Ethical and sustainable slippers from Baabuk are now available at Goodness, as the label celebrates its 10th anniversary
 


 
Romanian-born German Dan and Swiss wife Galina are living a remarkable journey. Their dream of global living is being realized through a humble slipper, hand-crafted in Nepal from New Zealand wool.

Their quest for an ethical, sustainable business that would enable them to travel the world began with a YouTube tutorial. Working on the kitchen table and bathroom sink they developed the first felted Baabuk slipper and they never looked back.

Today, Baabuk, marking its 10th anniversary, boasts retailers around the globe and a product range including sneakers as well as their original slipper. Their own Nepalese factory provides fair employment to 30 locals. And the business’s commitment to ethics and sustainability has won it B Corp certification.

Currently living in Wellington, the family’s learning experience goes beyond business, allowing their children, Lara and Alice, to absorb diverse cultures, not from books, but from lived experiences. Galina adds, ‘We wanted to show them the world … to experience things with their own mind and body.’

Their journey continues to attract partners and collaborators. For Dan, their business operates like dating: creating affinities through meetings, without grand plans or pressures. He’s a believer that if you love what you do, you never work a day.

With Baabuk, in merging work with pleasure, they’re living their dream, one slipper at a time.

In New Zealand, Baabuk is available at Goodness, and will be in other stores throughout the country by next winter.