Lokai (company)

Lokai is a New York-based jewelry brand that markets itself as a "socially responsible lifestyle brand." The company currently produces bracelets include materials sourced from known natural landmarks such as Mt. Everest and the Dead Sea.

Lokai
TypePrivate
IndustryJewelry & Lifestyle Goods
Founded2013[1]
FounderSteven Izen
Headquarters
New York, NY
ProductsBracelets
Websitelokai.com

Lokai bracelets carry elements from the highest and lowest points on earth - water from Mt Everest in the white bead, representing the high points in life, and mud from the Dead Sea in the black bead, signifying the difficult moments. These extreme elements provide a daily reminder of balance - to stay humble through those highs, and hopeful through the lows. The company donates 10% of net profits to charitable organizations.

Background

The brand launched in 2013 after Founder & CEO Steven Izen was on vacation with his family and received upsetting news that his grandfather had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The experience of such joy and sadness so close together got him thinking about how important it is to stay balanced through any highs and lows one experiences on life's journey.

The name "Lokai" was inspired by the Hawaiian word "Lōkahi," meaning the blending of opposites.[2]

Lokai.com officially launched in June 2013 with the Classic Lokai and has since grown to include several different product collections, which all serve as a daily reminder of balance. Today, Lokai reaches over 1.5 million followers on Instagram.

Awards & Recognition

The brand was a 2017 New York Winner of Smart CEO's Future 50 Awards.[3]

Steven was a finalist in the 2016 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards,[4] named in the 2017 Forbes 30 under 30 list[5] and is a member of the Make-A-Wish National Board of Directors.[6]

Charity Partnerships

The brand has partnered with a wide variety of charities to produce a collection of different colored bracelets. $1 per bracelet sold is donated back to that specific charity. Since 2013, Lokai has donated over 8 million dollars to charitable organizations.

List of Charity Partners
  • Charity Water[7]
  • WWF[8]
  • Susan G. Komen[9]
  • Save The Children[10]
  • Alzheimer's Association[11]
  • Make-A-Wish[12]
  • Oceana[13]
  • BCRF[14]
  • (RED)[15]
  • NAMI[16]
  • The Nature Conservancy[17]
  • International Rescue Committee
  • National Pediatric Cancer Foundation[18]
  • Autism Speaks[19]
  • Ditch The Label
  • It Gets Better Project
  • Humane Society of the United States
  • Wings For Life
  • Can Do MS

Licenses

The company sells officially licensed products of Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the National Hockey League, the National Football League, Star Wars, and over 100 colleges and universities.

Criticism

It has been questioned whether or not the beads actually contain water from Mt. Everest or mud from the Dead Sea.[20] In response to such criticism, wearers resorted to cutting apart their bracelets to see if there is actually anything inside. Most wearers discovered there was actually some kind of mud and water inside, but some claim to have found just empty beads.[21]

Brand Evolution

In May 2019, the company launched Elements, functional wellness drinks made from adaptogens.[22]

References
  1. "Lokai Holdings LLC: Private Company Information - Bloomberg". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  2. "Steven Izen (AEM '13) Shares His Journey with Lokai: A Continuous Reminder to Balance". Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  3. "Lokai Holdings LLC - 2017 New York SmartCEO Future 50 Award Winner". www.smartceo.com. Retrieved 2017-04-02.
  4. Fluent (24 May 2016). "EY Announces Finalists For The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2016 Award In The New York Region". Fluent, Inc.
  5. "Steven Izen". Forbes.
  6. "Make-A-Wish® America: National Board of Directors". Make-A-Wish® America.
  7. Heyman, Marshall (26 February 2015). "Lokai Bracelets, Now in Blue to Benefit Charity: Water" – via www.wsj.com.
  8. lokai. "lokai Launches Limited-Edition wild lokai To Support World Wildlife Fund". www.prnewswire.com.
  9. lokai. "lokai Announces Official Partnership With Susan G. Komen®". www.prnewswire.com.
  10. "Lokai Announces Partnership with Save the Children, Launches Limited-Edition Red Bracelet to Brighten the Future for Children". Save the Children.
  11. Lokai. "Lokai Announces Strategic Partnership With The Alzheimer's Association®". www.prnewswire.com.
  12. Lokai. "Lokai Creates Limited-Edition Neon Lokai And Joins Forces With Make-A-Wish® And Cam Newton To Make Wishes Come True". www.prnewswire.com.
  13. Lokai. "Lokai Creates Limited-Edition Shark Lokai And Joins Forces With Discovery's Shark Week And Oceana To Help Restore Balance To The World's Oceans". www.prnewswire.com.
  14. Lokai. "Lokai Launches Limited Edition Pink Bracelet In Partnership With Breast Cancer Research Foundation To Support Mission Of Preventing And Curing Breast Cancer". www.prnewswire.com.
  15. Lokai. "Lokai Partners with (RED) to Support the Fight Against AIDS". www.prnewswire.com.
  16. Guerrero, Gustavo. "Balanced Partnership Raises the Scale of Mental Health Awareness | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness". NAMI. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  17. "Lokai". www.nature.org.
  18. Bennett, Jared (23 August 2017). "Lokai - Yellow Launch".
  19. "Lokai Launches Split Blue Bracelet to Benefit Autism Speaks". Autism Speaks.
  20. "Lokai Bracelet Buzz: Do The $18 Bracelets Really Contain Mount Everest Water And Dead Sea Mud?". The Inquisitr News. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  21. Fenol, Jessica (2016-04-07). "Bracelet Claims to Help You Find Your Balance With Water from Mt. Everest and Mud from the Dead Sea". Nature World News. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  22. "Adaptogen". 27 May 2019 – via Wikipedia.
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