The Durand comes to Europe

We caught up with innovative outdoor footwear makers KEEN to talk about their new Durand boot and why this pioneering company believes fervently in the future of local manufacturing

Tell us about the Durand boot…

The KEEN Durand WP is a lightweight, durable and comfortable boot that’s proving a hit with hikers. With super grip and shock absorption, they’re perfect for long hikes in the hills, a pacy trek on mixed terrain or more leisurely low level hikes. 

But can it cope with the British weather? We’ve just started naming storms you know…

Of course! Not only does the boot feature a mesh lined nubuck leather upper, we’ve also used our own KEEN.DRY waterproof membrane, so the Durand will ensure your feet stay comfortable and dry whatever the elements have in store. 

Let’s get technical – what is so special about how these boots are made?

The Durand is a resilient boot with unmatched shock absorption and incredible underfoot support. First off, an integrated heel cushion locks directly into the footbed to support the foot while maximising shock absorption, whilst a dual-compound outsole combines two distinct types of rubber – one around the edges to enhance edging and grip, and another in the centre to maximise durability in high-wear areas. 

One of the core technologies we’ve used is our own unique direct-injection technique, which attaches the nubuck leather and breathable mesh membrane directly to the midsole, using polyurethane. This mechanical bond requires less petroleum-based cements, has no volatile chemicals and also delivers long lasting durability and shock absorption.

Why did you decide to move the production process to Europe?

We understand that buying locally-made products and supporting the European economy is important to our customers, so as of autumn/winter 2015, we’re proud to be moving the production of the Durand Mid and Low WP to Europe along with two other new lines – the Liberty Ridge and Durand Polar. Plus, the new European factory will also double as a learning and test centre, where our R&D team can use modern technology to experiment and create high quality, innovative products.

The Durand Mid WP is £139.99 and the Durand Low WP is £124.99 and are available in men's and women's styles.

This is a sponsored blog post, created in collaboration with KEEN. Read more about KEEN and in the Ernest Journal directory.

A lesson in geometry

We go behind the scenes of the new Geometry collection from Alice Made This, featuring cufflinks, lapel pins, bracelets and keyrings inspired by primary shapes, geometric forms, architectural silhouettes and the Golden Ratio

What is in your new Geometry range?

It is a collection of belts, bracelets, lapel pins and keyring in signature metals paired with precise leather work. These new pieces work with a tailored, smart or casual look.

What inspired the collection?

It dwells on my passion for sculpture, architecture and all things primary. Using geometry as a title, and looking to the masters of their time such as Brancussi, Le Corbusier and Josef Albers, we have worked with our industrial techniques to create wearable objects of desire. 

Tell me more about the Golden Ratio.

This new collection is inspired by primary shapes and graphic forms, looking at the precise maths within shapes. Such precision is also prevalent within nature, particularly the Golden Ratio, which occurs naturally in all manner of plants, animals, and natural phenomena. This ‘perfect’ ratio reflects both the Alice Made This focus on precise and refined pieces, and the geometrical influences behind our latest collection.

Tell me a bit about the milling processes used on your Geometry collection.

Geometry is about shapes, whether flat shapes or three dimensional objects, and so some of our new pieces use the process of precision milling to create block shapes. They are precision milled at Qualiturn, a British company with more than 40 years' experience. Milling is a process that dates back to the early 19th century, with the first appearance of milling machines dated between 1814 and 1818. With the advancements in computer technology, milling became computer controlled, and by the late 1980s even small machine shops used CNC (computer numerical control) machine tools. The most advanced CNC machines operate on five axes, adding two more axes to the original XYZ. CNC machines are guided by a program of codes, operated by a single programmer. Precision milling can be used on either large or small scales, from large aircraft components to a belt buckle.

All Ernest Journal readers can receive 15% off their first Alice Made This order with the code 'ERNEST15'.

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

Inside the largest underground temple in the world

Ernest's contributing editor Dr Bramwell explores one of the most fascinating places on the planet: Damanhur, a 1000-strong community who have built the 8th wonder of the world deep inside the Italian Alps.

Introducing a new project from The Odditorium - our regular collaborator at Wilderness Festival, who also produce a cracking podcast exploring the fringes of culture. Odditorium TV is "a unique and genre-defying channel that combines the gritty documentary-style of Adam Curtis with Cyril Fletcher from That's Life."

In episode one, Dr Bramwell visits Damanhur, a 1000-strong community who secretly built The Temples of Humankind - an underground temple complex larger than St Paul's Cathedral. They've also invented a fully functioning time machine, taught plants to sing and they do their shopping in Atlantis.

Subscribe to Odditorium TV on YouTube for the next episode, read the book The No.9 Bus to Utopia, published by Unbound; or visit drbramwell.com for more about the good doctor's projects.

