Number 33
Source: N33 x COMUNITYmade
We developed this model in collaboration with Nº33 founder Justin Eldridge to bring some flavor to golf and supreme comfort to your game. Great brands bring out the best in each other and we are both committed to building community so – game on!
This is a limited edition model. These are made-to-order and take approximately 2-3 weeks for delivery.
The first 33 customers will receive a special bundle, which includes:
1) One pair of the limited edition Traction LE Golf shoe2) COMUNITYmade X The N°33 Limited Edition Hat3) Custom laser etched collector box
I’ve been ushered into the discussion on sustainability by an array of people in the sneaker industry. It’s not a comfortable conversation and it doesn’t exist at all on the sneakerhead/sneaker culture side of things. Sneaker culture tends to operate in excess and consumption. New drop, more purchasing, more collecting, brands produce more… wash, rinse, repeat. The last two years I’ve realized that this isn’t a good thing. I’ve also learned that footwear favorites like Allbirds, a brand very conscious about promoting their eco-friendly products, removes one of the most important aspects of measuring the carbon footprint from their equation; transportation.
COMUNITYmade is a small brand that I’ve found to be the model of how footwear should be created. While they do have a small amount of product on hand in store, their latest model and their customer service, produces footwear once it’s requested. It’s a model I’ve found to be one of the best options for sustainability in footwear. If the materials are sourced here in the U.S. removing the shipping aspect from Asian countries allows for a smaller carbon footprint by default. More important the brand utilizes local cobblers and shoe makers to build the footwear which contributes to an investment in Community.
The question becomes how does a company like COMUNITYmade scale? Are cities ready to revisit the past and revitalize a footwear production process that caters to job creation in America, or wherever COMUNITYmade lands next? Are Americans patient enough to wait on carefully crafted footwear that isn’t available as soon as you walk in the door? Is anyone ready to take their favorite shoe, that has been worn down over time and needs a new outsole, and send it back to COMUNITYmade to be resoled, which would reduce the number of shoes being made?
COMUNITYmade joined forces with No. 33 to create a shoe that supports a cause and is a better option than golfing shoes made abroad, shipped and warehoused before being shipped again. According to an MIT report (found on the Allbirds site for comparison purposes),
“The product carbon footprint is meant to represent the impact of decisions that are standard to a given product. Transportation is reported separately from product carbon footprints due to variability of emissions based on customer location (transportation to a customer near factory location is much smaller than to a customer overseas). According to a MIT transportation analysis, “long-haul air freight generates 47 times as much emissions per ton-mile as ocean freight”, so we prioritize ocean shipments whenever possible. In 2019, we sent about 80% of shipments by ocean freight and 20% by air.”
This is not a shot at Allbirds, but when the brand is considered the measuring stick for sustainability in footwear a comparison is only natural. An alternative comparison is Nike whose sheer size and production makes any statement on sustainability questionable Nike is a company attempting to reach the 50 Billion dollar mark. The company needs to change its production and supply chain because everything it does is bad for the environment. They can’t be expected to become like COMUNITYmade because their shareholders would explode. Which leads me back to the original question, can Americans overcome their impatience to support companies like COMUNITYmade? Are shareholders willing to take the hit? I don’t think so. The consumer should be the barometer, but I don’t think we’re ready for this conversation and it’s not those of us living today who will have to deal with the consequences. It’s our children who are moving faster towards a world tilting off it’s weather axis. It’s not easy to read and as a person who makes a living off of sneakers, I’m trying my best to do better.
Every little bit matters. If you golf I’m not guilt tripping you into trying the No.33 x COMUNITYmade shoe, but maybe you could consider the brand.
Order your No.33 x COMUNITYmade: