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The world calls them “sneakers,” but Minnesotans (at least older folks) call them “tennies.” This is the shortened version of tennis shoes—so called because of their original purpose.
Today, it hardly matters as the brilliant idea for a comfortable, functional, durable—and even washable—shoe has so taken off as to leave Keds brand tennies in the “almost vintage” category, with multiple iterations of the “tennis shoe” strewn in its wake or squirreled away in the closets of avid collectors of “athletic shoes,” now so named as to reflect their specific design for all sorts of sports activities.
Why are we talking about shoes? First, I need to point out that I could do nothing but shoe stories this month and I wouldn’t run out. Not by a mile. In fact, I could make all these stories about producing a more sustainable shoe, and I still wouldn’t run out of examples, which is the reason this topic is appropriate for an advanced textile technology publication.
In order to make a shoe (especially an athletic-type shoe) more sustainable, new materials – ingredients, you coule also say – must be used, and that takes R & D, vision, creativity, design expertise, sourcing know-how and marketing savvy, too. The big names, not surprisingly, have been moving this direction for some time; Nike and adidas are just two of the high-profile brands. But they are not alone.
Small startups are doing some very interesting work, and new ideas about how to make shoes more sustainable pop up in my inbox regularly. Our feature, “A new world in sustainable footwear” by Debra Cobb, will give you a good sense of how varied this growing market is. Marie O’Mahony’s article, “The challenge of making sustainable footwear,” could be titled “Sustainable footwear, Part II.” There’s plenty to talk about on this topic, and I’m quite sure there are more breakthroughs on the way.
It’s also interesting to note that shoe startups are launching in many places around the world. You’ll find some of those companies in new articles typically posted under “Eco Note” and “What’s New.” Some are designed for a very specific activity, such as climbing; others are meant to be “cross trainers,” suited to multiple activities.
But we all know “athletic shoes” are hardly just for athletic activities. I recent news story noted that the U.S. Congress now has a “sneaker caucus.” I assume it has little or nothing to do with specific legislation, but, as it has members from both sides of the aisle, it might help bring differeing opinions together. At least they all agree that sneakers are appropriate footwear even with suits on the Senate and House floors.
So, it would be amazing if the only shoes left to buy in this market were truly and fully sustainable. It could happen, and, as sneakers become increasingly ubiquitous, “tennies” will become such valuable collector items that they will never be thrown away.
Janet Preus is senior editor of Textile Technology Source. She can be reached at janet.preus@textiles.org.