Source: Men’s Seaton Slip-On
This week I’m going to create a LinkedIn video chat with the team at COMUNITYmade. In the last few years, the brand has become a favorite of mine. I own two pair. I know, compared to how many pair of kicks Jordan Brand fans buy each year, this is pretty much nothing… on the surface, but reality isn’t always what it seems. COMUNITYmade sneakers are handmade in Downtown Los Angeles. When I got a tear in my tongue, I was able to contact the company and they supplied a return label. Because the shoes are made here in the U.S., they were able to repair the shoes and they also cleaned them to look like new. The shoe was designed through their STUDIOmade program so there isn’t another pair like it. Was this expensive? Yes. Did the cost equate to the price of three pair of Jordan 1s? Yep. Was it worth it? Damn right.
My second pair from COMUNITYmade was the Sky Westsider. The shoe cost the same as a Yeezy. The materials are better and the simple shoe has been a go to for me from daily work to date night with my daughter and wife. I’ve been preparing another custom, The Molino, as my next pair, in a custom color and I may create a limited run and purchase them to make my own colorway available to people who might want to wear the kicks. That’s another story. I visited the site and saw a new design from the team. The latest model is named the SEATON Slip-On. Los Angeles is a town by the ocean, so the name is spot on, but the timing couldn’t be better for the rest of the country.
As the country slides into Fall and jacket/hoodie season, it’s never quite hot enough or cold enough so a pair of slides becomes a great go to option. With the expected quality, you may retire these before the Winter arrives, but in L.A. and my old stomping grounds of San Diego, they can be worn year around. All of this is obviously good info, but the reason I’m writing this post is because the Seaton is the first shoe to use Blumaka.
A couple of years ago I was invited to St. Louis with a group of scientists who have all been working on sustainability problems. I was the sneaker guy in the room. I had just been introduced to the many issues with sneaker manufacturing at the Footwear Innovation Summit. Major brands have begun initiatives to offset carbon emissions and create programs to make more sustainable shoes. Most of the shoes sold around the world are imported and made in factories that have considerable eco problems. This means the creation and shipping of the shoe often negates any of the programs created. This includes Nike’s Move to Zero, adidas’ use of Parlay and 4D and many of the sneakers made with “vegan” leather. The scientist and I were flown to St. Louis to look at shoe that was going to be made with a proprietary blend for a foam that is 85% recycled. That’s a huge number. When you consider Nike’s Move to Zero states that up to 20% of the shoe uses recycled materials, you get the picture.
The Seaton may be the most sustainable shoe on the market. Here is why:
- The shoe isn’t made until you order it. This means no shipping or warehousing. This fact alone makes the shoe more eco-friendly than any shoe imported.
- The materials are all sourced in Los Angeles. The cobbler building your shoe could ride a bike or use scraps to build your Seaton.
- Blumaka gives COMUNITYmade an insole that won’t sit in landfills for years.
I have a host of questions about the new shoe and Blumaka, so I’m going to set up a call with the team to discuss this in detail. If you have any questions you’d like to ask, shoot them to me and I’ll add them to the mix. The call will be 10-15 minutes long and I’ll list the date soon.