Styling Tips for the Trendy Hiking Look

It’s all over town: The next hot trend on the street is hiking boots. Rustic, robust, ankle-high, laced up and with a coarse grip sole – wearing them you can casually hike through town and country. Correctly read: even in the city, the comfortable boats are quite impressive. If you combine your hiking boots in cool way…

Two Stylish Ways to Wear Your Hiking Boots

Casual with Jeans  …

The combination of jeans and hiking boots is certainly something you can come up with even without styling advice. But pay attention to the details: for a cool rustic look, the boots should not be covered by the jeans – whether casually rolled up or properly tucked into the stockings is up to you. Thick woolen socks are also a good idea: you’ll always have warm feet and an authentic look at the same time. And if it gets too warm in them, just wear shorts instead of long jeans! Important for urban styling is the balance between sporty and more elegant pieces. A well-cut sweater or blouse gives the look that certain urban touch.

 … or as a Break of Style with a Skirt

What at first glance doesn’t seem to fit together, looks really cool in real life. Hiking boots with dresses or skirts are a nice break with the usual dress codes and for that very reason they are very fashionable at the moment. The stark contrast between feminine looks and tough boots needs a little sense of style – think of Amélie in the eponymous French movie from 2001. She embodies the style perfectly! The more delicate the top, the tougher the boots can be. In summer with bare legs, in autumn and winter with coloured tights, miniskirts or long flutter dresses and cuddly thick cardigans. Pay attention to harmonious shades of colour, they hold the look together and do not let it look “thrown together”.

Grünbein goes Hiking

Grünbein is well prepared for the current active trend: First there’s Louis – the “master shoe” and bestseller of the Grünbein collection. According to legend, it was already made in 1890 by the Swiss shoemaker Louis as a working shoe for local mountain farmers. Grünbein discovered the shoe at a flea market in Zurich and had it copied as true to the original as possible. In memory and appreciation of the builder, we christened the robust lace-up shoe Louis.

These Louis are Made for Walking

Ain’t no Noa High Enough

Rock around the clog: new styles for wooden clogs

Frei von Schadstoffen: Entdecken Sie Grünbeins Schuhe aus naturbelassenem Leder

Such classics are always welcome to come back into fashion: colourful clogs and wooden sandals have been rattling through the streets again for several seasons. No wonder, because they simply look really fabulous. Plus: they are indestructible and surprisingly comfortable.

You need a little self-confidence for them: you don’t sneak up on wooden soles – in wooden sandals you will be heard and seen! And the new Grünbein models with wooden soles are very impressive: With beautifully curved heels and colourful leather straps, the formerly workwear is transformed into fashionable statement shoes.

For wild cats with style

This summer, the delicate wooden slipper Erni really puts its claws out: The wide fur strap comes in the hip leopard look – and a little bit of wildcat suits every woman. Minimal design, maximum effect: The puristic clogs with leopard pattern give every outfit that certain something. But Erna doesn’t just look hot, she also wears fantastically: the wooden sole is breathable, absorbs shocks and protects the soles of the feet – a flexible wedge in the front part of the sole additionally facilitates natural rolling.

For colourful day and night owls

Our wooden sandal Betty can simply wear any colour! Therefore she has got two new trend colours for this summer: In royal blue and pink, Betty goes with romantic flower dresses, washed-out jeans or sporty jumpsuits. With her medium high heel and puristic design she is a great companion for long summer days. And thanks to the flex wedge in the sole, it is extremely comfortable to wear, the high-quality, vegetable-dyed leather ensures a secure hold in the sandal and a pleasant feeling.

The new clogs: A good walk on wood

Walking on wooden soles is surprisingly comfortable. Because wood is a natural material, it is breathable, hygroscopic and extremely durable. It absorbs shocks and protects the soles of your feet – in shoes with wooden soles you can stand for a long time and your posture is also improved. For high heels, a flexible wedge in the front part of the sole ensures that the foot rolls naturally.

