May 01, 2007
Ahnu's Tidlen and Benecia Shoes
Footwear
By Megan Michelson
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Ahnu's Tidlen and Benecia Shoes
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You should know that I'm not usually obsessed with shoes. I'm not one of those girls who buys a new pair of sandals when I'm having a bad day, and my closet is more New Balance than Manolo Blahnik. That said, I'm officially crazy about a new brand of footwear that just hit stores April 1. The company's called Ahnu, which is the goddess of balance and well being in Celtic mythology. The name fits, too. Slide these shoes on and you feel like you're walking barefoot on a squishy pile of green moss.
First, I tried the Tilden, which is its multi-sport sandal (in both men's and women's), made from charred bamboo and recycled polyester. I strapped it on for a trip to the put-in on New Mexico's Rio Grande, wearing it down to the river, where I bounded over boulders and waded into
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the chilly water before getting into my kayak. It's got an anti-microbial lining (read: no stink for victims of sweaty feet syndrome), and decent enough arch support to handle long-term wear. Thanks to huge vents and breathable mesh siding, my feet didn't overheat on the hike down. The best part? You can slip it on and off using one hand to pull and lock the lace system and clasping buckle. Downside: I wouldn't recommend this shoe for any serious trekking—the traction on the rubber sole stuck for mellow scrambling, but it wasn't something I'd feel comfortable taking too far off trail.
After boating, I slipped on my second pair of Ahnus, the Benecia (only available in women's styles). The company calls this a fashionable street shoe with the support of an athletic sneaker. This particular model comes in three colors (black, tapestry, and my personal favorite, chili pepper), and the upper is a mix of buttery suede and ultra breathable mesh. Kudos to the anti-slip carbon rubber outsole and the super-comfy arch support. Again, you can slip them on with one hand—an attribute of all Ahnus, in fact, which insiders say is a result of the product designer recovering from a shoulder injury while he was working on the spring line. I recommend wearing these kicks without socks—after sporting the Benecias for a week straight to work and around town, I don't have any blisters and they smell, well, only faintly of feet. I'm officially calling these shoes my townies: They look as good with jeans as they do with yoga pants.
By now you're probably thinking I'm in denial about not being one of those girls who's obsessed with shoes, and you may be right. But one last thing you must know about Ahnus before I start filling my closet with them: The company is all about social and environmental responsibility. They're a corporate member of the Conservation Alliance, they use recycled material for all their packaging, and—get this—REI is a key investor in the company, but any profits that REI makes will be donated to an outdoor cause of Ahnu's choosing. Now that's something worth being obsessed about.
Tilden, $90; Benecia, $80; ahnufootwear.com
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