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
Creepers, elevators- whatever you call them- platform shoes have been around forever; At least since 1951- the year this ad appeared in The Bend Bulletin. “5-soles-high” thanks to our man-on-the-street in Oregon, Mick from Red Fishing Boat for clipping this:
Clipped from The Bend Bulletin (1951)
“Shine like a russel-red apple!” The copy in these old ads is poetic. Walter’s Buster Brown Shoe Store was/is not related to Walter’s Shoe Care from Canada, makers of accessories like these leather insoles:
Rick from Massachusetts and I have been talking about shoes and sneaks since the 90s. When he’s not battling blazes as a member of the Brockton Fire Department, he also does paintings with a sneaker theme; check the lobster Nike piece^
Rick’s daughter graduated from The Culinary Institute of America earlier this month and jumped right into working at one of the premier bakery/cake shops in southern New England. She copped a pair of the Vans Sk8 Hi KS to wear at work.
I haven’t seen a pair since I heard they dropped last year. The idea is the classic Sk8 Hi body is modified to meet the needs of professional chefs; Water repellent canvas uppers, more comfortable footbeds and the inside-out rubber waffle soles make these Sk8 His a stronger version of the originals.
I grew up in Sk8 His and from 1990 to 2010, could not have imagined wearing anything else. I could envision these Vans being wearable in many different workplaces where black shoes are required. They sell for 75$, but it looks like they’re almost all gone. Who knows if Vans will make more.
Spotted on the walls of Delancey St. Essex St. NYC subway station
I’ll be following up to see how she likes them. The KS Vans seemed to get slammed in reviews on Vans.com, but a poster named Jim the Hiker wrote that they are the best hiking shoes ever and that in the woods he stunts on all the people wearing REI gear. I”m sure you can still skate in them too.
I had to know what Rick wears when he’s not in firefighting gear, and he sang the praises of these boots by Keen.
Thanks Rick and congratulations Brianna !
Follow Popdiatry on IG and twitter , and if you absolutely have to- Facebook
In the quest for a perfect shoe lay many opportunities to take an already great pair to the next level. You can upgrade laces, get the stock insoles coated with leather, or get elements dyed to the color of your choice.
We loved these Mauri patent leather/ostrich-leg toe sneakers. The snow-white leather inners gives them a great orca look on the shelf, but like your favorite white tee neck- they’d be hard to keep clean for the long haul.
The white leather was supple and soft. My shoe doctor Boris at East Village Shoe Repair combined some black dye with a little thinning agent (to open the pores), and applied the mixture using a soft brush.
All visible white leather was turned just as black as the outers; The wearability and likability was Darth Vadered up something serious.
They were given a finishing rub with a horse hair brush then left to dry for a couple.
For the first few wears, we’d avoid light-colored socks as there will be naturally be a little rub-off from the dye job.
Like a great stylist for your hair, an experienced cobbler will know exactly what can be done to custom dye your kicks. Thanks to East Village Shoe Repair at 1083 Broadway in Brooklyn, New York for letting us snap shots. I’m sure your smartphone can help find a capable cobbler near you.
Hey ladies, The Rack Shack boutique on Central Avenue in Brooklyn NYC is calling out to you with crushworthy lingerie, sneakers and accessories in a comfy environment piloted by an owner happy to guide you to just the right bra, corset, legging or sneak.
Artist-designed footwear by Bucketfeet at The Rack Shack
It’s True
Racks of flirty lingerie by specialty brands like Panache, Playful Promises, Love Claudette, and The Little Bra Company surround a pedestal topped with a thoughtfully handpicked footwear menu.
Bucketfeet slip-ons are here, and are each kind of limited-edition due to the brand’s artist powered model. A Vansy profile with plushy walker-friendly insoles (heel pillows!) are uppered with various designs by any one of 25,000 creators. Bucketfeet is out to make sure no one has the exact same kicks as you.
Light Up Gold
Celestial LED footwear
The conversation pieces here were these shiny golden trainers by Celestial Footwear featuring translucent outsoles that can illuminate red, green, blue, yellow, turquoise, purple, white or all seven in rotation via an internal light emitting diode (LED).
I remember L.A. Gears from the 90s, and I always thought of light-ups as a kid’s gimmick to wear running around Chuck-E-Cheese, but Celestial is offering something way more refined and well-constructed than some tossable cheapos. The build is solid, and the pliable body looks like C3PO gold- not sure how they do it, but these aren’t your little niece’s light-up sneakers.
Gimmie a light
The vibe in The Rack Shack is warm and the natural light is great- a picture couldn’t capture the shoe’s light activation so well so you’ll have to check ’em out for yourself. As of this writing, The Rack Shack is the only brick-and-mortar retailer stocking Celestial products in the United States, so again with the “no one else has these” effect.
