Here I present an unexpected collaboration from two brands with a shared appreciation for the wondrous natural world—Portland, Oregon footwear brand KEEN and streetwear staple Only NY of, you guessed it, New York City. Together the two have released a special edition KEEN x Only NY UNEEK, avaialble today, 25 April 2024, with stylings chosen by Only NY and the same paracord upper mated to a sole made from eco-friendly materials.
Though deeply understated, we’re told the palette of this particular collaborative footwear finds its inspiration in tones that reflect urban and natural environments–a cold gray upper for New York City’s concrete jungle with a lively spruce green footbed and tongue for Oregon’s coniferous forests. On the sole, the same supportive foam base from the main line provides comfort on natural and made surfaces.
If you're not familiar with the UNEEK, 10 years ago it launched as an awesomely weird example of how the sandal brand known for making shoes so ugly they're cool has adapted and been adopted by fashion fans all around the world—head to any city center in Asia and you'll be hard pressed to not spot KEENs left and right. And the UNEEK in particular.
Only NY x KEEN Uneek
You might have mixed feelings about open-toe footwear in dirty cities, but don’t shy away from introducing socks into the equation–socks and sandals are officially okay by us. Grab a pair from Only NY starting today, followed by a launch from KEEN on 10 May 2024.
