Pleats Please Issey Miyake and Vancouver’s Native Shoes are stepping out with a peppy new line of sneakers for summer. Based on Native’s “Apollo Moc” silhouette, the 100 percent animal-free shoes offer a contemporary take on the classic moccasin sneaker. With their shared passion for functional minimalism, the synergy between the brands is obvious.
Native creates its footwear using a combination of foam-injection molding and three-dimensional printing, both of which produce low emissions and little waste. The resulting shoes, according to the company, are lightweight, shock-absorbent, and and odor-resistant, not to mention waterproof and washable.
Pleats Please, Miyake’s tribute to the grace and simplicity of the pleat, feature permanently pressed garments that conform to the body and adapt to movement while maintaining a delicate ease.
The shoes themselves are composed of ethylene-vinyl acetate, which Native describes as the “marshmallow that never melts.” Besides eschewing hazardous chemicals such as bisphenol A, phthalates, and formaldehyde, they’re also bereft of any animal by-products. “We’re friends with animals, aren’t you?” Native asks on its website.
“We’re excited to work with Pleats Please Issey Miyake,“ Dominique Morriset, global marketing director for Native Shoes, tells Ecouterre. “Blending our love for color and future technology, the final product is just what we hoped for.”
The sneakers, which retail for $95, are now available at Issey Miyake stores in New York, Paris, Zurich, London, and Japan.
Via Ecouterre
