Source: Men’s Trainer AD 1 Collection | LANE EIGHT
Less is more, but opportunity shouldn’t be hindered by what’s already in existence should it? The world has enough sneakers available. Is a new company needed? These are the questions I ask as every day introduces me to a new sneaker company. I realize that sneakers, like almost everything created, have an impact on the ecology of the planet. By that account the company producing the most shoes is the biggest culprit of damage to the environment, right? Is it fair to look at startups and question those companies about creating more potential product?
No.
Every company offers an opportunity to learn and do things better. Smaller companies are now launching with a better understanding of how their ventures shape society. As these newer companies begin selling, their existence pushes bigger brands to account for how they are creating product. When a new small company rolls out and captures a tiny segment, if this happens enough, bigger companies feel threatened and they take on the qualities of the smaller company.
adidas has been consistently focused on creating a better shoe. The brand is one of the few to truly come up with a more sustainable option for footwear with their circular End of Life concept launching in 2021. Nike is working on their Grind and has been accepting old shoes in their stores with their Reuse a Shoe program. Just last month Allbirds introduced a training shoe that was built with sustainability in mind, but each of these programs (except adidas) aren’t really fully recyclable products. Neither is Lane-Eight, but the idea that this training shoe has rolled out an entire product line with sustainability at the heart of the launch is commendable. Last year I took the time to visit the BLOOM facility and learn about the process of making footwear foam with Algae:
TSR Ep. 8 | Part 1: Algix & Bloom Foam with CTO/Co-Founder Ryan W Hunt
Lane-Eight launched straight out of the gate with BLOOM and it’s one of the more responsible launches I’ve seen. The idea that the brand made this decision immediately moves me to my original point that there may be enough sneaker companies out there, but innovation and a willingness to incorporate better production methods into the supply chain by smaller, newer companies is needed. More important, sneaker media has to be willing to share the stories of brands moving beyond simply making a cool product with a cool narrative. Lane-Eight is producing footwear, at under 100 a pair, from an EVA and cushioning material that cleans the water, and then building an upper with Vegan leather while also making one of the best looking products in training. I usually hear about this type of company right away. The fact that it took this long for me to discover Lane-Eight means that I ran into them right when I was supposed to share. Click on any of these pictures in this post to learn more or use the Source link.