2024.04.09
The Pursuit of Originality in KEEN's Hybrid Footwear, UNEEK, Evolution Over 10 Years
Selected across varied scenes from outdoor to urban life, KEEN is an outdoor footwear brand that has been releasing innovative sandals and shoes from its inception, and has also been backed in the fashion scene beyond the outdoors. Among the array of products, this year marks the 10th anniversary of the UNEEK model. We spoke with Seiko Taneda from KEEN Japan GK Insight & Engagement/PR and Yasuhiro Aoki, Merchandising/Product Senior Specialist.
Protecting Toes with Sandals was the Starting Point for KEEN
We would like to learn from the story of how the KEEN brand started. Taneda tells us about the circumstances of the brand's start and the founder's thoughts."KEEN is an outdoor footwear brand that was founded in 2003, with its headquarters in Portland, Oregon, USA. By 'outdoor', we mean everywhere without a ceiling, including not only camping and trekking and outdoor festivals but also life in the city. It is a brand that offers versatile products that hybridize different concepts, such as sandals and shoes, land and water, fashion and practicality."
"The founder is a man named Rory Fuerst, who still serves at the top.
"He started a business to replace worn-out soles on tennis shoes that were still usable on the upper but had to be discarded for wear. This was the start of his business.
"One day, when a friend injured his toe with beach sandals, he came up with the question, 'Couldn't we make sandals that protect our toes?' That led to the invention of the product 'NEWPORT', which became KEEN's first product offering. The exclamation mark on the toe signifies 'toe protection', and this feature will be adopted in various subsequent KEEN products."
Sneakers for the 22nd Century, Born Out of a Rethinking of the Basics
Let's move on to UNEEK, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Aoki will talk about the episodes of development and the various models evolved over the past 10 years."The developer of UNEEK was Rory Fuerst Jr., the son of the founder Rory. He embarked on development with the theme of sneakers for the 22nd century, born out of a rethinking the basics.
"He was using a Blackberry cellphone, and when something sensational like the iPhone, which had never existed before, was introduced – doing away with the keyboard, one of the essential elements of cellphones he had thought to be absolutely necessary – he was inspired. He thought a completely different design approach was needed, rather than an update on traditional shoe-making, and began development.
"Starting from zero with the idea that covering the foot with lines, rather than fabric or leather surfaces, would increase the fit, after repeated attempts and prototyping, he invented the 'Pull-Through construction', in which the upper is made mobile by combining two loops.
"With this method, a cord in the shape of a loop, on the bottom, is passed through another cord under the footbed. There was no need for glue in this section, resulting in a unique product worldwide that also contributed to reducing the amount of adhesive."
The Unprecedented Shoe is Completed: The Open Air Sneaker UNEEK
We have been hearing about the development process so far, but let's delve deeper into the completed UNEEK."Three and a half years after development, the first UNEEK model was released. This UNEEK subtly takes cues from the NEWPORT, which was first made by Rory Sr. Its features, such as a one-touch bungee cord system and a rib-like form that fits any foot shape, are taken over as common technology.
"This led to the 'invention' in 2014 of the 'Open Air Sneaker' which hybridized the comfort of a sandal with the feel of sneaker soles, later going on to become a representative item for KEEN."
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