A local idea with real Adriatic character
A young man from Dubrovnik turned an environmental idea into one of the city’s most original design stories. Marijan Žitnik, the local innovator behind Maritimo Recycling, came up with the idea of transforming discarded plastic bottle caps collected from the Adriatic and from households into stylish, wearable sunglasses called Floaties.
What makes the story so appealing is its simplicity. Something most people would see as waste becomes a product with real use, strong visual identity and a clear connection to Dubrovnik and the sea. In a city so deeply shaped by the Adriatic, the idea feels both contemporary and completely natural.
From waste to something people actually want to wear
There is something especially satisfying about products that completely change the way you look at ordinary things. Floaties do exactly that.
Plastic bottle caps are small, light and easy to ignore, yet they are also among the pieces of waste most commonly found in the marine environment. Marijan Žitnik saw not only the problem, but also the possibility. Instead of treating those caps as the end of a story, he turned them into the beginning of something new.
Each pair of Floaties is made from ten plastic bottle caps, which gives the product one of those rare details that people instantly remember. It is visual, direct and surprisingly effective. What was once rubbish becomes something useful, durable and good-looking.
One of those Dubrovnik ideas that just makes sense
Some products could be made anywhere. This one feels as though it could only really come from Dubrovnik.
The sea is not a backdrop here. It shapes the city’s rhythm, its image and everyday life. That is what makes Floaties feel so grounded in place. They are not simply inspired by the coast or designed to look “Mediterranean”. They are materially linked to the Adriatic itself, which gives them a stronger story than most objects sold as local design.
That is also why they stand out among the many things visitors can buy. Floaties do not rely on nostalgia or cliché. They feel current, smart and genuinely connected to the place they come from.
Designed for the coast
The product itself has another detail that makes it easy to like: Floaties float.
Like the bottle caps they are made from, the sunglasses stay on the surface of the water, which makes them all the more fitting for a city like Dubrovnik. They are made for the coast not only in story, but in use.
They are also practical in the way a good summer product should be — light, distinctive and easy to imagine on the beach, on a boat or during a long day outdoors. That balance between concept and function is part of what makes them work so well. They are not interesting only because of what they are made from, but because they are something people can actually picture themselves wearing.
More than a clever concept
What makes this story better than a standard sustainability feature is that it does not stop at the idea. Marijan Žitnik did not simply come up with something catchy. He developed it, shaped it and turned it into a finished product with a recognisable identity.
That matters. Plenty of ideas sound good in theory. Far fewer become something real, usable and memorable. Floaties belong to that smaller group.
They also sit within a wider Dubrovnik story about the sea, waste, reuse and the growing need to think differently about what gets thrown away. But the strength of Floaties is that they never feel heavy-handed. The message is there, yet the product is strong enough to carry the story without forcing it.
A product with personality
Part of the charm of Floaties is that they do not feel anonymous. They have personality, and so does the story behind them.
There is something refreshing about seeing a product from Dubrovnik that is not based on the expected visual language of postcards, stones or old walls. Instead, this is a story about invention, material and a new way of looking at something familiar. It is local, but not predictable. Sustainable, but not self-important. Stylish, but still rooted in a real idea.
That combination is rare, which is why the story stays with you.
A Dubrovnik story worth noticing
In the end, Floaties are much more than sunglasses. They are one of those ideas that make a city feel inventive.
Marijan Žitnik created something that is simple, smart and unmistakably tied to Dubrovnik. He took one of the most ordinary forms of waste and turned it into a product people genuinely want to wear. And in doing so, he created a story that feels modern, local and surprisingly elegant all at once.
For a city that is so often defined by its past, that may be one of the nicest things about Floaties. They are a Dubrovnik story that feels entirely of the present.
