Source: http://oth-paris.com/en/
If you take a moment to look through the category on this site named Dope S–t I Like, you’ll find about 16 pages with about 18 posts per page. That’s about 288 posts on things that I think are exciting projects. A number of those posts are on new sneaker companies. I began compiling this list because ARCH is the name of my sneaker company. It’s the second sneaker company I’ve owned. Both encountered so many difficulties that when I began shifting the purpose of ARCH, although I don’t have as many readers as the bigger sites, I was going to give everyone a voice. I’ve written about brands and they probably had no idea I wrote about them. I’ve written about brands that larger sites haven’t probably heard of, but it was important to give those brands a bit of story to create a backlink on Google for search.
No one (which ironically is the name of one of these new brands) wrote about ARCH outside of a couple of fashion blogs. It didn’t matter that I checked all of the boxes on a great story, I didn’t get any coverage.
Here is the Dope Category: https://arch-usa.com/category/dope-s-t-i-like/
I’ve run a successful Kickstarter campaign so I’m still on the list for notifications when new products are launching in my category. I got an e-mail from OTH a few days ago. The brand name stands for “Off the Hook”, a name, based in Paris, that means:
Off The Hook is a sneaker brand born to fulfil our aspiration to escape from daily life, to let go, to go where others don’t, while taking care of the world around us.
Off The Hook is having a free hand.
Off The Hook is having a break and taking a deep breath.
Off The Hook is walking at your own pace and cultivating your singularity.
Off The Hook is going beyond, in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary.
Off The Hook is consenting to getting lost sometimes, to eventually find yourself.
The style of shoe that is being created by OTH is a familiar model. The obvious correlation is the Stan Smith. This simple, clean, lifestyle model is at the root of every brand that has come on the scene in the last few years. It is also a staple of brands who are high end. Common Projects, Golden Goose, No.One, Sully Wong, Coloquy, Clae, all have a similar model. What makes OTH different?
The brand is launching with a shoe outsole created from tires. “Following a close collaboration between recycling and sole manufactures, and a lot of will power, we achieve to offer this unique sole. After months of development and testing, we finalized a perfect mix of sole in natural rubber and recycled tyre; as a result, you get a unique sole, with a unique pattern. “
This subtle detail allows a really nice distinction between all of the low cut casual athletic styles available on the market. The first model will be launching via Kickstarter. On the heel of the first shoe released will be coordinates that will take you to a hidden beach in the Landes. It’s an interesting strategy for the brand. Recently another new shoe company, Clearweather, used Kickstarter but failed to reach their goal. Most companies approach Kickstarter in the same way I did when I fell short. It will be interesting to see where OTH goes with their project.
The Kickstarter Has Launched If You’re Interested In Supporting This Project.
Update 2/24/19
OTH ran a successful Kickstarter and is continuing to create and reinvent used or unused tires in the production of their new sneakers. I have yet to try the brand, but I’m working on a new series and I’ll be trying a lot of new sneakers this year. In the meantime here is an update on the brand’s latest shoe:
Our objective is to offer you a brand that is increasingly rooted in sustainability and recycling, and we are constantly working on new ideas and new materials.This desire to go ever further in recycling has inspired a new design. This speckled sole presented on the black leather model is made from soles that do not pass quality controls at the factory. This way, nothing is lost!The defective soles are crushed and incorporated into the white natural rubber. It is not necessary anymore to sacrifice style for ethics.