Cleaner closet

My friend Kevin Imamura of Nike SB hooked me up with some new shoes last week. Very cool, very bold, very simple--even simpler than they look since a glance at the box reveals that they're part of Nike's Considered Design effort to use cleaner materials and less waste. It's an ongoing, self-regulated process, and I think it's cool.


On a related note, when I interviewed Kenny Anderson for his article in the new GR, he talked about how he chose his sponsors. Elwood Clothing is on board with his idea of using organic cottons, bamboo, and other sustainable products. One day, Kenny is going to make a short documentary about where clothing comes from... I was impressed enough to buy Elwood's "Kenny" shirt, which has a tag that clarifies that it was made with minimal impact to the environment. (His wheel company, Satori Movement, also makes wheels with vegetable oil and recycled cores.)


Kenny walks the walk, too. Two vegetable oil-sipping Benz autos are parked outside his house, which is being renovated with old grown hardwood floors, denim insulation, and the works.


I was introduced to Element shoe designer Paul Kwon by his skate buddy and my longtime friend Ray Barbee. Paul mentioned that he had been working on some sustainable shoes and wanted to hook me up.


These Winslows are a part of Element's Earth Collection. The soles are made with the cold-cure process and the uppers feature organic parts. (The Conscious By Nature shoes are a little harder core in the green department.)


Finally, here's a pair of board shorts by Matix. My friend Jason Walker works there as a designer, but I actually bought these just before my last trip to Hawaii. Nothing special about the material that I know of, but instead of including a shredit card/wax comb, it came with a biodegradable trash bag to take to the beach and fill with garbage.


I have to admit that I didn't break it out on the sands of Waikiki, but I did use it to pack my dirty clothing and then use as a trash bag at home...


There's a growing army of people choosing to eat local, organic foods (sometimes vegetarian or vegan) and drive vehicles with better gas mileage (if they can't skate, walk, bike, or take public transportation) and clothing may as well be part of the equation, too. Throwing away all your clothes and resetting your closet with greener goods isn't smart, but if you're choosing between two pairs of sturdy, good-looking, skateable shoes, why not pick the one with a greener footprint?