 

Pickled toads and dodo bones

London’s Natural History Museum is considered one of the world’s greatest repositories of objects pertaining to the natural world – but it’s not the capital’s only such collection. Although tiny by comparison, the Grant Museum of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy at University College London offers its own unique take on natural curiosities

© UCL Grant Museum of Zoology/Matt Clayton

The Grant Museum was established in 1828 by Scotsman Robert Edmond Grant (1793–1874), one of the foremost biologists of his time. A year earlier he had been made the first Professor of Comparative Anatomy at the newly-founded London University – now University College London (UCL) – where he quickly identified the need for a teaching collection of zoological specimens. This formed the basis for what would become the museum and on his death Grant bequeathed his own personal collection of specimens to it. Since then, further donations have been made by other universities, hospitals and even London Zoo.

In 2011, the museum was moved from the Darwin Building on the UCL campus (Grant influenced the young Charles Darwin, who once occupied a house on the site) to new premises in the Rockefeller Building at 21 University Street in Bloomsbury (WC1E 6DE). The entrance to the museum today is suitably adorned with the skeletons of a walrus, a baboon and a giant iguanodon beyond which can be found over 60,000 zoological specimens, many preserved in glass vials and jars. As such the museum is probably not for the squeamish.

To the untrained eye, the exhibits might at first appear disorganised but on closer inspection you will notice they are carefully categorised into evolutionary groups. The entire animal kingdom is represented here from jars of humble earthworms and pickled toads to monkey skeletons and huge elephant skulls. The curled up skeleton of a 250-kilo anaconda is particularly memorable!

© UCL Grant Museum of Zoology/Matt Clayton

Among the exhibits are some real oddities. Take for example the enormous skull of a Giant Deer (Megaloceros giganteus), which was discovered unexpectedly in an Irish hotel. Once a denizen of Europe and Asia, the Giant Deer’s last refuge 10,000 years ago was Ireland, giving rise to the misleading name of Irish Elk. Then there is a skeleton of the extinct Quagga, a partially-striped sub-species of Plains Zebra hunted to extinction during the 1870s. It had long been in the museum but was only identified in 1981. The box of Dodo bones, an extinct flightless bird so famous it has entered modern English parlance (hence “dead as a Dodo”), was stored away for a century before being rediscovered in 2011. And don’t overlook the fossilised remains of Rhamphorhynchus. This Jurassic-era pterosaur was assumed to be a plaster cast until it turned out to be the real thing. Definitely a cast but no less interesting for that is an example of Archaeopteryx, believed by some to represent the missing link between saurian reptiles and birds.

Sometimes perceived as an essentially Victorian collection, the Grant Museum of Zoology is frequented today not only by university students but also schoolchildren, artists and other curious visitors. Accordingly the museum’s innovative temporary displays are designed to be of interest to a non-professional audience. As a nod to modernity visitors are encouraged to share their opinions of the museum on iPads positioned alongside the exhibits.

Grant Museum of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy (WC1E 6DE), University College London, Rockefeller Building, 21 University Street, Mon–Sat 1–5pm

Getting there: Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan lines to Euston Square; Northern line to Goodge Street; Northern, Victoria lines to Warren Street

This feature is adapted from Duncan JD Smith’s new book Only in London: A Guide to Unique Locations, Hidden Corners and Unusual Objects, published by The Urban Explorer. Existing titles in the Only In series cover Berlin, Budapest, Cologne, Hamburg, Munich, Paris, Prague, Vienna and Zurich. Find out more at onlyinguides.com and duncanjdsmith.com

Weekend project: Hawberry Ketchup

You say tomato, we say hawberry. Treat your chips to a tangy alternative dip this autumn.

Photos by Lyndsey Haskell

The fruit of a hawthorn tree - haws - are abundant at this time of year. In fact, once you recognise these tart, bright red berry-like fruits, you’ll start to see more of them than even the ubiquitous blackberry. The haws of the Common Hawthorn (the name ‘haw’ originates from the Old English term for hedge) are edible but taste rather like over-ripe apples. This tartness, however, makes for a delightfully tangy condiment and you only need 500g to make a couple of bottles of ketchup. Here our most recent stockist, Lyndsey from What You Sow shares her recipe for this autumnal treat. 

The leaves, berries and flowers of hawthorn are used in traditional medicine to treat diseases of the heart and blood and digestive complaints. Seek medical advice before consuming the berries if you have a cardiac or circulatory disorder and always make sure you are 100% sure of a plant’s identity when foraging.

You will need

• 500g haws

• 300ml apple cider vinegar

• 300ml water

• 150g light brown sugar

• Salt and pepper

How to make it

• Remove all stalks and leaves.

• Wash haws. 

• Place haws in a pan and bring to the boil with the vinegar and 300ml water. Simmer for 30 minutes until soft.

• Push the fruit through a sieve to make a puree. Discard the skins and pips.

• Put the puree back into the pan. Add the sugar and allow to dissolve. Simmer for 5 more mins. 

• Decant into sterilised bottles and enjoy.