Dune founder launches premium sustainable brand Lerins

A new premium footwear brand is debuting in the UK with Lerins — launched by Dune founder Daniel Rubin and "Inspired by the unspoilt Lérins Islands off the French Riviera” — unveiled on Tuesday.

The new label for both women and men focuses on “sustainable trainers”, all designed in London and made in Portugal from materials sourced in Europe.

It avoids claiming to be fully sustainable but said it’s “busy working on that” and is “committed to making every effort to become as sustainable as possible”, as well as being as transparent as it can.

Launching this month, the shoes retail at £130 via www.lerinslondon.com.

The company said it “puts a directional and sustainable twist on the retro-inspired court trainer. Combining optimal comfort with trend-led style credentials, Lerins is introduced with 10 options and in a palette of in-style shades including muted camel and vibrant green”.

It added that the label “joins the dots between modern styling and socially- and environmentally-conscious crafting techniques, without compromising comfort or quality”.

Rubin, the fourth generation of his family to be involved in manufacturing footwear, founded Dune 30 years ago and said of his new 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.”

He added that his 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”.

The leather used in the new products 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. 

It’s also using vegan leather supplied by Italian partner Vegea that’s made from the grape skins left over from wine-making. This is combined with vegetal oils and natural fibres to make a durable and leather-like product. 

The line-up comes with a leather and canvas option too and the the canvas used is created from recycled sea plastic. Meanwhile, shoelaces are made of organic cotton and soles from recycled and virgin rubber. 

The sustainability element extends to the packaging that’s fully recyclable, compostable or biodegradable and and has featured energy efficient processes in its logistics and operations “wherever possible”.