You ain’t even got a USB-charging port on your shoe
Alongside the Celestials and Bucketfeets were some athletic offerings by Supra. On the walls hung stockings and hosiery from Pretty Polly. On tables lay edible massage oils and intimate cosmetics by Luz De La Riva .
Pretty Polly Hosiery at The Rack Shack
Thanks to Laura- leader of The Shack- for letting a fella snap some shots and blab about shoes. I would be shocked if any girl on Earth couldn’t find an item here to eroticize their wardrobe.
These paper thin Tyvek wallets are great for walkers who want a humble card & cash holder with minimal bulk and weight.
Mighty Wallets by Dynomighty are made of Tyvek, the hard-to-rip paperlike material spun from high-density polyethylene fibers and trademarked by DuPont.
Partially deconstructed NYC Subway Might Wallet
Tyvek takes well to printing, and there are more Dynomighty designs than you can shake a dollar at. These wallets cost around ten bucks; They offer customs, but I’ve only ever gotten stock designs.
I’m fond of the ones that resemble other folded paper, like the postal envelope and the subway map. When you’re on the move, there’s no benefit to using an obviously expensive wallet. By the time you whip these out and do your business, a casual observer may have barely processed that you pulled cash from a map, or cards from an envelope. Save your ostrich leather for special occasions. Dynomighty’s a good traveler. A folded up MTA map does not scream “rob me”.
NYC Subway map wallet with over a year of daily use
2 bill pockets, 2 card slots, and some other room to put flat things occupy the Mighty Wallet. My two cents: They’re the best wallets for people who hate wallets.
Popdiatry occasionally writes about apparel and accessories in this section“Off The Path”.
Check us on Instagram & twitter. We’ll be back soon with more shoe stuff.
Guys searching for that two-tone look might not do better than these Oak Street BootmakersTrench boots featuring HorweenChromexcel leather/Peanut suede uppers, calfskin lining, and Vibram soles with stacked leather heels. Your only question will be “what belt do I match with them?”.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes out in a few weeks and everybody’s celebrating. You can find just about any consumer product branded with the Star Wars character family, but UK’s Irregular Choice has fan girls and boys going extra nuts with highly imaginative offerings like lightsaber, R2D2 and Vader/Stormtrooper high-heels, and these Chewbacca boots (faux Wookie fur).
The great American Russell Moccasin Company has been hand-manufacturing top-quality outdoorsy footwear in Wisconsin for over 100 years, and I had to hide my credit card when I saw they released some of their models, like the traveling sportsman chukka, in bumpy Ostrich leather. Russells are made-to-order; They offer men’s and women’s fit and a “no-quills” option for the Ostriches.
You’ve got to respect L.L. Bean for continuing to manufacture their signature Duck Boots in Maine, USA despite a straining demand. The Maine factory is busier than a beaver and you may have to sit on a list for your size/style. Any shoe worth having is worth waiting for right? Cheap imitations featuring the “duck” toe are a dime-a-dozen, but to me it was always the chain patterned sole that made these boots original and wicked unique.
The leather/rubber combo ducks have been around for ages, but L.L. does offer a few variations on the original, like these waxed Canvas tops, which strike me as the perfect boot for All-Star partisans to wear in the rain. On the topic of sizing- the duck boot design dates back to before boots had insulation and thus leaves room for very heavy socks. Popdiatry normally recommends buying your correct Brannock size, but Ducks most definitely run big so for normal wear get a size down if you can get ’em at all.
This year Halloween fell on a weekend. Somewhere between the 90s and the 00s the spooky holiday went from a kid thing to an adult thing, and for the open-minded- we’re all wearing costumes all day every day anyway. So Ash Costello, the singer for New Years Day, has her own line of gear with Iron Fist including these superfly Bat Wing Boots made from vegan (synthetic) leather attached to a mega chunky sole. Platform lovers will be in ecstasy, and the wings are removable for use with other footwear in your collection all year ’round.
At quick glance, these are some black men’s boots. Closer research reveals that they are Viberg Service Boots with moosehide uppers attached to Dainite soles. The moosehide is referred to as Black Unicorn leather and is produced by one of England’s most respected tanneries. Viberg also flips these into a roughout scout version, and I’m putting my credit card into a frozen ice block right now..
Above images are all from respective manufacturer websites. This post contains no affiliate marketing (;
AN HONEST TAKE ON WHAT THE BIG AMERICAN STORE HAS FOR FOOTWEAR ENTHUSIASTS
Coming from Boston Massachusetts, and living in New York City where there are no Walmarts, I had no idea what to expect when I accompanied a relative to WM store 2904 in Brockton Massachusetts on a quick mission to fill their levothyroxine prescription.
