I like a good phone as much as the next guy, gal or gender X— just got this device a few weeks ago and was inspired to drop a little Who, What, When, Where, Why(in reverse order) for anyone interested. My first phones were rotary. Then came push-button. Cordless evolved into mobile with little retractable antennae, to flip & candybar to these infernal things we have now..
Smart. When I’m rolling with the Palm I get a feel of my favorite cell phone of yesteryear, the Motorola PEBL (which was an SUV’d-up RAZR). Knowing I have all the modern maps and apps at my disposal is a better feeling than using them frivolously. This isn’t a phone that begs for your attention, so we like it more. Someone was bound to do this sooner or later, and I’m happy with what the new iteration of Palm brought to market.
My favorite celly back in the day
WHY?
Because who wants to lug an impulse-driven power-phablet around all the livelong day especially since they’ve become so devilishly smart? Mentally the new Palm lends lends itself to the essence of what our mobile phones were circa 2005. It’s the tiniest a phone can be without even being a thing at all. A bit like the watch (on your bill at least), but something else (you could strap this to your wrist and make it so). Not every blip needs action, and this gives you plenty of options to let only VIPs through. Cloud notes can be scribbled for later access on bigger screens. Synced-up contacts and a simplified version of Android allow you to create a mini version of your phone, but one with a size advantage that can go any way depending on your imagination.
WHERE?
Wear wherever! Preferably pocket. The Palm is so small— uncased it could so so easily fall beneath a carseat, in a grate, down a chute— faster than you could say shh. It’s wearable in that it’s your responsibility to keep it from falling—or falling out of the wrong hands. This means you shouldn’t let anyone examine it, which is fine because since it’s barely a thing at all, it looks much better hidden. One of the reasons I wrote this article is to direct curious askers to it if they ask to see mine.
WHEN?
When you want to be polite, social, busy. When you bicycle, go to dinner, play handball. You can always switch back to your main phone when you’re done with your minimalist mission. Face it. Socially, once you’ve reached the people you need to be with, the big boppin’ phone isn’t always a good look. The Palm is great for times you want to go against the obsessive, phone-addicted, picture-fiend aesthetic that’s so common in today’s public spaces.
WHAT?
Palm calls this a cell phone the size of a credit card. They’re right. I’m using the companion version. It is also available as a standalone. It runs a simplified version of Android, has one single button and one USB-C slot.
WHO?
palm.com (no affiliation)
Less = more is my philosophy with this and I’m slowly adding apps based on how essential I deem them. “Subway Time” works fine on here as does the freelancer-friendly work app “When I Work”. I checked into flights, used the flashlight, took some pictures— having another smaller phone with the same number is something I’ve wanted as a consumer so I was happy to buy into this. I’m looking for suggestions on a good weather app. Feel free to tweet us with tips. Here’s a raw unedited Palm camera photo of the Ferris Wheel at the Brockton Fair a few days ago:
Popdiatry occasionally writes about apparel and accessories in our feature Off The Path.
We’ve been a fan of Oregon’s KEEN and their penchant for coming up with eye-catching, functional designs for outdoor types. (I love my left/right socks). I recall seeing their UNEEK line of open-air footwear hit the scene, but it wasn’t until I inspected the latest UNEEKs up close did I get a little mEsMeRiZeD by the tapestried system of interlocking cords that attach the sole to the upper, creating a sturdy, ornamental web around your foot.
KEENfootwear.com
KEEN threw a party last week on Orchard Street in NYC to showcase the UNEEK 02 line, which they feel perfects the build of the 01s with even more thought on how the cords (flat and rounded) work with the natural shape of the foot. I’d knee-jerkedly put them on a list of “things to wear instead of flip-flops”
Photo: KEEN
On display, they had the prototype collection of what would become the UNEEK, including the OG pin & thread over last:
I got to chat with members of the Keen team, and they assured me these would probably be good for river-tubing. It takes a stroke of confidence to uniquely call your thing U-Neek. I’d say that KEEN delivered with what are essentially little engineering masterpieces. I’d consider trying them out on the beach, probably while bumping some Eek-A-Mouse, and maybe a little Chronixx.
The Green Festival Expo calls itself America’s largest and longest-running sustainability and green living event. I took a walk around the 2016 New York City Green Festival Expo to see what they had.
