Kit review: the new UNEEK sandal from KEEN

Created from two cords and a sole, KEEN have created what they call 'open air footwear', also known as the UNEEK sandal. We asked outdoor blogger Sian Lewis to put a pair to the test 

Outdoor footwear mavericks KEEN have created a rather different type of shoe and it’s very well named. The UNEEK is crafted from just two lengths of quick-drying paracord and a grippy rubber sole, making it a great companion on wild swims and rock-pooling excursions, but they look and feel the part for a stroll around the park, or a gander to the shops, too.

The two-cord design is pleasingly simple – one knots around your foot like a cage and the other draws the whole shoe tight, moulding to the shape of your foot. The adjustable fit and light, breathable materials might even trick you into feeling like you’re barefoot, while still providing plenty of support and structure. Just don’t tug the cords too tight, or you’ll end up with the ghosts of your stripy sandals imprinted on your feet.

Subtle the UNEEKs are not. They want the world to know that you are outdoorsy and different and probably know a lot about bungees and parachute cords. If you can stand strangers approaching you to discuss your interesting footwear and you love to suddenly plunge into water without warning, these could be your perfect summer kicks. 

Watch the video below for more about the invention of the UNEEK sandal - made without glue, stitches or seams, the design uses only two materials for the upper and is made to fit your feet perfectly.

UNEEK sandals, £89.99, keenfootwear.com. For more about the story behind KEEN, read our Q&A in the Ernest directory.

 

Sian Lewis is online editor of Countryfile Magazine and an award-winning outdoor blogger at thegirloutdoors.co.uk

Introducing: Not Another Bill

We caught up with Not Another Bill founder Ned Corbett-Winder to ask about the joy of sending surprise gifts through the post

What's the idea behind Not Another Bill?

Not Another Bill is built on the premise that no one gets anything good in the post any more, other than bills and the odd pizza menu. Our aim is to make everyone's letter box a more exciting place, while at the same time introducing our subscribers to new designers, artists and creatives. Each month our subscribers receive a beautifully wrapped and carefully curated surprise present in the post. We work with a handful of brands to produce bespoke and exclusive products, which cannot be found on the high street.

Tell us about some of the recent gifts you've sent out to subscribers. Any particular favourites?

We've had a really exciting year, and we were lucky enough to work with some of our favourite brands. With such a broad subscriber base our gifts have ranged from mirrors to stationery, candles to card holders. One of our stand out collaborations of last year was working with Tom Dixon – we are big fans of his work as well as having a slight brass obsession, so his Golden Ruler and Brass clips were great for our stationery aficionados. Other favourites include jewellery brand Fairley, woollen gloves from Hikaru Noguchi, HK Living homewares and a pigeon post themed scarf from Karen Mabon.

What's important to you?

We think it's important to introduce our subscribers to designers that are sourced from far and wide. Why should we send something that could be found in any design store? We focus on the curation of our postal surprises, and work on overall themes that will fit in with our subscribers' personal preferences. The collaboration element of our brand is really important to us too, as it means that we are able to work closely with individual designers to create exclusive gifts each month. 

Any exciting new collaborations coming up this year?

We have got a very exciting year lined up, with collaborations sourced from all over the world  – from both big brands and small studios. Although we would love to share with our followers what gifts await them this year, we simply can't ruin the surprise. All we can say is watch this space...

What's on your bedside table?

Aside from the erratic scrawled notes of late night ideas and planning, my bedside table houses an alarm clock to ensure I'm at N.A.B headquarters on time, a scented candle from our collaboration with Yolke, a selection of books I'm forever trying to find the time to read and of course, Ernest Journal. 

Check out these recent gifts from Not Another Bill, now available to purchase through their site:

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Brass bottle opener, £28
The essential tool with a sleek, geometric twist. In collaboration with Danish brand Ferm Living.

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Brass cufflinks, £28
"Inspired by architectural design and lots of graph paper." Made in collaboration with Scottish brand Tom Pigeon.

Leather document folder, £25
"A document wallet to give you 10/10 in the board room." Made from recycled leather, in collaboration with Undercover.

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Nautical plates, £28
"A nautical-inspired kitchen set to keep your table looking ship shape". Scrimshaw set designed by New York-based Thomas Paul

Not Another Bill are offering Ernest readers £5 off any subscription plan – just quote code 'ernest5' when ordering. This is a sponsored blog post, created in collaboration with Not Another Bill. For more information on partnerships and joining our directory please email advertise@ernestjournal.co.uk.

Review: Smith The Roll Pack

Ernest editor Jo tests out the first in Millican's new Mavericks range: Smith the Roll Pack is a simple, functional bag made with lightweight weatherproof canvas. Neat enough for the city, tough enough for the great outdoors, he's a worthy companion for those who like to mix work and adventure

Ernest editor Jo testing Smith on the Isles of Scilly. Photo: Oliver Berry

I’ve been a fan of Millican bags ever since they launched back in 2009. Trusty Dave the Rucksack has accompanied me on wintery trips to Iceland and Norway, as well as wild swimming rambles in Montenegro and many a muddy festival. Along the way I’ve overstuffed him, sat on him and quite possibly used him as a pillow. I'm proud to say he's taking it all in his stride and there’s barely a scratch on him.

So having followed Millican for the past six years, I was intrigued when they previewed their new Mavericks collection in our second print edition (p106-107). Smith the Roll Pack is the first in the Mavericks line and it looks like he’s taken the makers in a new direction.

