Vancouver-based SOLE launches the Jasper Chukka—a shoe as comfy as it is sustainable to its core.
The insole company SOLE has released a truly industry-shaking shoe with decidedly earth-friendly materials—including the debut of a midsole substitute for petrochemical-based foam.
The Jasper Chukka combines a slipper-like fit with the stability and springy comfort of its new ReCORK Recycled Cork midsole.
The story starts more than 20 years ago—on an old cottage floor, of all places. SOLE CEO Mike Baker noticed the quality and feel of a cork floor even after 60 years of high-impact use. After some research on the sustainability of cork, he was determined to work with this resilient material that everyone knew but few recognized the multi-use potential of.
Tapping that potential would prove to be a protracted process. First, Baker and his fledgling company needed the raw (repurposed) material. To this end, SOLE launched the ReCORK program in 2008 to collect and recycle wine corks from kitchens, bars, restaurants and events across North America. Thus began the long, one-cork-at-a-time process of establishing a network of ReCORK Collection Partners to join the mission to divert cork from landfills, where it clearly doesn’t belong.
Post-consumer cork is a flexible, lightweight, durable and impact-absorbing alternative to midsole foam that’s also carbon-negative (i.e., it removes more carbon from the atmosphere than it adds). Virgin petrochemical foam, on the other hand, is carbon-intensive, not biodegradable and usually ends up in a landfill (or worse) at the end of its life.
Complementing the cork midsole is a suite of other eco-based materials converging in perfect harmony for your feet. The Jasper Chukka offers a ‘cozy sweater’ feel thanks to the quilted upper that combines two high-performance natural fibers: Merino wool and upcycled bison fur. Together these materials provide temperature regulation, moisture wicking and antimicrobial properties.
We can vouch for the shoe’s favourite-slipper comfort that never overheats. Imagine if that slipper could also offer stability thanks to an immersive footbed (SOLE’s signature Supportive Shape that you’ll know if you’ve used their insoles).
Unlike a classic chukka boot, the SOLE Jasper Chukka also boasts a natural rubber outsole that adds durability and reliable grip—and uses seven times less energy to produce than petroleum-based rubber. (Plus: Rubber trees are repeat-harvested for up to 25 years and sequester a lot of carbon during their lifetime.)
The Jasper Chukka serves as an everyday shoe for just about any occasion. It is casual but carries a slightly upmarket feel with its chukka/desert boot heritage. We’re finding no shortage of opportunities to wear it for walks on the trail (nothing too rocky or steep) to errands in town to stowed in our trip luggage (the upper flattens for easy packing).
“For a long time innovation in footwear has focused only on comfort and performance, with sustainability being an afterthought. With the Jasper Chukka we set out to prove that all three can go hand-in-hand,” says Mike Baker. “Sustainability doesn’t need to be your top priority to choose this shoe; once you feel it on your feet you’ll never want to take it off.”
BONUS: Editor’s Pick
Our West Coast editor weighs in…
Full disclosure: I use SOLE footbeds in my hiking boots and my skateboard shoes. I wear them in my custom-made leather loafers that used to kill my feet after about an hour, and in my 30-year-old dress shoes (five-hole Doc Martins!) that I mostly only wear to weddings and fancy events but they need to be comfy because of all the dancing. The footbeds are incredible, so I know SOLE understands foot physiology…but do they understand shoes?
Apparently, yes. Because, as stated, this Jasper Chukka shoe is comfy as heck and I don’t own, nor have I seen, another shoe exactly like it. Certainly, my historically floppy ankles won’t see me wearing this shoe while hiking with a pack over root-and-rocky terrain, and I prefer more upper support (and a lower sole) in a skate shoe. But for general walking around—in town or the bush—these shoes deliver. Comfy, not too hot, and the Merino-bison uppers actually keep the water out quite well when you accidentally stumble into the creek whilst trying to nail the product photo with your phone (on timer) propped up against a rock. That back foot was almost fully submerged and my sock stayed dry.
The elastane laces, the sustainable materials and the Canadian-company street cred definitely help make this a hit, but it really all comes down to comfort and usability. I’m stoked on this shoe.
~ Feet Banks, Editor, ML Coast Mountains
More about SOLE’s materials here.
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