Issue #305 | Inside the Weird and Wonderful Quest to Make Compostable Shoes

Inside the Weird and Wonderful Quest to Make Compostable Shoes

“Most shoes are composed of a mixture of synthetic fabric, rubber, plastic, and metal, which is often held together with strong adhesives, and they are incredibly difficult to dispose of. The vast majority are bound for landfill once used, where they could take hundreds of years to break down,” says the Guardian. When it comes to a cooked pair of sneakers, what can you really do except throw them in the trash? One company is determined to reroute the rubbish away from the waste bin by starting with substances that you can throw in the same pile as your banana peels and coffee grounds.

The Guardian

Winter Is Winding Down—But the Deals Are Heating Up

[Partner] Good news: He didn’t see his shadow. If you believe in old Punxsutawney Phil’s assessment of the seasons, as we do, his 2024 prediction for an early spring means the clock is ticking for winter—and for all the winter goods now on sale over at Huckberry. Even better news, until end of day this Sunday, February 11, the rugged retailer is offering up to 50% off cold-weather clothes, gear, and all the accouterments to make the most of what’s left of the season: Whiskey tumblers, leather gloves, Eddie Bauer’s Skyliner jacket, rain boots from Xtratuf, and lots more.

Save big on the best winter gear.

How Brands Are Reinventing Outdoor Wear (Again)

You might have heard whispers: “quiet outdoor” is “the newly minted meeting point of quiet luxury and the vogue for fresh-air wellness,” writes the Guardian, commenting on the first trend to take shape in 2024. Think understated gorpcore: no loud colors, the logos less obtrusive, and functionally equipped for trail or sidewalk. Brands like Arc’teryx and Salomon already have a strong foothold with a crowd that’s more likely to sip a flat white than get stuck in a white out, and more are poised to enter the conversation that may soon reach a fever pitch.

The Business of Fashion

Gearheads vs Watch Guys: How to Tell the Luxury World’s Nerdiest Collectors Apart

Any head can be pretty annoying when they get revved up, even if you see eye to eye on the subject. When all you’ve got is bezels, the world looks like one big watch. As interconnected as they are, the car fanatics and watch guys out there, if equally obsessive, have quirks all their own that aren’t exactly cute, shall we say. Here, Robb Report gets into the gears about what sets the Paul Newman types apart from Steve McQueens in the bunch.

Robb Report

What’s Next for Denim? AI-Aided Design, Upcycling, and Gorpcore

Denim will never live down its worst quality: that it tends to be not very sustainable, requiring large amounts of water to produce, relying on subpar cotton farming practices, and generating a fair amount of waste. But because jeans probably aren’t going anywhere any time soon, we continue to ask the same question, with better and better answers: How can we improve its footprint without sacrificing the soul of a great pair of jeans? The Sourcing Journal surfaces some ideas.

Sourcing Journal

• Rhythm Mechanic Denim Jacket – $125

• Madewell McCarren Midweight Hoodie – $90

• Kompsós Batumi Stack Bracelets – $87

• L.L. Bean Essential Braided Leather Belt – $54.95

• Los Angeles Apparel Duck Canvas Work Pant – $80

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