LOTSA LACES
I lied in the previous paragraph. I remember places like Caldor, Bradlees, Ames, Jamesway and Zayre and expected Walmart to be a jumbo Voltron of those.
I was impressed by the shoelace endcap – two actually filled with a wide variety of colors, lengths, and styles (think: dress, round, flat, oval, workboot, etc..). I got me these Kiwi 72″ leather laces ($4):
Kiwi leather laces (made in India)
These leather laces need no aglets could be cut to any size with a good pair of of scissors. At 72 inches, you could half them and end up with two pairs of short laces.
The trouble with ordering never-seen shoelaces online, is you might not be aware of the actual color, texture and stiffness. I find most of my favorite shoe-shops do not have a great selection of laces. I often scout the Duane Reade, CVS or Walgreens-type places for the randomly located shoelace endcaps; You know the ones. Walmart shoelace endcaps are Texas-size versions of those. I dug the big selection at Wal. I also bought some 45″ grey athletics ($3).
MANY SOCKS
Men’s socks at Walmart
I’m a man who loves buying quality made-in-USA products, and the mart had enough basic styles to hold me. I ended up picking up a six-pack of white made-in-USA Starter no-show socks ($7). I was surprised at the amount of USA-made options there were- at least in the men’s sock section. They also had a wide selection of diabetic friendly soft cotton socks by brands like MediPeds.
The women’s sock isle at Walmart
Keeping in mind many socks are unisex; some even listed as such, the ladies have their own sock section that is bigger than the guys’- it’s like a whole street. There weren’t as many women’s socks made-in-USA here; Even the American flag stockings on the rack below were made in China. To be fair, elsewhere in the store Walmart had some tee-shirts with a “Made in the USA” graphic on the chest which were in fact made in the USA.
Novelty socks at WalmartRubber Dotted Slipper Socks at Walmart
AS SEEN ON
Far away from the other shoes and socks, this Walmart had a small section displaying all kinds of products that are “As Seen On TV” – stuff advertised on television in the form of commercials or infomercials. I spotted these Miracle Copper Socks that I do remember seeing the ad for. The descriptive language used on the packaging is abjectly far-fetched. Metal used in fabric construction is nothing new. Some astronaut underwear contains silver. Miracle Copper Socks hit you with line after line that make it seem like their product will heal injuries.
On the back of the box there was a random Caduceus– the snake-pole insignia that I suppose is meant to give the impression that these socks are endorsed by a professional medical organization which they are totally not.
Endorsed by Dr. Who? (Pardon the blur)
Non-profit consumer watchdog group Truth In Advertising, Inc. says it best. “Miracle Copper offers no clinical data to back up the claims that their product reduces swelling, boosts circulation, or massages achy legs and feet”. The odor control claim has some validity, as copper may ward off bacteria, but Miracle couldn’t leave it at that. I’m sure they’re not the worst socks in the world, but the snake oily packaging kept me from copping a pair, although I’d happily accept a test pair from the company for a fair review.
WAL-o-SHOES
Shoelaces, socks, TV miracles- what about Walmart’s shoe selection? I’d venture a guess that If you’re reading this blog and other online content about shoes, you’d probably be into footwear more substantial than what Walmart offers.
Shoes hanging out at Walmart
One theme is that most of the shoes at this Walmart are boxless and hanging on racks priced around what you’d pay for an appetizer at P.F. Changs. It’s as if shoeboxes are banned from the store.
Faded Glory Slip Ons
I noticed a lot of the shoes were inexpensive versions of familiar name brands; like these (above) Faded Glory slip-ons which one could cynically call Canal Street Vans.
Inexpensive Avia sneakers at Walmart
Although designer footwear for kids is now a thing, I can see not wanting to overly spend on children’s shoes which they’ll likely outgrow or ruin before even grasping the abstract concept of fashion. Not for nothing, you could walk out with the whole cart pictured below with mostly Starter and Avia for under 200 bucks.
W-mart also had a decent insole and accessory collection, including plenty of Shoe-Goo, which I have fond memories of seeing my skater friends using to repair ollie damage back in the day.
Insoles and footwear accessories at Walmart
Based on my visit to this one store; Sneakerheads and shoe-freaks may not find any kicks to fall in love with at Walmart, but it may be worth a visit if you’re hunting down your dream laces, and want to stock up on some trooping socks.
I think I overhear much “debate” about Walmart in the papers and on the web. I can say walking around this particular store, I noticed nothing out-of-the-ordinary or outrageous. I was probably the weirdest cat in the building taking pictures of socks with my camera phone. To comment on socio-political aspects of Walmart is way beyond the scope of this blog. I spent 14 bucks and my relative got their script filled.
As a nod to baseball great Yogi Berra who died last night at age 90, allow me to offer my own version of a Yogi Berra-ism to end this piece:
Nobody likes Walmart because everyone shops there.