It seemed like 75% of the exhibitors fit snugly in what most would categorize as GREEN. The rest was rather “anything goes”. Enthusiastic Green Expo greeters threw around green plastic frisbees by the entrance of Javits Center North and cheerfully guided guests to the green table-clothed rows of exhibitors. I paid the reasonable entrance fee of fifteen greenbacks and commenced the stroll.
Who’s the greenest of them all
All in all, it was a fun event. The folks working the booths I visited were kind and helpful. The overall vibe was earthy, crunchy and friendly, but I had to get a little grouchy towards some of what I saw, so read on with good humor.
SOCKS THAT GIVE, TREAT, FEED & TEACH
Cause marketing is here to stay. That is- products where a portion of the proceeds go to a charitable cause. Conscious Step socks are made in India from fairtrade certified organic cotton in an ethical, worker-friendly environment and come in four main styles, each with an embroidered graphic representing the cause their sale goes toward.
Water socks = Water.org
Book socks = BornToRead.com
Red ribbon = UNAIDS.org
Food socks = ActionAgainstHunger.org
Tree socks (Limited Edition) = treesforthefuture.org
The stockings are well-designed, quality to-the-touch, and the packaging makes them ever so giftable. What kind of monster doesn’t want to conquer starvation, AIDS, pollution, and illiteracy?
If it were that easy…
With Conscious Step, or any other cause-marketer, the empathetic among us must rely on the benevolence of the entity when it comes time for charity to be delivered. The grouch in me wonders if you make a $50,000 donation to a charity and don’t tell anyone, wouldn’t you be helping more than a company that donates a smaller amount to the same charity then makes the act part of their brand identity? “Millennials like to buy products they think are helping people” say the Wall Street market watchers. I do believe we all want to help.
Many wonderful people do hard work for non-profits around the world, but it is discouraging when trusted sources become embroiled in scandal or at least have serious questions raised about their donations.
One of the most successful cause-marketers in the footwear category, with profits north of $300 Million, has been TOMS Shoes with their “one-for-one” model of giving a pair of shoes to a needy child for every pair sold.
A thoughtful expose done by Tiny Spark found that TOMS founder was essentially a reality show bro with evangelical tendencies who did drop shoes off to poor African villages whether footwear was needed or not. Bain Capital Private Equity bought 50% of TOMS in 2014, and the company continues to thrive and expand into eyewear using the same 1-4-1 steez. No data is available on the current state of worldwide barefootedness.
In a world full of pressing problems, most philanthropists pick a single issue to concentrate their forces around, so Conscious Step servicing multiple charities seems rather ambitious. With a positive outlook, I commend their idea and will observe how they evolve. Did I mention the socks look really nice?
NERVE STIMULATING SANDALS
HiDow Acuslippers
Hi-Dow (pronounced High Dow) makes a variety of products that employ the latest in TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) and EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation). These Hi-Dow Circulation Slippers are affixed with rechargeable lithium battery-powered sensors that can be controlled with a number of iPod/tablet-like devices offered by HiDow.
HiDow Circulation Slippers can be activated wirelessly by a TENS device
Green how? Using TENS devices to treat nerve-related pain instead of drugs is probably better for your mental environment. Consult your doctor before trying footwear equipped with electrical nerve stimulators.
VEGAN SHOES
If there’s something to be admired about those who identify as vegan, it’s the valiant effort to keep consistent across their lifestyle. Synthetic leather, or pleather- once thought of as a cheap sign of fakeness gets a rebirth as vegan-leather. I have no idea if there are any animal byproducts used in the glues on these shoes, or if there exists any internationally recognized vegan certification. The well-respected Moo-Shoes store uses the term “cruelty-free” to describe the products they sell. PETA tells aspiring vegans to look for shoes made from “faux leather, synthetic materials, waxed canvas, cotton, microfiber, polyurethane, cork, mock croc and fake snake” so I’d assume Wills Vegan Shoes use some combination of the above. They had vegan versions of many popular men and women’s styles all hovering around the hundred-dollar range.
What about your socks, belt and underwear- are those vegan too? If you take off your shoes at a vegan’s home for dinner and they see “vegan” on the inside, will you get an extra piece of seitan ?
