TNF: recycled leather, merino and rPET intrigue ‘MZ+eco’ generation
The South Korean arm of outdoor brand The North Face (TNF), distributed by Youngone Outdoor Corporation inside the country, has released an “eco-friendlier” version of its Hexa hiking trainer, the Hexa v2.
Notably, the shoes’ upper is now made from a combination of recycled leather and mesh derived from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) from waste plastic bottles. An earlier version of the trainer had a purely synthetic upper.
Merino wool has been used for the insoles, with the brand drawing particular attention to the material’s quick-drying and biodegradable properties. It also described the style’s midsole as highly elastic, designed for “excellent” cushioning, and added that the instep and heel had both been formed via injection moulding. Complete with a lace up closure, the shoes are available in five colourways.
A spokesperson for Youngone stressed the product’s “functionality, style and eco-friendliness” to local media.
Although created with all ages in mind, the company said that the footwear’s materials made it particularly well-suited to the tastes of South Korea’s “MZ+eco” generation, which refers to a specific segment of domestic millennial and generation Z shoppers whose consumer behaviour would suggest a strong, values-led emphasis on sustainability’s environmental aspects.
Image: The North Face Korea via Instagram.
