After 22 years of outdoor performance and hybrid footwear, KEEN’s trail running movement continues to grow with the launch of its dedicated trail running category.
The new category is Seek, the brand’s first trail runner, and its latest innovation, Roam – an adaptive trail runner for gravel, dirt, and road.
“Trail running was a natural progression for KEEN,” said Shaun Bohnsack, VP of performance footwear at KEEN. “We’ve been consciously creating durable, comfortable shoes for the trail for over 22 years – innovating materials and construction methods to get lighter and faster, with less impact on the planet.
“We’re taking that same trail DNA, and our signature durability and comfort, to make trail running more accessible to our fans – creating trail running footwear for different terrain and performance goals.”
KEEN said its innovation team spent nearly two years developing the Seek trail runner – insight that was used to start building out KEEN’s trail running offering. While Seek delivers maximal comfort and pinnacle performance, Roam, the company said its latest release is a versatile, daily trainer that can span all terrain. Both trail running models were Consciously Created with enhanced durability, as they share the same high-abrasion formulation of KEEN.ALL-TERRAIN rubber – independently tested by Heeluxe to be about twice as durable as a typical trail running shoe. They also both offer KEEN’s signature roomy forefoot with plenty of space for toes to naturally splay.
KEEN has been family-owned for over 20 years.
Matt Merko, Director of Insights and Engagement at Keen Canada, said besides its online presence that ships across the country the retailer also has a wholesale presence coast to coast.
“We’re in a lot of the larger outdoor stores I’m sure you’re very familiar with, but we’re also in some of the smaller mom-and-pop shoe stores as well,” he said.
There is not a storefront presence in Canada but the retailer has two in the U.S., in Portland and in Palo Alto, California, and a few overseas in Japan.
“The brand is only 22 years young, which in the grand scheme of footwear is nothing compared to some other brands. We were established in Canada a year after that — so 2005, the tail end of 2005,” said Merko.
“I’m about to be in year 10 with the brand this November. Prior to that, I was with a few other athletic footwear companies. The last 10 years for footwear in general has been such a crazy ride, especially when you throw a pandemic in there and what that does not only for supply chain, but people’s demands, interests, and activities. We’ve really seen it be a rollercoaster.
“Traditionally when we started, it was brown leather hiking boots and sandals that could get wet. That’s where we built our business. But as trends change and style and interests change, people are looking for stuff that’s more colourful, more lightweight, and more versatile. We’ve definitely seen our business evolve, even just from five or six years ago. We’re really just trying to keep up with the demand we’re seeing from our fans.”
Merko said the brand is seasonally diversified. A sandal business does really great in spring and summer. An insulated business does really well when it gets cold.
“We have a lifestyle business that’s a constant right through the season, and hiking is usually spring and fall,” he said.
“What we do see is that seasonality has shifted in terms of timing. If winters are hitting later or summers are starting later, we’re seeing some of that. But the diversity of the business has helped us continue to grow.
“We’re also getting into newer categories. Trail running is a newer one for us. You would think as an outdoor brand we already had a trail running line, but it’s brand new. I think that’s opening doors in terms of new retail categories. The traditional running category, which we really were not in, has opened some doors for us. I would say we’re definitely experiencing very stable growth, and these new categories are helping accelerate that.”
Product development takes place at the Portland, Oregon head office. But there is a lot of regional input, especially when it comes to things like insulated product.
“Nobody knows insulated footwear as well as Canadians. The product teams are really great at getting feedback from all regions in terms of what Canadian fans need, or fans in Japan or Europe. I feel like we have strong input into that, which has been great,” said Merko.
“People don’t know that KEEN is a privately owned company. Some people think it’s part of a larger shoe conglomerate. It’s privately owned and what we call values-led.
“I’ve worked at other footwear brands, and they all talk about being values-led and giving back. My experience at KEEN has been completely different — for the better. The way we build product, the way we give back to the community, the way we help Canadians in disaster response — that was never on anyone’s radar at other footwear companies. With us, it’s different.
“I think that’s why Canadians and fans like us so much. We have this core following. Talking to retail partners, people come in and say, “I just want another pair of size nine Newport sandals.” They don’t want to try them on — they just know that’s their sandal and they’ve had it for many seasons.
“We have a really loyal following, but we’re also getting momentum with younger fans coming to us for the first time. It’s exciting because we have core traditional categories and newer growing categories, and that’s really helping accelerate our business. It’s a fun time. It’s been 10 years, but it’s still super exciting. I still feel like we have a ton of potential and opportunity.”
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