Student launches lightweight athletic footwear line
A 24-year-old student has designed his own line of sports footwear and is now marketing and selling his Envi brand shoes through a website.
Corey Rust, from Oregon, US, wanted to design a lightweight shoe to go running in. “What I wanted was a lightweight shoe,” he told local media. “Anything that’s heavy drives me crazy. It just seems that (weight) adds more to what you’re doing as a runner. I took a minimalist approach.”
Available in six colors, Envi shoes have a sharp, yet unflashy design and – the aspect Rust is most proud of – lack of bulk.
Featuring a mesh-with-leather-overlay design, the Envi shoe weighs about 228 grams. Which is less, according to Mr Rust, than comparable shoes from brands such as Nike and Asics.
Mr Rust left the traction design to the factory in China with whom he contracts; the rest of it is his. “I designed the upper part of the shoe,” he said.
Aside from the weight, Mr Rust concentrated on a shoe that provides plenty of room and ventilation, features that keep sweat and moisture from the foot and sock.
“Technically, there’s not a lot to it,” he said. “It’s a basic shoe design. There’s optimal padding around the ankle, eight millimetres of cushion in the heel portion. I deliberately chose the materials because of those qualities – flexibility and durability. It’s not going to wear out in six months.”
Mr Rust received his first shipment of 130 pairs of Envi in early December 2010. He’s been selling them through the Envi website, a Facebook site and word of mouth.
