowfish shoes when he heard, “rose gold sneakers.”
Just south of El Matador are a few vistas where you can stop to see the beautiful views of Malibu. From the beaches to the homes to the palm trees – the whole area is as pretty as a picture! The perfect place to end my Malibu explorations for the day.
If you’re lucky like I was, you’ll get a perfect Pacific Coast gust of wind to blow your hair beautifully for the perfect photo-op.
Thanks for letting us tag along, Jackie! We’ll catch up with you soon.
Shop Jackie’s shoes here: the Granola-B sandal and the Play sneaker.
Follow @getlostwithjackie on Instagram.
