A year after it started selling its handcrafted wool clogs on J.Crew, Stegmann Clogs is officially collaborating on an exclusive line with the specialty apparel chain for the first time.
The 2022 Stegmann x J.Crew lineup features Stegmann’s most popular men’s shoe, the Original 108 Clog, in three colorways exclusive to J.Crew: natural, dark forest and navy.
The clog includes a merino wool felt designed to wrap the foot in comfort, while an anatomically shaped support sole provides support for the feet and back. The support sole is made from a combination of latex and Portugal-sourced cork.
According to Stegmann, the designs fit in with new J.Crew men’s wear creative director Brendon Babenzien’s goal to design clothing that has longevity. Like Stegmann clogs, the new men’s fall collection pieces are meant to be worn year after year. The minimal modern aesthetic of the brand’s shoes can pair with both classic and boho styles.
“Stegmann emphasizes sustainability throughout our production and sourcing, which aligns with J.Crew’s new goals,” said Andy Jacobs, Stegmann USA president. “We also love creating shoes people can wear for years, even decades. J.Crew’s reputation for creating long-lasting classics made it an easy partnership for us.”
With the new collection, J.Crew carries a total of six of Stegmann men’s shoes online, including the three from last year’s release. The EcoWool Clog is available in two natural wool colors, Stonesheep and Juraschaf. These sustainably sourced heritage wools are native to alpine regions near Stegmann’s carbon-neutral productional facility in Tyrol, Austria.
The Stonesheep upper is a multi-tonal grey, made with wool from Tyrolean Stone sheep of Austria, and the Juraschaf upper is a rich dark brown, made from the wool of Juraschaf sheep of Switzerland. The Original 108 in Graphite is also featured in the 2021 J.Crew lineup.
Paired with a renewable cork footbed, the 134-year-old Austrian brand says its shoes are some of the most sustainably produced in the world.
The collection’s production financially supports heritage sheep breeds and their farmers as a part of the brand’s species preservation initiative. The initiative is a collaborative effort between the brand’s Austrian and American branches to support sheep breeders in Tyrol and other parts of Europe who breed endangered species.
As the farmers continue to raise rare breeds of sheep and alpaca and collect wool in the shearing process, they send the raw materials to Stegmann’s carbon-neutral, chemical-free and zero-waste production line in Austria. Stegmann says any wool lost in cutting and knitting is recycled, while smart thermal management equipment recycles heat produced during manufacturing.
Stegmann’s new J.Crew collection comes as the company furthers its ambitions in the U.S., where it has sold since the 1980s. The footwear manufacturer has operated an e-commerce site in the U.S. since 2017 and also sells on Amazon.