A couple isles over, I did have a piece of “vegan” fudge that was quite good. In 2016, vegan shoes are a thing and Wills London is doing that thing. Popdiatry recommends never eating footwear, vegan or otherwise unless they are deep-fried in peanut oil.
CURE-ALL INSOLES
BestSole Inc. offers some unique polyester insoles that contain glycerin (not the explosive kind), and serve to be a peaks & valleys landscape for your feet that BestSole claims they’ll massage while walking.
Image: massaginginsoles.com
Do your feet, ankles, knees, hips or back ever hurt? Do you like massages? Ever feel fatigued? What about heel spurs, Morton’s Neuroma, Plantar Fasciitis, spinal problems, or diabetes?According to this evangelical Bestsole pamphlet- these massaging insoles can address all of that and more.
Their copy stops short of saying these things can cure cancer then hits you with generic quotes from “satisfied customers”. WB – a “camera man” from ESPN says “THEY ARE WONDERFUL”. JD’s son from the Navy claims “Boot camp marches were made easier with these”. Notice there are no endorsements from ESPN or the US Navy directly. A logo from the Pedorthic Footwear Association graces the front, but it is unclear what they have to do- if anything- with this particular product line.
Of course the friendly folks at the booth insisted I try them for a test walk. I was wearing my Finn Comfort Linz boots with leather/PU coated cork footbeds perfectly fitting with some cotton socks – no way am I sliding these in to walk in a 3 foot circle to try to judge whether they’ve cured my Morton’s-Plantar-Spur-Spinal-Bunion in 30 seconds. Since I wasn’t in immediate pain there was no need for these joints. If they’re powerful enough to cure many maladies, couldn’t they have unwanted side effects? (Other than disappearing $45 from your account)
So-called premium insoles are big business; This product is a neat idea, and I’m a made-in-USA product supporter, but spare me the late-night-TV snake-oily sales tactics. I’d ditch the creepy pamphlet and concentrate on comfort and durability.- maybe pay an athlete to endorse them. Please visit an actual doctor if you suffer from any of the conditions massaging insoles claim they can treat.
GREEN GREEN GREEN
Quinoa and hemp were plentiful here. I snacked on some jackfruit, gobbled some quorn (a fungus-derived protein), got a flyer for a documentary called “Cowspiracy”, learned about the plight of American wild horses; Sleepy Hollow Cemetery had a table there (their grass is green, and they offer good walking tours). LiveOnNY was there (organ donation).
Despite some of the stuff being questionably green, you have to understand that exhibitions like this need to fill all their spots to give their mission momentum. The zany mix of exhibitors was rather interesting in a carnival sort of way. The same expo will be visiting Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Portland before the year’s up so keep an eye out if you’re near those locales. There’s plenty to see for all ages, and I’d love to know what you think about what I thought about the Green Festival Expo.
Special thanks to Oscar The Grouch for inspiration
The company is Rollasole. Their line of ballet flats, also available at select brick & mortar spots, now come rolled up plastic cans along with cloth a protective bag ($20- $40) out of a pink swirly machine. They’re perfectly aimed at the “My feet are killing in these heels” demos that roam areas like Vegas, SoCal, and beyond.
Over at 8473 Melrose Avenue in L.A., a man is standing on a circular surface wearing socks that look like something Spiderman would sport to an Oakland A’s game. A state-of-the-art 3D scanner orbits around his feet and takes over 150 detailed pictures from the ankles down.
Said man is taking the first step in getting a pair of custom dress shoes made in Portugal by an American-based company called the Left Shoe . A 3D image of his foot is processed through proprietary software and becomes the foundation (the last) on which the pair will be built.
Guys can pick the color combinations, and even get a custom message laser-etched into the insole of the right shoe.Check out their website(where I got these images)to view all of the styles available.
What’s to review about a shoelace? You loop them through your eyelets, tie them, and forget about them right?
The Ironlace company sells shoelaces which they guarantee to be the strongest in the world- unbreakable in fact! I bought a box of 54″ black ones from Amazon. The laces are rated for a 1,500 pound breaking strength, and are heat-resistant up to 630 degrees Fahrenheit. They’re made in the USA, and are resistant to fire, corrosion, various chemicals, and probably zombie eye-lasers.
