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Dune founder Daniel Rubin launches sustainable trainer brand

Lauretta Roberts
03 May 2022

Dune founder Daniel Rubin has launched a sustainable trainer brand Lerins, inspired by the unspoilt Lérins Islands, located off the coast of the French Riviera.

The collection, designed in London and manufactured in Portugal, puts a directional and sustainable twist on the retro-inspired court trainer and offers 10 styles for men and women.

Lerins sets out to combine style and comfort and "joins the dots between modern styling and socially and environmentally conscious crafting techniques".

Rubin is the fourth generation of his family to work in the footwear industry and is known as the founder of major footwear chain Dune, which he established in 1992 and now has 350 stores globally.

Prior to establishing Dune, Rubin owned a factory in London for over a decade creating women’s fashion shoes, whilst designing, importing, and wholesaling fashion footwear for 20 years.

He said of his latest venture: “One thing my experience has shown me is making shoes is a complex business - there are well over one hundred processes in the manufacture of footwear. My mission is to make shoes in a more sustainable way.

"Leather, although a bi-product of the food industry, requires the use of lots of water and chemicals to be produced. I was determined, with Lerins, to address these challenges and make my shoes in a more environmentally and socially responsible way.”

Lerins’ leather is produced to a gold standard in certified "Leather Working Group" tanneries where the provenance of the raw material is known and approved, and the use of water and chemicals tightly controlled.

Vegan leather is supplied by Lerins’ Italian partner, Vegea. Made from the grape skins left over from wine making, it is combined with vegetal oils and natural fibres to make a durable and leather-like product. There is also a leather and canvas option with the canvas crafted from recycled sea plastic. Laces are made of organic cotton and soles from recycled and virgin rubber.

All packaging is recyclable, compostable or biodegradable and wherever possible and the brand is also a corporate partner of the World Land Trust charity, supporting international reforestation initiatives.

Prices start at £130 and the collection is available online.

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