OluKai x Hawaiian Lifeguard Association: On Guard

The partnership

OluKai has supported the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association for 14 years and produces a full line of HLA footwear. Hawaii's 700+ lifeguards protect some of the most dangerous waters on the planet, along with the culture and etiquette of Hawaii. Every guard receives 3 pairs of shoes a year.

My role

With a $50K budget, I turned the annual gifting of 2,100+ pairs of shoes into 10 district pau hana dinners where I handed every guard their shoes in person. I photographed each guard for a poster showing the scale of the organization, gifted it with a signed thank-you card, and launched "On Guard," a YouTube series profiling lifeguards as heroes.

Results

• 700+ guards thanked in person across 10 dinners
• 2,100+ shoes donated
• "On Guard" launched in 2025, with 144K views across its first 10 episodes
• Top episode (Luke Shepardson) reached 43K views
• Hired 7 photographers and created a standard backdrop to shoot all of the guards for the poster