Meet shayne Maratea

We had the good fortune of connecting with shayne Maratea and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi shayne, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I think the idea of risk has changed over time. When we started everything was a risk, we were pioneering a small international business as designers, manufacturers, producers and distributors of our own hand made goods. in 2006 there were not many resources for small businesses. We would have an idea and pursue it and find endless dead ends, so out of necessity we essentially designed our business to fit our dreams and visions and lifestyle . In this process of continually coming up with our own way, which included everything from what materials we used to how we shared our goods with the world, we were living in risk. It wasn’t so much a question of whether it would work in the long run, that came further down the road, it was, at that time, how do we get to do what we want to do. We started with no money and a lot of ideas and conviction and some serious work ethic. We were fueled by dreams and the risks were part of achieving them. Our work was our life and that was how we designed it. Now, 18 years later we are here! Now, risks feel much more calculated, not nearly as much fun as they used to be! I feel like it has been a continually process of re-creating ourselves, and change is risk, and one thing we know is that change is here to stay.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
A couple things set us apart, the fact that we conceptualize, design, sample, create, produce and distribute our own handmade goods is rare and something special. We do it all, and we do it in a workshop we built specifically so we could accomplish our vision without compromise. The diversity of creations and our reverence for handmade is something else that sets us apart. The tactile sensation, the feeling, texture, quality, relatability and the undeniable sense of aliveness that comes with handmade is something that you find in our work. Our throughline is our commitment to creation and play and to creating a business and life that allows us and the people working with us to live outside of the box.

We spend a lot of time working on processes. We built a workshop that supports the creative journey from idea to a physical outcome. We built the workshop out of recycled Javanese boat wood and have our creative zones, a photo studio, a garden, and housing for our employees. We work and live with our team (some have been with us for over 15 years), that are motivated, creative and caring, and together we make the ideas come to life.

Good or bad, we have never catered to the outcome, but focused on the process. We believe in sustainability and quality, in a fast paced fashion world, those are sometimes not as valued, but we have never wavered from our commitment to creating quality handmade items with our exceptional team to deliver to our customers.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
ohhhh, LA in the spring is my faorite. The hills are green and the flowers are blooming. I love taking people down neighborhood roads covered in Jackaranda petals. A hike to Griffith Observatory – people and dog watching
Street tacos at one of the many incredible taco trucks
A visit to the The Broad
Highland Park Restaurants – it’s our hood!
Right now the street art scene is incredible – a drive around LA (yes, it’s worth it to be on the road) to check out the street art
And night life… is mood specific, at any given moment you can find anything and everything beyond your wildest dreams.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We would not be where we are without our original Oakland and San Francisco family and the LA community. We were a word of mouth company for over 15 years. Our dedicated family not only supported us but motivated and inspired us. We have had so many opportunities to participate in events because we are surrounded by creative people making good things happen. It has been an experience of blood, sweat, tears, love, joy, hope and massive encouragement!

Website: blamo.store

Instagram: @blamotoys

Facebook: Blamo Toys / Blamo Clothing

Image Credits
Images by Spencer Hansen