Outdoor footwear company Keen is branching out into the walking shoe segment.
The Portland, Oregon-based company recently announced the WK400, a curved shoe designed “to make walking more enjoyable and fun,” Keen said in a release.
The shoe design came about after Rory Fuerst Jr., Keen’s global product innovation creative director, was injured skiing and couldn’t walk for months.
“Walking brought him out of his fog and saved his life,” according to a news release. “This experience inspired him to share the power of walking with the world and has served as the catalyst for Keen’s latest innovation.”
Fuerst worked with another footwear designer to create a shoe with a curved sole that the company says “makes walking feel like rolling.”
“Before I wrecked my leg I never really thought about walking,” Fuerst said in a release. “It was just something you did to get places. It wasn’t until I couldn’t do it anymore and my whole life was turned upside down that I realized what walking meant to me – and us, as humans.”
Available for $165, the WK400 shoe comes in four colors across men’s- and women’s-specific fits.
The WK400 is available for purchase from Keen and at select sporting goods retailers.
