Many of you have asked for a Seaside model with a cream-colored upper material, as well as more shoe models made from Banbū Leather™, which was also used in the popular Original Bamboo Limited Edition. So we combined these wishes and developed the Seaside Bamboo in the Oat color.
Seaside Bamboo features the highest proportion of biodegradable materials we have ever offered. Both the vegan leather for the straps and the sole material are 100% biodegradable. The cream-white upper material is made from Banbū Leather™ – a new generation of vegan leather made from bamboo fibers. The outsole is made from Pilant™, an innovative 100% plastic-free material made from natural rubber, plant, and mineral pigments. Seaside Bamboo retains the popular cork insole that we already use for most color variants of our existing Seaside models.
What is Banbū Leather™?
Banbū Leather™ was developed by von Holzhausen to create a vegan leather that competes quality-wise with animal leather. The criteria by which von Holzhausen develops its materials are: 100% vegan and free from animal testing, non-toxic, ethically produced, low carbon emissions, and minimal waste production.
The Banbū Leather™ used for our Limited Editions is distinguished by its high plant content of 83%. Compared to conventional leather, the production of Banbū Leather™ results in five times lower carbon emissions. This vegan leather is not only environmentally friendly, but also extremely functional: it is stain-resistant, water-repellent, and scratch-resistant. Furthermore, it weighs only one-third the weight of genuine leather, making it the perfect choice for our barefoot shoes, which are designed for lightness and comfort.
What is Pilant™?
Pilant™ was developed by NFW to create a sole material completely free of plastics and therefore can be recycled back into the biological cycle to protect the planet. Pilant™ is USDA-certified 100% bio-based. As the main component of this sole material, NFW uses sap from rubber trees from FSC-certified, responsibly managed forests. This is then processed into soles using additional natural materials and a patented curing process.
Seaside Bamboo vs. Seaside Luxe: What's the difference?
Visually, our Seaside Bamboo Limited Edition is very similar to our Seaside Luxe model. However, by using particularly sustainable materials for the sole and straps, there are some differences. The Banbū Leather™ of the straps offers a particularly pleasant and high-quality feel and is truly butter-soft and super flexible. The "Oat" color is exclusive to Seaside Bamboo and is not available as a Seaside Luxe variant. The Pilant™ sole also stands out with its particularly sustainable properties and differs in its light color, different tread pattern, and especially in its thickness from Seaside Luxe. Seaside Bamboo remains super flexible, but at 8.5 mm sole thickness is slightly thicker than our other 7 mm thin Seaside models. Seaside Bamboo is therefore also ideal for those who want a bit more cushioning for our Seaside sandals.
Finding your size made easy
Seaside Bamboo fits true to size. If you already own a pair of Seaside Twill or Luxe, we recommend choosing the same size for Seaside Bamboo, as the sole has identical proportions.
With sandals, it's important that there is not too much space in front of the toes to avoid frequent tripping. Therefore, we have made the soles of our Seaside models slightly shorter than the soles of our closed shoe models. For this reason, we recommend choosing the same size for Seaside that you normally wear in other Feelgrounds shoes. You can find the exact measurements for sole length and width of the Seaside models on the product pages or on our dedicated size finder page, including our printable size guide PDF.
However, the right size for your Seaside sandals depends not only on the length and width of your foot, but also on its volume. Seaside Bamboo offers a similar fit to Seaside Luxe and sits slightly looser compared to Seaside Twill. Therefore, Seaside Bamboo is particularly suitable for medium arch volumes. The straps of all Seaside models have an elastic band on the inside of the arch to ensure a good fit for a variety of foot shapes. For flatter arch heights, however, we recommend Seaside Twill instead.
Customers who are between two sizes should choose their size based on their foot volume. With higher foot volume, the larger size should be chosen, while with lower foot volume, the smaller size is the better choice.
With sandals, it's important that there is not too much space in front of the toes to avoid frequent tripping. Therefore, we have made the soles of our Seaside models slightly shorter than the soles of our closed shoe models. For this reason, we recommend choosing the same size for Seaside that you normally wear in other Feelgrounds shoes. You can find the exact measurements for sole length and width of the Seaside models on the product pages or on our dedicated size finder page, including our printable size guide PDF.
However, the right size for your Seaside sandals depends not only on the length and width of your foot, but also on its volume. Seaside Bamboo offers a similar fit to Seaside Luxe and sits slightly looser compared to Seaside Twill. Therefore, Seaside Bamboo is particularly suitable for medium arch volumes. The straps of all Seaside models have an elastic band on the inside of the arch to ensure a good fit for a variety of foot shapes. For flatter arch heights, however, we recommend Seaside Twill instead.
Customers who are between two sizes should choose their size based on their foot volume. With higher foot volume, the larger size should be chosen, while with lower foot volume, the smaller size is the better choice.