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Eco-conscious Native Shoes has revamped its Fitzsimmons boot in its latest iteration to include a vibram outersole and a removable inner bootie made from recycled material.
The company, which is known for its use of bio-based materials, has teamed up with Vibram to reimagine its boot silhouette. The Fitzsimmons Venture now includes the Vibram Ecostep Natural outsole, featuring the easily-recognized eco-engineered grip. The outsole is also made from 90 percent-plus natural ingredients, is colored with plant-based pigments, and produced without solvents or harsh chemicals.
The boot upper is made from a water-resistant Bloom EVA shell, while the midsole also uses the Bloom technology that provides shock absorption, according to Gabe Lam, the firm’s lead footwear designer. The company collaborated with Bloom since 2019 to use its proprietary foam that’s created from algae.
“Bloom collects the algae from bodies of water around the world,” Lam explained, noting that higher temperatures as resulted in algae growing at rapid rates. Taking the algae out cleans the freshwater lakes and rivers, and the Bloom technology also sequesters the carbon dioxide in the algae into the foam so it doesn’t get released into the atmosphere, Lam said. The company’s website said making one pair of Bloom shoes puts 70 liters of filtered water and 73 cubic meters of clean air back into the environment.
Unlike prior iterations, the inner bootie is now removable, and can be worn as slipper. It features a microfleece interior plus a rubber sole to provide traction, Lam said. The design of the outside just above the back of the heel has rubber grips to prevent the bootie from slipping out of the boot, he said. And the bootie also has a removable sole to allow the user to replace it with an orthotic.
Native Shoes is known for its use of several bio-based materials. Another is a sugarcane-based foam the brand calls Sugarlite. Lam said the new proprietary foam was launched earlier this year, and what’s new is that it features a “softer stretch” so wider feet can slip the shoe on and off. The brand’s Wanderfoam foam upper shoes can incorporate both the Sugarlite and Bloom materials for the outersole.
One other shoe is Native Shoes’ Apollo 10 sneaker. It features a soft upper made from microfiber, while its midsole uses what the brand calls the Supercritical Sugarlite, a cutting-edge foam process using Sugarlite made specifically for performance footwear.
Gas is exposed to high pressure and temperature to transform it into liquid and gas and then it is infused with Sugarlite to create a soft and resilient performance foam. The gas bubbles provide a spring-like effect with every step.
“You get a more consistent feeling. You get better rebound; it’s more durable,” Lam explained, noting that the shoe was inspired by performance athletic footwear using the same technologies and materials but putting it into a lifestyle silhouette.
The boot was shown at Jeff Staple’s concept space Staple 21 Mercer, a go-to for sneaker culture, ahead of its Oct. 2 direct-to-consumer release. Available at nativeshoes.com, the boots are priced at $150 a pair.
