Have These Shoes Already Won Summer?
Whisper it, but we’re thinking this shoe, a collaboration between Japanese prep icon Beams and American gorp lord Uneek, might just be the shoe of the summer. It’s a bold claim, considering it’s barely a shoe, really, but hear us out.
In this is a golden age of footwear, this halcyon epoch that allows cowboy boots, bondage sandals, trail-runners and brutalist loafers to live in harmony, there must be room for a woven sandal/shoe thing that you can wear in a river, right?
Predominantly, Keen has been making variations on the theme of “comfortable adventure shoe” since 2003, and after almost two decades of R&D, the product range is broad – everything from leather hiking boots to flip flops. But the star of the show is the Uneek, a kind of loosely woven trainer that is at once lightweight, breathable and, to be honest with you, extremely vibey. Beyond the obvious outdoor appeal, the Uneek has a kind of terrace-culture vibe, too. Like you could wear them to QPR away and it would be fine. It’s why Keen is stocked at Cotswold Outdoor and Oi Polloi; it appeals to footy lads and fell-runners alike.
Thankfully, akin to American bottle-maker Nalgene, Keen recognises its position in the hypey garm spectrum and collaborates accordingly, which is how we’ve been blessed with this Beams edition, as well as a further partnerships with United Arrows and Journal Standard.
Perhaps most fit-checkingly of all, Keen recently unveiled a partnership with Jerry Garcia (of the Grateful Dead) which features an insane, tie-dye-printed pair of its Yogui slides. How these haven't already broken the menswear internet, it's impossible to say.
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