Cole Haan isn’t exactly on the frontlines of the fashion industry. The brand is more associated with dependability than pushing boundaries. But, in an effort to bring sustainability efforts to the forefront, Cole Haan has released a line of sneakers using their proprietary FlowerFoam,™ which is made from dandelions. This process has actually been used before when dandelion rubber was used by the military in WWII. Now, Cole Haan is using this eco-friendly rubber as the sole for its line of Generation ZERØGRAND II sneakers, available in both men’s and women’s sizes.
The shoes themselves are relatively minimal with inoffensive colorways and styling. But, that chunky, dandelion is definitely the attention-grabber. As Cole Haan describes it: “Our FlowerFoamTM sole is made from a minimum of 25% natural dandelion rubber and provides lightweight cushioning to keeping you going and growing all-day, every day.” Indeed all aspects of the sneakers have been made with sustainability in mind. The upper uses vegan microfiber suede made with 21% recycled content, felt made from 85% recycled plastic bottles (rPET), and laces 100% made with rPET. If you’re looking for a daily performance sneaker that is minimalistic and reduces your environmental impact, these might be the shoes for you.
