Insight – Etnies Jameson 2 Eco
A little over a week ago, Etnies announced their new campaign that would help the Costa Rican rain forest. The concept was pretty simple; you buy a pair of their Jameson 2 Eco‘s and Etnies will plant a tree (a goal of 35,000 trees) in the Cost Rican rain forest. It’s a pretty straight forward concept that ultimately leads to something more than a fresh pair of shoes. This caught my attention for two reasons. One being my growing obsession with shoes, and two that it’s for a good cause. I got ahold of a pair, along with knowing a tree will be planted because of it, and decided I’d give you guys some Insight on the shoe…
Alright, so what are these shoes made of? Obviously, since this project is environmentally friendly, Etnies are going to use materials that are, well, environmentally friendly. The Jameson 2 Eco is made from a natural canvas and recycled rubber (used bike tires and used rubber gloves). They even made shoe laces out of recycled plastic bottles, which the idea of a plastic bottle being turned into a shoe lace is weird concept to try and understand alone. The shoe uses a cupsole construction with 400 NBS rubber outsole with an internal EVA midsole. The tongue is lightly padded, and has the STI Foam Lite 1 footbed. Okay, so what does all of that mean? It means that the shoe is made from recycled products, and is a real comfy shoe to chill in.
The Jameson 2 Eco is a lightweight and low top shoe, that’s why I say it’s a real comfy shoe for chilling in. I personally dread the idea of crank arm bite and rolling my ankles, so a shoe like this is my designated “daily driver” shoe that I’ll wear going out and what not. Then again, I know people who like to wear a shoe like this while riding, so that’s a personal preference and I’m not trying to discourage you from wearing these while you ride. I would personally suggest wearing the Number mid or something similar with more padding and support all around for riding in.
The Jameson 2 Eco’s aesthetics are a straightforward, real clean and simple look. The canvas gives it some texture all around, with gold Etnies logos on the heel, tongue and on the footbed. I noticed that the shoe on the Etnies site has a logo on the side, but these ones don’t. I don’t know if they changed it up between that, which might have been a sample, and the final production or if they just forgot to sew them on this pair, haha.
The sole of the shoe has a triangle pattern that’s made out of the recycled tires and rubber gloves. This gives plenty of grip since the rubber is a bit softer. I haven’t had a chance to ride my bike in these shoes yet, but I’d imagine they will grip the pedals quite nicely.
The footbed reads “Keep the Earth happy using recycled materials” to remind you of what the shoe is made of. The STI Foam Lite 1 footbed essentially means that the footbed has the STI foam pad with an added arch support pad. The added arch support makes the shoe real nice to stand and walk around in.
Note: The 0 has just the foam pad, and the 2 has a full heel cup that wraps from the arch support all the way around that prevents bruised heels and what not, that’s why I suggested something a little beefier to ride in.
I think that pretty much gives you all the insight into what makes the shoe special. Obviously, you can find out a lot more about the Etnies Buy a Shoe, Plant a Tree program by the video and link below. You can pick the Jameson 2 Eco’s in sizes 5-14 with black, brown, navy and olive color choices for $55 on the Etnies Store or anywhere Etnies are sold. If you’re looking for a fresh pair of shoes to chill in, then maybe these are something you would want to try out. Plus, you will feel good about doing something to help the environment, or at least it will give you a good way to start a conversation with that hot environmentally minded girl you have been eyeing up.
Here’s a promo video to explain a little more about the Buy a Shoe, Plant a Tree program…
You can read more about the Buy A Shoe, Plant A Tree program by hitting this link on the Etnies site.
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