The World's Most Classic Trek Sneaker Just Grew up (EXCLUSIVE)
KEEN, maker of humbly stylish outdoor footwear for two glorious decades, created the ultimate trek shoe when it debuted the Jasper in 2008. Now, 16 years later, the Jasper has turned into the tremendously stylish adventure sneaker it was always meant to be.
The KEEN Jasper Zionic is a quietly cool remix of the classic Jasper, itself finding deserved life amidst a new generation of folks fascinated by outdoorsy style.
Finally, the snub-nosed lace-to-toe masterpiece has earned a deserved style-conscious following. The Jasper really grew into its bulbous good looks, but only because it was so far ahead of the curve.
It's kinda like how it took time for younger shoppers to find their way back to sandals initially designed for campsite comfort — if you build it (and make it rock-solid stylish), they will come.
We are in the era of running companies designing the world's best-looking sneakers, after all: About time we all came around to acknowledging that the OG adventure brands make the best trek gear.
Available on KEEN's website for $150, KEEN's Jasper Zionic transforms the Jasper in subtle, meaningful ways, infusing the old-school stunter with the technical appeal of KEEN's more contemporary Zionic sneaker.
The Jasper doesn't need much improvement, to be fair. Its rotund profile and deliberately untrendy design renders it timelessly cool, with real-world tech granting the shoe an air of authenticity. But it still has that 2008 charm.
The Jasper Zionic lives in 2024. It retains that core appeal but swaps out some key details with purpose.
For instance, the sole is now cut in a more angular design that is no less useful while the upper has been streamlined into a sort of runner-meets-hiker hybrid.
The unassumingly crunchy appeal of the single-toned suede upper is intact, interrupted by a longer mudguard that further smooths out an already semi-sleek sneak.
As a result, the Jasper Zionic is a trek-friendly sneaker that's actually quite stylish. Ordinarily, when outdoor brands attempt to warp their icons into running shoe shapes, you end up with a freakish Frankenstein that epitomizes neither timelessness nor newfound cool.
But, of course, KEEN knows better.
