Christopher Raeburn on Timberland’s GreenStride Fall 2021 Collection
Timberland revealed its GreenStride fall collection on Thursday, and the waterproof boots are ready for just about anything nature can throw its way.
The fall 2021 collection touts the brand’s GreenStride innovation, named so for its blend of 75 percent renewable sugar cane and natural rubber.
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“The real key is we’re really going for a broad range,” Timberland creative director Christopher Raeburn said in an interview with WWD. “We see [GreenStride as] a big part of us cementing Timberland’s absolute ownership of the boot, and of course, the culture that goes alongside it.”
Styles range in price from $150 to $170 with GreenStride Solar Ridge men’s waterproof hikers being the first to hit stores and online. The rest of the styles will follow in October, including GreenStride TBL Originals Ultra waterproof men’s boots, GreenStride Edge waterproof boots for men and women and GreenStride Ray City women’s waterproof boots. Shoes in the collection feature Timberdry linings which are made with 50 percent recycled plastic. For the footwear uppers, Timberland used its “Better Leather,” so-dubbed for being sourced from gold (highest level) or silver-rated tanneries designated by the Leather Working Group.
To celebrate the launch, Timberland held an event Wednesday night and handpicked an array of change agents for its campaign. Journalist and filmmaker Sophia Li, Ghetto Gastro culinary collective cofounder Jon Gray, London-based birdwatching collective Flock Together and Los Angeles-based methodical creative Rickey Y Kim (aka RYK), as well as self-dubbed “botanical sculptor,” Olivia Rose, are among the campaign stars.
This summer, Timberland teased its spring 2022 Trekker city hiking shoe — a shoe designed for disassembly. While GreenStride is not quite ready for disassembly, Raeburn spoke to what’s on the horizon.
“We’ve got things coming through, just for complete transparency,” said Raeburn. “At the moment, for GreenStride it’s a focus on getting the sole units right, the materials right, but it’s a step toward where we want to be going. That’s the key thing about this, we are completely transparent. We’re not by any means saying this is the answer to everything.”
The brand is working with take-back partner ReCircled to accomplish the scale disassembly of select ranges. From a top-level view, the brand committed to carbon neutrality by 2030, by establishing a supply chain with a “net positive impact” on the planet.
“One of the things I’m proud of is Timberland, and VF as a whole, is investing in [sustainability and innovation],” Raeburn said. “It’s going to be making a difference.”
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