Archive for 2012
1 Piece, 3 Ways: Lovely Layers
It’s a coat, it’s a sweater, it’s as cozy as that snuggie we bought a few years ago as a gag and really don’t wear. Really.
Introducing the Chunky Long Cardigan — featuring super soft merino wool and a super stylish cable knit pattern. In a classic charcoal color that compliments everything from colorful tights to animal prints, the cardigan is a great choice for those days when you want winter warmth without heavy jacket bulk. See?
For more ideas on how to style the season’s best boots and jackets, check out our entire 1 piece, 3 ways gallery.
Give Your Feet Something to be Thankful For
Packing up for the long holiday weekend? Throw a pair of Earthkeepers Radler Camp boots in your bag – they’re lightweight, toasty warm and take up next-to-no room, thanks to their zip-together design. Best of all, they’ll take you from food coma on the couch to brisk walk around the block (you know you should) without missing a step.
The Radler Camp boot comes in a variety of colors and patterns for men, women and kids. Take your pick here.
Classic Boot, Feminine Style: The ‘Nadège Winter x Timberland’ Collection
“Fresh and girly” are probably not be the first words that come to mind when you think of Timberland’s classic 6-inch boot, but Parisian style icon Nadège Winter might just change that. She’s been working in collaboration with our Timberland team in Europe and UK-based charity TRAID to design a cute, contemporary version that combines classic boot heritage with colorful, feminine style.
The limited edition ‘Nadège Winter x Timberland’ collection is available in selected stores across the UK, France, Italy and Benelux.
9 Days, 4,000 Bags, 1 Amazing Experience
Fresh from the bayou, Team Timberland’s Erica Sarcione shares her final thoughts with us about her week-long service sabbatical as part of In Good Company — a partnership of businesses committed to making a difference through hands-on volunteerism for communities in need. Erica and her fellow service warriors spent their week working on wetlands restoration to help stabilize a fragile barrier island in south Louisiana, where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico.
Where the River meets the Gulf. Courtesy of In Good Company.
Well, we did it!!! Lots of time, energy, effort and care was put in over the last 9 days extended to the wetlands restoration project. Many thanks to our partners, Restore the Earth Foundation and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries.
Our accomplishements:
· We packed over 1,000 Gulf Saver Bags with 22,000 pounds of composted humus.
· We moved 4,000 Gulf Saver Bags from barge to boat and from boat to beach.
· We planted a total of 15,000 native plants (Black Mangrove, Smooth Cord Grass, Marshay Grass, Black Needle Rush Grass).
· All in all, we planted approximately 5+ acres!
Our efforts will help to stabilize a fragile ecosystem, add valuable wildlife habitat, and strengthen a much-needed hurricane buffer.
It was an amazing week and I feel privileged to have been chosen for this incredible journey. I am truly a different person because of this experience, and look forward to making more of a difference in this world going forward. I’d also like to send a heartfelt thank you to all the amazing people I met along the way! I will NEVER forget you!
- Erica
In Good Company 2012
We’re proud to support In Good Company and individuals like Erica willing to give their time and energy to projects like this. To learn more about In Good Company and the good work this year’s team did in Louisiana, visit their Facebook page.
Don’t Hate the Player, Love His Style
It’s the Diamonds against the Camos in an extreme (and extremely stylish) game of capture the flag, featuring the Men’s Fall / Winter 2012 collections for Opening Ceremony and OC & Timberland. If only all outdoor sports were this much fun to watch:
ON YR MRK from Opening Ceremony on Vimeo.
Thanks and congrats to our friends at Opening Ceremony for producing this fine short film. To find your own game-day uniform, check out Opening Ceremony’s website and the OC & Timberland collection.
Mark McNairy x Timberland = Classic Style, Redefined
When asked about style, fashion designer Mark McNairy says, “Either you got it or you don’t.” It doesn’t get much more simple than that.
Whether you’re a style “have” or “have-not,” there’s something for you in the new McNairy x Timberland Collection, featuring 2 interpretations of our classic 6-inch boot and a camouflage field boot. (If you’re not naturally stylish, take our word for it – you want these in your closet.)
Here’s McNairy himself to share his thoughts about the collaboration, his personal style, and how the two come together in this Timberland collection:
In Good Company Takes to the Air
Part of the joy of putting in hard effort is seeing its impact — and that’s exactly what Timberland service sabbatical participants Erica Sarcione and Kerri Hewatt did. Erica and Kerri are spending this week in Louisiana working on a wetlands restoration project with In Good Company – a partnership of businesses committed to making a difference through hands-on volunteerism for communities in need.
The In Good Company crew took time out from filling, hauling and planting 4,000 “Gulf Saver” bags (biodegradable bags filled with native plants and grasses that, when planted, help to stabilize areas of rapid erosion) to get a bird’s eye view of the area and their work. Erica captured the experience to share with us:
Up we go!
Nothing but smiles mid-flight
Bird's eye view of our job site
Erica reports, “That was an AWESOME day. You really can’t 100% grasp the size and beauty of this place until you see it from above. I hope by the pictures you can appreciate the importance of these wetlands and understand the need to do everything we can to save them. There’s so much at stake here!”
With their week-long service experience winding down, we wish safe travels to the entire In Good Company team and look forward to posting final thoughts and photos from Erica and Kerri when they return.
Beauty in the Eye of the Bootholder: David Hellqvist
We’ve invited some of the most influential stylists, menswear designers and editors to guest-write for us here on the Bootmakers Blog. Here’s David Hellqvist, Online Editor at PORT Magazine sharing his thoughts about the history and inspiration that came with his pair of Timberland Abington Work Boots.
