We’re gonna switch things up a bit today as we bring you a look at something different with this upcoming atmos x Cole Haan collaboration. Ten years ago, Cole Haan disrupted the office dress code by combining the sophistication of a dress shoe with the presence of a sneaker. atmos, an authority in sneaker culture after 20+ years of footwear collaborations, pays homage to the origins of the ØriginalGrand – which has been the go-to silhouette for sneakerheads headed to anything from a business meeting to a wedding.
“Throughout its history, Cole Haan has defied convention as much as our customers,” notes David Maddocks, Brand President, Cole Haan. “When we launched the ØriginalGrand, we started a revolution in the footwear industry by boldly reimagining dress footwear. We are honored to celebrate and, once again, reimagine this product in our limited-edition collaboration with atmos. The latest new styles deliver an alchemy of Cole Haan’s superior performance with atmos’ forward-thinking design.”
This two colorway pack marries left brain and right brain thinking – the atmos x Cole Haan collaboration arrives in 2 renditions, one more heritage and one wild style. “Instinct” features a leather upper in a multi-animal print, atop an atmos Blue rubber outsole. Other details include an embossed atmos-branded heel hit, and an additional pack of atmos Blue laces. The “Logic” colorway harkens back to the heritage of the shoe, reminiscent of the original colorway, but updated with a sublimated animal print. The wingtip is finished with a pop of color with a Spark-colored rubber outsole sole to match the embossed atmos-branded heel hit, including an alternative Spark-colored lace set.
The atmos x Cole Haan ØriginalGrand “Instinct” will retail for $200, while the “Logic” will retail for $180, offered in U.S. Men’s half and whole sizes 7 through 12. Both styles will be available for purchase exclusively at all three atmos USA retail stores (located in Philadelphia, New York, and Washington DC) and online at www.atmosusa.com on May 21, 2022, at 11 AM EST. Who plans on grabbing a pair (or both) and turning some heads?
..........Read full articleIf I’m being honest, it was only recently that I discovered Cole Haan had reentered the golf shoe market after a lengthy absence. I’ve had several pairs of Cole Haan dress shoes through the years and been pleased with every pair I’ve owned, so I was definitely looking forward to testing the newest Cole Haan golf shoe, the OriginalGrand Tour.
Upon unboxing the shoes when they arrived, my first impression was … wow! Simply put, these shoes are visually stunning. The premium, leather uppers oozed quality and the detailing incorporated into the design was thorough and impressive. There are three color options available in the OriginalGrand Tour – white, black, and a white/black combo. I was sent the white version, which took me back to a time when the most popular and best golf shoes looked like classic wingtips.
Of course, anyone who decades ago wore classic, leather golf shoes like the ones I’m describing also knows how heavy they could be, with their metal spikes not helping the cause. Even the most comfortable pairs could take a toll on your feet after rounds because of their sheer weight. The OriginalGrand Tour wasn’t heavy at all, however. It looked like an old-school classic but in hand felt like a modern athletic shoe from a weight standpoint.
On the course for the first time, the shoes did feel a bit rigid out of the box, and it probably took about 27 holes for me to feel as though they had fully broken in. After that, however, the comfort I’d expect from a high-end golf shoe was present, and I had no issues with foot soreness during or after rounds.
From a performance standpoint, the OriginalGrand Tour also impressed. The TPU outsole’s traction pattern and soft spike positioning combined to provide impressive traction in wet conditions and from uneven lies, of which there are many at my club, and the shoes also offered significant stability and support during golf swings and while walking between shots.
..........Read full articleNEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Cole Haan, the iconic American performance lifestyle brand and retailer, unveils the brand's first-ever sustainable shoe, Generation ZERØGRAND II with FlowerFoam. Designed with the customer in mind, Generation ZERØGRAND II represents the brand's commitment to deliver more environmentally responsible products without compromising performance, comfort, or craft.
Generation ZERØGRAND II is the inaugural product of Cole Haan's new Change Forward™ initiative for Sustainable Innovation and Natural Design. Change Forward™ represents the Company's intention to better themselves and the world around them by actively seeking naturally derived or recycled materials for many of its product components. This initiative also, formally, extends work the Company has undertaken over the past several years to reduce waste throughout its supply chain, such as introducing recycled materials in packaging and shipping cartons.
Going forward, all Cole Haan products labeled SUSTAINABLE will include a minimum of 25% naturally derived or recycled content by weight.
Jack Boys, CEO of Cole Haan, said, "We believe we all need to do our part to protect our planet. Cole Haan has always been and is, now, publicly committed to do our part in contributing to positive change going forward. This is how we work for what we believe in. And, more than ever, saving Mother Earth requires a sense of urgency. While we know our sustainable Generation ZERØGRAND II product delivers the all-day performance our customers have come to expect, we also urge everyone to choose sustainable products in all aspects of their lives, regardless of the brand or retailer."
