 |
|
PATAGONIA FOOTWEAR WANTS YOU TO RECONSIDER SOLES
Mountain Soles and Patagonia Footwear Offer Footwear Resoling Program
Ventura, Calif. (February 5, 2009) – Building on its best product, least harm brand goal, Patagonia Footwear partners exclusively with Mountain Soles to offer resoles and repairs on Patagonia’s popular footwear styles. For more information on resoling Patagonia Footwear, please visit www.mtnsoles.com.
“Patagonia began with founder Yvon Chouinard in the tinshed pounding pitons that would last and be re-used time and time again,” said Whitney Conner, brand manager at Patagonia Footwear. “Our philosophy has always been about creating products that perform and inventing ways to increase the longevity of our gear. There is no need to go out and purchase a new pair of shoes if you’ve spent the time outdoors, molding them for the perfect fit. There are alternatives to material purchases and we’re working to increase the lifespan of our products by partnering with solid organizations that share a similar philosophy to Patagonia.”
“We’re excited that Patagonia has developed footwear which can be serviced and maintained for a longer life,” said Matt Menely of Mountain Soles. “We’ve always shared a similar ethos with the Patagonia brand. Much like the tinshed, Mountain Soles started in a single car garage in Southeast Portland, seeking to use our trade to help reduce people’s environmental footprint by keeping essential gear out of landfills. We’ve been hoping for a long time that more footwear companies would take up this challenge and produce more sustainable and resoleable shoes and Patagonia Footwear has jumped in feet first.”
Consumers can find more information about Patagonia Footwear’s resoling program on the web, at retailers and in the catalog. Currently Mountain Soles can resole the Vibram® Idrogrip sticky rubber outsoles, the Vibram® EcoStep multi-sport outsoles, EcoStep hiking outsoles, and the Skywalk natural latex honeycomb outsoles. Prices range from $50-$80 depending on style of sole and construction. While resoling might not seem like the obvious choice, given that it sometimes approaches the cost of a new pair, there are other reasons to consider resoling shoes.
Once a customer thinks about the natural resources used to create a new pair of shoes, shipping those shoes across the ocean, and then the landfill space required to dispose of the old shoes, they might decide that repairing is one way to lessen their impact on the environment. Not to mention the fact that customers current shoes are already broken in.
Mountain Soles has been providing high quality resoling and repair services on boots and other outdoor sports footwear since 1979. With the addition of sewing and dry suit repairs in 2001, and a move into a retail storefront, they became Mountain Soles Outdoor Footwear & Fabric Repair, a one-stop-shop for outdoor enthusiasts and their repair needs. Mountain Soles is also the go-to for all repairs of well worn clothing and gear for the Patagonia Store in Portland, OR. The folks at Mountain Soles are not only gear repair specialists; they are also outdoor enthusiasts who use the very gear that they seek to restore to its original function. They are Rock Climbers, Kayakers, Cyclists, Skiers and Outdoor Adventurers who enjoy keeping their customers' gear functioning, and out of landfills.
Patagonia, with sales last year of $298M, is noted internationally for its commitment to product quality and environmental activism. Its Environmental Grants Program has contributed over $30M to grassroots environmental activists since the program began in 1985, and its Environmental Internship Program allows employees to work for environmental groups while receiving their full paycheck. Incorporating environmental responsibility in to product development, the company has, since 1996, used only organically-grown cotton in its clothing line, and its most recent launch of synthetic fiber-to-fiber recycling – taking back its worn-out clothing and reincarnating it as new products, forever capturing the petroleum used in making virgin fiber. Known for a unique corporate culture, the company has been recognized for many years by Working Mother magazine as one of the “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers,” and is a regular recipient of recognition by Fortune and Human Resources Management magazine as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work for in America.”
