Sneakerheads Jesse Tran and Son Chu are working to help the environment one shoe at a time.
In 2017, the pair found themselves discussing their shared passion for sneakers, eventually delving into the harsh but real impact of the sneaker industry on the global environment. "The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry," Tran, the company's co-founder and CEO, told Cheddar. "We want to change that."
The pair assembled a group of like-minded individuals to produce a vision: a sneaker that was fashionable, yet eco-friendly. Now Rens Original is trying to prove that sustainability doesn't have to be boring.
Rens co-founder and CTO Son Chu said the pair found a hole in the market where fashionable and sustainable shoes intersect. "Sustainable shoes, sustainable apparels were there, but they're not cool for the young generation." So they decided Rens should "be the first in the world that dominates that market.'
Rens Original, dubbed the world's first coffee sneakers, is crafted from coffee grounds and recycled polyester. While using discarded coffee grounds is environmentally friendly, they also have additional qualities that make them useful sneaker material.
"The coffee material actually has really great functions like anti-odor and anti-bacteria for a long time," according to Tran.
The slip-on shoe, which is waterproof, comes in nine different colors, designed with the company's signature hashtag logo on the base of the shoe. Why the hashtag?
"The way we see it, people use hashtags to start a movement or join a great movement. It's a symbol of a community," said Chu.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
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Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