Inspiration is in the eye of the beholder. It’s not exactly how the old saying goes, but it is equally true. Especially in all creative fields and when there’s a journalist (me) involved, interpreting and translating what we see, trying to reference pieces and themes, putting them in a context that I and others will understand. Hopefully.
That’s what happened when I first got my Timberland Abington 6″ Work Boots. In my eyes, the olive suede boots – 6013R if you want the proper colour code – were inspired by US army boots. It was something about how the suede mixed with the British Millerain canvas on the ankles that made me think of the USMC boots, worn by Marines all over the world. Clearly, the Abington appeared to a be a rarified version; the luxe Charles F. Stead suede, the white Vibram soles and subtle piping details made it obvious that this was a boot made for Hackney, not Hanoi.
Initially it was this connection that attracted me to the boots; all quality sportswear have elements of military utility details incorporated at one point. Why? The level of functionality and craftsmanship involved in producing military RAT gear (Rugged All Terrain) is superior. Take away all of the nasty and depressing downsides that comes with the military per definition, and you are left with one of the best sources of sartorial inspiration ever.
But. Having done a bit of research into the Abington 6″ Work Boot I soon realised that its humble beginnings was not a desert battlefield, but a mill in New England. The boot was modeled on the kind of protection gear workers “wore during their long, demanding shifts.” And that was it, my dream of wearing US Marine Crops boots shattered. But then it hit me; after army-influenced equipment, what’s the next best thing? What other category of professionals need and use hardened boots and state of the art protection gear? Workers, the people who gave us workwear!
The history and heritage of these workers go way back; mill towns and factory villages began developing in the Northeastern corner of the US from early to mid 19th century. Centered around New England, the factories manufactured steel products like saws, ploughs, cutlery, axes and guns, but textiles were also a big part of the production line.
It was the men who worked these factories who inspired my boots. And their need of footwear and clothing that kept them safe and dry is as an important source of inspiration today as any army gear, and rightfully so. There’s something noble about going back in time, looking at what honest blue collar artisans wore, and how that can be translated into a 21st century wardrobe. Having read about the factories, I’m fine with wearing New England mill-inspired boots. I can always pick up a pair of Delta Force boots next time around.
8 Days of Gulf Coast Adventure (and Service) — In Good Company
For the past several years, Timberland has been proud to be a part of In Good Company – a partnership of businesses committed to making a difference through hands-on volunteerism for communities in need. Each year, employee volunteers from each of the participating companies gather for a week-long service sabbatical to create a positive impact. This year, Timberland’s representatives are Erica Sarcione, associate product manager at Timberland’s headquarters in Stratham, NH and Kerri Hewatt, assistant store manager for our Timberland Factory Outlet in Commerce, Georgia.
Erica and Kerri are spending this week in Louisiana, working side by side with volunteers from 16 other values-driven companies to help protect and restore parts of the Gulf Coast. Over the course of the week they’ll learn more about the efforts of local nonprofit organizations, meet local activists, and experience plenty of local culture.
Erica and Kerri took a few minutes out of their jam-packed days to update us on what they’re doing and how the experience has been so far:
Everyone’s spirits are high and we’re all eager to get to work — and we have plenty of it ahead of us! We’re planting 4,000 “Gulf Saver” bags in the marsh lands this week (Gulf Savers are biodegradable burlap bags filled with native plants and grasses that are planted to jump start growth and stability in areas of rapid erosion). They lose about a football size piece of land every hour down here – and we’re here to help fix that!
- Erica
Volunteers planting Gulf Saver Bags. Photo courtesy of Restore the Earth Foundation
We are making great progress on our project here in Louisiana. On Sunday, we got a taste of what it’s like to fill the Gulf Saver bags — our team filled 1120 of them! On Monday, we started loading the Gulf Saver bags off of a barge and onto smaller skiffs, then we offloaded them on the shore. Once all the bags were unloaded, we distributed them in intricate patterns and started planting the new grasses and trees. Tomorrow we’ll get a chance to fly over the site and see our work from an aerial point of view.
- Kerri
A beautiful day for wetlands restoration. Photo courtesy of In Good Company
For more real-time updates and phenomenal photos of this week’s volunteers in action, follow the In Good Company page on Facebook. We’ll also be sharing more updates from Kerri and Erica here on the Bootmakers Blog.
In His Boots
Nigel Fisher is a humanitarian and international development expert who has lead relief and recovery efforts with UNICEF for over 20 years in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. He’s done most of his work in a pair of Timberland Fastpacker Boots, circa 1997-98.
Mr. Fisher’s boots have witnessed some truly amazing events, including wading through floods and knee-high mud in 2008 post-cyclone Haiti, through the 2004 post-tsunami rubble of Aceh, Indonesia and the 2010 post-earthquake devastation of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The boots were with Nigel as he visited a UNICEF-supported shelter for girls in Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and again while he trekked across central Afghanistan in 2002 to visit the first schools for girls in remote communities and newly-opened health centres accessible to women for the first time.
These boots have personally encountered tens of thousands of children. If you bear in mind the negotiations undertaken, plans made, operations overseen, assistance delivered, schools built, while they were worn, and the fact that I often negotiated on behalf of UNICEF and many organizations for nationwide emergency or vaccination programs while wearing them, then they have influenced millions of children’s lives.
- Nigel Fisher
Last week, I was honored to be on hand for the induction of Nigel’s boots at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, where they will become part of a permanent collection. I was also delighted to present Nigel with a brand new pair of Timberland hikers, so that he can continue on his humanitarian journey. Nigel’s wife was on-hand to accept as he joined us via satellite from Haiti, where he continues his work in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
You can learn more about Nigel’s inspiring work and the Bata Shoe Museum exhibition in his honor here, and in the UNICEF Canada video below.
