Episode #24: Army Ranger Matthew "Griff" Griffin is the Founder of Combat Flip Flops

Combat Flip Flops creates peaceful, forward-thinking opportunities for self-determined entrepreneurs affected by conflict.  Our willingness to take bold risks, community connection, and distinct designs communicate, “Business, Not Bullets”–flipping the view on how wars are won. Through persistence, respect, and creativity, we empower the mindful consumer to manufacture peace through trade.

An Army Ranger walks into a boot factory. That’s how it started. After serving multiple deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, Army Rangers Matthew “Griff” Griffin and Donald Lee knew they wanted to do more for the people living in these nations. The idea was simple: create an environment that gives people living in post-conflict nations the opportunity to peacefully rebuild their economy by manufacturing badass products. We knew we should, we knew we could– so we did. 
After multiple production runs, stops and starts, community support and a refusal to accept defeat, we’ve turned the corner. Now a team comprised of two veterans, a former bass player and a few idealists took one idea and transformed it into a globally recognized mission and universally respected brand. 

Unapologetically, we make cool shit in dangerous places. Flip flops were just the start. We’ve taken a product that people in nearly every country on the planet wear, and made it a weapon for change. Right now, all our flip flops are made in Bogota, Columbia, providing jobs and investing in people who desperately need it. We’ve done that with all the products we sell. 

 That’s why our USA made Claymore Bag’s flip the script, on traditional weapons of war. Instead of carrying bombs, these bags act as a carry-all for business tools like iPad’s, laptops and more. Our Cover and Concealment sarongs are handmade in Afghanistan by local women. Each one takes three days to make, and each sale puts an Afghan girl into secondary school for a week. 

The Peacemaker Bangle and Coinwrap are sent to us straight from artisans in Laos – and they’re made from bombs. Each bracelet sold clears 3 square meters of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) from a region rocked by long-term war – saving lives and providing economic opportunity.  We do this because it’s our job to show others what’s possible, then encourage them to join us.