Before I introduce Smith, here's a quick introduction: Lake District based Millican use sustainable materials to make functional bags for travel and outdoor living. Their thoughtfully designed bags are made with specialist canvas fabrics, minimum plastic and recycled materials and are intended for lifelong use. They named their company after local Lake District legend Millican Dalton, who left a conventional life in the 1900s to live in a cave in Borrowdale, finding all he needed (apart from decent coffee) in nature. Oh and they name their bags after their Lakeland heroes. Dave is a local farmer and (Andy) Smith is a mountain biking creative fellow who's just taken over an abandoned carpet factory and turned it into a community space for local artists and craftspeople. A hero indeed. 

Millican has pared down their design for Smith. The bag is constructed simply, using just a few panels of lightweight and weatherproof Bionic® Canvas (57% recycled and 30% stronger than regular canvas). This modest design aims to reduce production waste, with minimal seams for maximum strength and durability. The canvas is impregnated rather than coated with weatherproof wax, to keep the weight down and the rain out, and to retain that tactile canvas feel. He also has everything else you’d expect: padded ergonomic shoulder straps, removable waist straps for cycling and a breathable back panel – as well as nice aluminum buckles. Plus, I hate to say this sort of thing, but he’s also got a rather pleasing retro feel. So, moving on…

Smith strikes a good balance between city bag and adventure pack. He’s neat enough for meetings, but tough enough for exploring. Over the past two months, I’ve taken Smith on all of my research trips for our upcoming third issue: hare spotting in the Kent Marshes, meeting makers in Margate and exploring deserted islands in Scilly. I've also used him to cart books, notes and magazines to various cafes around Bristol when I got too restless to work at my desk.

Smith's versatile design makes him ideal for this sort of trip. There’s a concealed 15” padded laptop pocket on one side and a notebook-sized pocket on the other, with space for your phone and pens. The main belly of the bag has more pockets (for magazines, iPad and other important things), but mainly a large expandable space, which was really handy when I needed to stuff in another layer, or chuck in a station-bought supper on the last train home. However, my favourite thing about Smith is the grab handle on top of the bag, which is reinforced with leather and handy for picking the bag up like a pannier when hopping on and off trains. All in all, this is a cracking bag and well recommend for those of you who like to mix work and adventure. 

Millican's Smith The Roll Pack comes as a 18 litre pack for £95 and 25 litre for £110. We tested 18 litre in Rust. For more information, visit the Millican website.

The craft apron: butchery

7th Rise set a simple brief: a comfortable, durable and wipeable butchery apron, with a heritage aesthetic. Francli knew what to do

Together, as part of Francli's Live Projects, Francli and 7th Rise – off-grid outdoor adventure and wild food specialists – have created a multi-functional butchery apron, hard-wearing enough for when gutting, skinning and filleting meat and fish. It needed to be comfortable and versatile to lend protection for other activities such as wood chopping and indoor cooking.

Francli had this to say about their work:

"Our Live Projects are purely explorative and collaborative works fuelled by our fascination and respect for other creatives and outdoor enthusiasts. 

Each project works closely with a creative professional to make bespoke workwear for their chosen craft. This collaborative process of designing, sampling, testing and developing such specific pieces gives us the opportunity to expand our design knowledge and skills. These projects keep us constantly challenged and inspired so that we stay creatively fresh for other areas of our brand, such as our studio design service and craft-wear shop."

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The Francli studio is made up of purely explorative, creative and collaborative projects fuelled by their fascination and respect for other creatives and outdoor enthusiasts. francli.co.uk

A doodle on the wild side

A book that feels like bark, tree-friendly pencils and a journal bound with 19th century botanical charts: this stationery elevates Ernest to new levels of giddiness

1. Tree Friendly Pencils, £4.50

A pencil that claims to be ‘tree friendly’? And quite rightly so. These are made from 100% recycled paper and with their tree-like appearance it’s hoped that each time you use one, you are reminded of how vitally we need our forests.

2. The Art of Instruction Journal, £10.99

We love this sumptuous hardcover journal with vintage botanical charts on the front and back cover, and nine more charts interspersed throughout the pages. These charts were originally illustrated in the late 1800s then updated in the 1950s by German educational arts company Hagemann.

3. Index Sticker Set, £7.95

Keep tabs on your favourite recipes, inspiring quotes or places to explore with these index stickers that come in a choice of leaves or insects. There are three different sizes of sticker with 20 of each design. Happy sticking.

4. Mammalia Wild Animal Pencils, £2.95 each

Kids and grown ups alone will be queuing up to doodle (or create a miniature puppet show) with this collection of mammal themed pencils carved out of bass wood. Available in elephant, bear, lion, tiger, zebra and giraffe. 

5. Tiger Eraser, £8.95

Erasing those unworthy pencil lines just got a whole lot more fun with this colour popping orange tiger eraser. There’s a whole zoo of them available too, from gorillas and rhinos to polar bears.

6. Large Woodpecker Notebook, £10.50

We think this wood effect notebook, of which the covers look and feel like real bark, is rather splendid. We want to hold it, caress it and weep joyfully.  Comes in a variety of bark; ginko, white birch, platanus, pine and white oak.

We curated these nature-themed stationery items from our Directory member Eastern Biological.

This is a sponsored blog post, created in collaboration with Eastern Biological. For more information on partnerships and joining our directory please email advertise@ernestjournal.co.uk.