It turns out that Eric Liedtke’s Unless clothing brand isn’t only focused on releasing sustainably-focused apparel. Today, the label announced the launch of its new eco-friendly Degenerate sneaker which is available now in two colorways.
According to Unless, the Degenerate is a skate-inspired sneaker that’s designed to attack the problem of plastic waste in the fashion industry. Unlike a majority of the shoes that are in the market currently, the Degenerate is made from 100% plants and minerals while forgoing the use of plastic. The shoe’s standout element is the use of NFW (Natural Fiber Welding), which is soft enough to create the cushioning and tough enough to form the outsole. Unless also states that at the end of the sneaker’s lifecycle, they should be sent back to the brand so they can be turned into new soil products.
“The Degenerate is for anyone who doesn’t want to compromise their style to do what’s right for the planet.,” Liedtke, the co-founder and CEO of Unless Collective, said. “And thanks to NFW’s unparalleled innovation in plant-based material technology, this sneaker will live a long, useful life and when it’s no longer useful, it will be turned into valuable inputs for new soil products, allowing Unless to use the decomposition process to birth something entirely new.”
“NFW is excited to partner with Unless to create a breakthrough in lifestyle sneaker design, with the first-ever product to combine all of NFW’s bio-based materials to create a 100 percent plant-and-mineral-based shoe,” Luke Haverhals, founder and CEO of NFW said. “This is the first shoe of its kind made with entirely natural inputs that is truly circular, meaning it can be recycled or safely returned to nature to become nutrients for healthy soil or provide inputs for the next cycle of consumer products.”
A limited run of the Unless Degenerate sneaker is available now at Unlesscollective.com for $139.
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