Generation ZERØGRAND II is a revolutionary product from the ground up. Its outsole is fabricated with patent pending FlowerFoam made from a minimum of 25% natural dandelion rubber. The lightweight FlowerFoam outsole helps to absorb impact while delivering all-day responsive cushioning and energy return.
"Cole Haan has pioneered a sustainable, performance outsole made from natural dandelion rubber," says David Maddocks, Brand President, Cole Haan. "We have been redefining footwear for nearly a century and we've always sought to bring innovative products to our consumers. Today, and tomorrow, we're now innovating for their environment through our Change Forward initiative. Our entire company is excited to bring this product to market and transform our product line through this initiative."
There's more to Generation ZERØGRAND II than it's flower power. Its upper includes vegan microfiber suede made with 21% recycled content and reconstituted felt fabric made with 85% recycled plastic bottles (rPET). The laces are made from 100% rPET. The Ortholite® Hybrid™ footbed is made with 5% recycled rubber, 15% production waste foam and a fabric topsheet made from 100% rPET. As with all Cole Haan products, Generation ZERØGRAND II adheres to the Cole Haan philosophy of Natural Design, which focuses on four primary benefits: Natural Motion, Responsive Cushioning, Energy Return, and Breathability.
Scott Patt, Chief Creative Officer of Cole Haan adds, "This is a significant step for the Cole Haan brand after setting the pace for innovation within our space for the past several years. With FlowerFoam™ technology and our charter to create products with more naturally derived and recycled components, we are expanding our Natural Design philosophy to marry our beautiful, versatile products with the sustainability requirements our consumers have come to expect."
Generation ZERØGRAND II and more sustainable offerings are available on ColeHaan.com and in select US and International stores starting today, February 10, 2022. The men's and women's sizes are offered in a broad range of colors and retail for $130 USD, with more innovation set to deliver for seasons to come.
About Cole Haan
Cole Haan is a global performance lifestyle brand serving always-connected, active professionals with innovative footwear and lifestyle accessories. With a 90-year heritage, Cole Haan infuses its products with time-honored craftsmanship and modern innovation, making footwear and lifestyle accessories that customers wear from work, to workout, to weekend. Cole Haan's mission is to inspire customers to live extraordinary lives.
..........Read full articleCole Haan is the latest label that has hooked itself to the sustainable bandwagon with sneakers made from dandelions. The yellow flowering plants that bloom in fields in the springtime could be a sustainable source that may soon find its way into your closet. After all, American brand Cole Haan has made dandelion the headline material of its latest pair of sneakers.
What do seaweed, grapes, mushrooms, cacti and sugar cane have in common? At first glance, nothing, except that they all embody, in their own way, the riches of Mother Nature. And this is precisely what interests the fashion industry, currently engaged in a race against time to integrate new sustainable sources into collections.
All these fruits, plants and other living organisms are likely to be the textile fibres of tomorrow, in order to reduce the environmental impact of the second most polluting industry on the planet. To this long list of innovative materials, the dandelion can now be added — coming soon to a closet near you.
Symbols of renewal and the arrival of good weather, dandelions grow mainly in fields, meadows and on wastelands, as well as in our gardens. After flowering, they transform into a fluffy white seed head that children — and adults — like to blow to see dozens of tiny ‘parachutes’ fly away. But this plant also appeals for its multiple benefits, cropping up here and there in the kitchen, as well as in the form of capsules, herbal teas, and juices, to fight against certain daily ailments.
Dandelion has also been known for decades as an alternative to rubber latex from trees like Hevea brasiliensis. When the said plant is picked, the white liquid substance that flows from the stalk is none other than latex. This sap very quickly transforms, as it dries, into a kind of elastic gum — a rubber substance. This had been of interest in the Soviet Union as of the late 1920s, where dandelions were grown on a large scale, before the idea was (definitively) abandoned.
But the climate emergency seems to have given another chance to the plant. The German manufacturer Continental, in search of sustainable solutions, has turned to the plant for the manufacture of its tires, for example. And, as one thing leads to another, the dandelion root seems to have attracted the attention of the fashion industry, which is also looking for alternatives to materials that are too polluting, and which are impacting the environment.
Rubber means shoes, or more precisely, shoe soles. And in that field, the American brand Cole Haan is leading the way with the launch of the “Generation Zerøgrand II,” a sneaker with an outsole partly made of natural dandelion rubber.
In fact, this new sneaker, for women or men, has an outsole made of FlowerFoam, itself made of 25% dandelion rubber. Something that would, according to Cole Haan, “absorb impacts while providing all-day responsive cushioning and energy return.” In other words, sustainability is not a substitute for the quality and craftsmanship of the American label. The pair of sneakers is completed by a vegan microfiber suede upper, and laces made from recycled plastic bottles.
Available on Cole Haan’s e-shop and in selected stores, these sneakers made from dandelions come in a wide range of sizes and colours, and is priced at US$130. Just don’t try blowing on the sole — we can’t help but hope that there’s a tiny chance it might break apart and fly away.
(Main and featured image: Cole Haan)
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