Since it launched in 2008, the Jasper has always been one of KEEN’s more interesting hybrid shoes. The model has broad appeal; it's casual enough for everyday wear, but anchored in outdoor design with a climbing-inspired upper and rubber toe cap. And now, as part of the KEEN Made (KM) collection that debuted this spring, two new iterations—the Jasper KM Lite Sneaker and KM Lite Mary Jane—are made in the US. A new sign of life from the Oregon-based brand’s latest efforts to increase domestic manufacturing through lifestyle sneaker production.
Good for Planet & Biz
While KEEN's American-built manufacturing dates back to 2009, its 2025 factory relocation from Portland, Oregon to Shepherdsville, Kentucky, where it already had a distribution hub, gives the brand more room to scale stateside production. It also has the potential to cut its carbon footprint—shipping emissions could decrease by an estimated 2,800 tons annually, and orders could reach 85% of US addresses within a mere two days.
Will Schuh, KEEN’s head of product and design, says the shift isn’t directly tied to supply chain snarls or the Trump administration's ever-changing tariff policy, but the timing is notable. Only about 1% of shoes sold in the US are actually made here, which makes the brand part of a small cohort of footwear companies producing domestically in an otherwise globalized industry.
“This feels like a natural evolution for us,” Schuh tells Field Mag, adding, “If the current environment has validated that approach, we'll take it—but it's not what drove us here.”
Making a Shoe in the USA
Before the move, KEEN spent years at its Portland factory and innovation lab developing two technologies, which are both featured in the KEEN Made collection. First is KEEN.FUSION, a process of bonding the upper and sole together with heat rather than harmful glues (debuted with the revamped Targhee IV hiking boot). And then there’s the Trampoleen cushioning system, consisting of three layers of ultra-bouncy foam, including a lightweight high-rebound layer sandwiched between durable high-density Luftcell foam.
“We wanted to rebuild the American sneaker from the ground up, and we finally had the right technology, the right team, and the right facility to do it right,” Schuh says.
But not every component can be sourced responsibly—if at all—in the US, a reality shaped by the steady hollowing out of the domestic footwear manufacturing industry since the mid-1970s. As such, KEEN works with a global network of responsible suppliers, including Better Cotton Initiative members and gold-rated Leather Working Group tanneries, some of which are based abroad in places where key materials and standards are concentrated.
Aligned with reducing its footprint, the new Jasper models feature a vegan leather upper made from 50% recycled polyester microfiber (the other 50% is virgin polyester) and “vegan verified” by Intertek, a global quality assurance company ensuring products meet safety, quality, and regulatory standards. In addition to that, every KEEN product has been free from the harmful forever chemical PFAS since 2018.
By keeping at least some of its supply chain as close to home as possible, KEEN is treating shoemaking as the art form it once was, not just a supply chain function. In the Kentucky factory, craftspeople are stitching, shaping, bonding, and handling every shoe with care, like skilled cobblers once did for hundreds of years in the US before the trade dwindled.
Including a new version of the Jasper in the initial KEEN-Made line is clearly a calculated choice. The original silhouette already had a cult following as a lifestyle shoe in both mountain towns and the urban gorpcore set, making it a lower-risk entry point for domestic production—and a potential proof point, should the Jasper KM Lite follow in its predecessor's footsteps. Schuh views KEEN’s American-built line as a proof of concept for what conscious domestic footwear manufacturing——responsible, not reckless—can look like at scale.
“We hope this inspires a broader conversation in the industry about what's possible when you prioritize craft, community, and conscience over pure margin,” he says.
The brand will continue to invest in the Kentucky facility, team, and local community while also increasing the percentage of production based in the US through new styles and colors. By how much, Schuh wasn’t able to share. For now, KEEN is only making four Made models at the Kentucky factory, and the majority of its catalog, including its most popular styles, is still made overseas.