I ordered them to wear, so my apologies if you wanted a see a true trial by fire. The measurement equipment to test the weight claims are beyond my capabilities, and I’m not going to throw acid on, or light them on fire today. The package says they are black, but out of the box they were more of a machine-like gray. They have a unique feel, much like waxed laces, but something heavier. Imagine a fabric version of aircraft cable.
Zamberlan Trekker laced up with Ironlace
You need to give them a good pull to get a secure knot, as the laces are coated. They even lightened further around the tying area and where the laces were stressed around the eyelets. I had no occurrence of them becoming untied. I bought them for some black boots, but they ended up looking better on a pair of hikers that I had. I called the toll-free number on the Ironlace box and was instantaneously connected to a knowledgeable rep from the company. He was aware of the color issue. Turns out dyes do not take well to the material used for Ironlace, and the company is keeping that in mind for future designs and product descriptions. No one- not even the ruthless Amazon commenters- doubts the strength and durability of the lace. They clearly market these for boots, so for something dressy you could look elsewhere.
Ironlace will be releasing some athletic style (flat) laces soon, and also a line of heavy-duty socks. I spent my own dough on these rounds that ended up looking cool for different boots than I imagined. That I was able to call the company and immediately speak to a rep, who took the time to have an honest discussion about the company and its products, earned my respect from a consumer standpoint. I’ll surely be keeping an eye(let) out for Ironlace and their survivalist, hard-to-kill products, so keep Popdiatry.com on your browser for the latest.
Did you know that the Oakland A’s are the only major league baseball team that wears white shoes all of the time?
Did you know the Red Wing shoe company launched its own print paper- the Red Wing Post– in Europe last month?
instagram.com/redwingheritage
Ducere Technologies’ Lechal brand “smart” shoes were all in the news cycle this week, but did you know you can get some Lechal Bluetooth-enabled insoles that can make almost any pair smarter?
www.lechal.com
Do you know why someone would want Bluetooth-enabled footwear? Haptic technology can create a vibrating effect on the left or right sole to guide you on walks and rides, eliminating the need to glance at anything (Hells Angels hate looking at smartphones). This makes the Lechals a potential breakthrough for the blind community. Along with counting steps and calories, you can also share fitness goals with other Lehcal users using the connected app (Android, iOS, and Windows Mobile). Check out Lecahl.com .
Hey Ladies! Would you try on this platform heel that was created using a 3D printer?
www.continuumfashion.com
Part art sculpture, part shoe- this kick is generated by a company called Continuum– ran by Mary Huang from Brooklyn, New York.
The above Continuum “Daphne” shoe being printed
Huang’s Continuum was an early adopter of software-based fashion items. Her pieces have been shown in museums, and this footwear- inspired by trees, the Apollo statue, and Tron*- are sure to show up in upcoming fashion photoshoots. They also print dresses and bikinis. Check out ContinuumFashion.com .
* Yori was Tron’s female sidekick in the first movie.
Have you heard about Paul Evans shoes? A couple fellas from NYC are sorta doing for shoe-shopping what Harry’s razors are doing for shaving. They believe they’ve created an affordable product for guys that can match the quality of popular brands we’d normally buy. Think hundreds, not thousands.
Paul Evans Cognac Chukkas
They scouted a factory in Italy to create their designs, and launched a website to sell them direct to consumer. The shoes are very conservative business-guy style, but it might be time you got your suit together and entered the business world proper, bro. With belts and bags to match, you might attain that extra edge to close that deal, increase your EBITDA, or at least get her number. Check PaulEvansNY.com .
Speaking of the Oakland A’s… I mean… the Boston Red Sox- it’s Baseball time- C-ya
A couple of imaginative designers have come up with a system that’ll create a pair of kicks faster than an orthodontist can mold a dental retainer.
The system is called Don’t Run, and is the beta design project of Eugenia Morpurgo and Juan Montero from Europe. A laser cutting machine and some 3D printing guided by computer numerical control lets a creative person participate in making their own shoes like never before.
A single cut piece of leather is folded over over a sandwich of custom cut sole materials connected by small pegs that resemble board game pieces.
The whole enchilada is then secured by a shoelace, which also serves as stitching for key points on the upper. No glueing or machine sewing is involved.
Example of some finished Don’t Runs
The mobile “factory” resembles more of a print shop, with leather instead of paper, ethylene vinyl acetate instead of cardboard, and spools of lace instead of staples.
http://www.dontrun-beta.com/
The system has been travelling around in the mode of an art exhibit, with accomplished designers taking a swing with their own blueprints. It’s certainly the beginning of an interesting experiment. I can’t picture your jogging sneakers of hiking boots being replaced by what is more of a beefed up slipper, but the Don’t Run model shows what is possible using fresh technology. Along with showcasing a streamlined model of production (therefore consumption), it may make going to brick and mortar shoe shops exciting to a new-school consumer who would just assume click “buy” on a Zappos app.
This July 20th marks the 45th anniversary of man’s first walk on the moon. General Electric is celebrating by collaborating with sneaker maker Android Homme on these Missionsastronaut-styled boots, which go on sale Sunday at 4:18pm (time the Apollo 11 arrived on the moon) via JackThreads.com .
G.E. was involved with development of the original space boots in 1969. The new reboots are partially made of the same carbon fiber used for jet engine parts, and are coated with the type of stuff that keeps wind turbine blades ice-free.
Back on planet Earth, more than a third of men and half of women are walking around with shoes that don’t fit right. This has been gleaned from a study done by The College of Podiatry (U.K.). Their data shows that average shoe sizes have risen by two measurements since 1970. Shoe makers and retailers are noticing more bigger sizes, and consumers are not necessarily making better buying decisions in this still new millenium. Flats aren’t great alternatives to high-heels, narrow toe boxes are causing discomfort, and folks have been slacking on having their feet properly measured by a device such as a Brannock.Check out this awesome graphic. <-click.
What’s your take on this under-the-desk foot hammock?
Connect Design Fuut compact hammock
It’s a real thing created by Korea’s Connect Design. It comes in six different colors and costs 30 bucks. I bet a cat would have a blast on this too.
Wolverine Worldwideis discontinuing Patagonia shoes. Patagonia clothing is still cranking, but this will be the last year you’ll see their branded shoes as such on the shelves. LaCrosse Footwearhaspurchased the venerable White’s Boots brand. Serious boot-wearers know White’s as the bomb-proof work boots that are made in the USA. White’s president seems confident that that legacy will continue under the new owner. Canadian hiking & climbing gear company Arc’teryx is coming out with a line of new-school high performance footwear that feature ultra-modern two part designs incorporating an inner bootie, and tongueless outer shells.
This week a spacecraft carrying three earthlings launched out of Kazakhstan bound for the International Space Station. While doing their daily workouts on the space station’s ARED (Advanced Resistive Exercise Device), a couple of the spacemen will be wearing these sensor-laden sandals made by Xsens called Force shoes.
These sensors will transmit measurements of ground reaction force and load bearing data as the feet torque and twist during ARED workouts. NASA researchers will use the info to further study exercise strategy designed to reduce the loss of bone and muscle strength that travellers experience during long space flights.
I can’t see any buckles or buttons, so I assume the straps must be velcro. What must it be like to pull velcro in space? Presumably, in the name of science, the space station crew gets a pass from the fashion police to wear socks with sandals
Designer Satsuki Ohata was inspired by cheese dip to create a new concept in minimalist footwear that may perfectly match your foot by “dipping” it in liquified polyvinyl chloride.
Images from Satsuki.co
These have been created around a foot mold, but Satsuki hopes to develop a dip & dry kit so we can safely make our own Fondue Slippers at home. Something like this:
And then:
Images from Satsuki.co
Footwear Industries of Tennessee Inc. (FIT USA) just opened a brand new footwear manufacturing plant in Jefferson City, TN. The 40,000 square foot facility will be making a line of men’s work and hunting boots, complete with soles fabricated on location by a state-of-the-art direct-injection molding machine.
FIT USA plant images from WATE.COM
Inventor/videomaker Colin Furze is bringing X-Men powers to life in his Lincolnshire garage. Weeks after he had the net going nuts over some convincing Wolverine claws, he’s back with a D.I.Y. version of Magneto’sboots that enable standing on a (metal) ceiling.
Don’t try this or the PVC dip thing at home without expert supervision! Have a nice weekend.