Free of pollutants: Discover Grünbein’s shoes made from natural leather

Free of pollutants: Discover Grünbein’s shoes made from natural leather

To make our shoes as sustainable as possible, we use vegetable-tanned leather for many of our shoes. Instead of the usual chrome-tanning, we rely on the gentle process with vegetable tannins. Why are we doing this? We’d be happy to explain it to you.

Leather is a great material

The properties of this natural material surpass all other raw materials used in shoe manufacturing. It is breathable, durable, skin-friendly, robust, elastic, warming, without petrochemical ingredients or microplastics – leather is naturally inimitable. We made the decision for leather after careful consideration of all pros and cons.

Tanning the leather can be a major burden on the environment and health. It is good to be able to rely on responsible partners: Our leathers come from Portuguese leather factories with whom we have been working for many years. All our inner leathers are tanned chrome-free by certified dyeing plants. In addition, the upper leathers of many Grünbein shoes are vegetable tanned – here too, you can rely on our certified partners.

Environmentally friendly tanning processes

This centuries-old process requires a lot of time and expertise to ensure that the results meet our requirements. After all, tanning is the most important step in leather production: During this process, the animal hides are preserved and stabilized for their later use. Tanning also ensures that the leather does not stick together and harden during drying, but remains beautifully flexible thanks to the tanning agents.

Improper tanning with chromium sulphate produces harmful substances that cause allergies in many people. Also, improperly prepared chrome tanning agents can cause considerable damage to the environment. As sustainability is our aim, we at Grünbein we prefer to use vegetable tanning. As far as possible, we refrain from using chrome-tanning and tanning processes that are highly harmful to the environment, in which mineral and heavy metal tanning agents are used. Our tanneries comply with the LWG (Leather Working Group) standards and thus meet the highest demands for environmentally friendly leather production.

Grünbein shoes made from vegetable-tanned leather

Natural, vegetable-tanned leather (chrome-free) is breathable and skin-friendly. Light, time and touch create a great patina in the long run. Convince yourself: On this page you will find a selection of our models made from vegetable-tanned leather.

One of the most important trademarks of Grünbein are the light crepe soles made of natural rubber. But what is crepe actually?

One of the most important trademarks of Grünbein are the light crepe soles made of natural rubber. But what is crepe actually?

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Men and women love them equally: the soft crepe soles of many Grünbein shoes. Inspired by the retro style of the 60s and 70s, the Grünbein collection offers plenty of these modern classics. They simply belong with the popular desert boots and chukkas. Many other boots and low shoes also convince with the flat crepe sole made of natural rubber.

In the sixties, lace-up shoes with crepe soles were an integral part of the style of the hip mods of the time, and together with suit and parka they brought this casual look into the clubs and onto the streets. With the wave of sneakers from the nineties on, they were seen less and less often – cheap synthetic soles increasingly replaced the natural variation.

But in times of sustainability, more and more people are now discovering the advantages of natural crepe, and the trend is clearly moving towards natural materials. Also in fashion in general: Today you can wear natural crepe soles with jeans, chinos, skirts or shorts – they simply fit all occasions. Almost all: If you like high heels, you probably won’t get high on crepe soles.

Meticulously manufactured for excellent wearing

The unique natural material crepe is only available from a few shoe manufacturers: Grünbein offers one of the largest shoe collections with natural crepe soles. Our manufacturers in Portugal have the necessary expertise and many years of experience in the complex processing of this cost-intensive material.  

The high expenditure is impressive: Crepe soles made of 100% natural rubber offer particularly high shock absorption, are extremely durable, non-slip and natural rubber is even biodegradable. Compared to common synthetic variants, natural rubber is also much more durable. And no petrochemical products are used – in contrast to soles made of plastics, sole abrasion does not release any microplastics.

Important note: crepe soles must not come into contact with petrol or similar solvents. Even extreme heat can soften the rubber. So if you refuel in the desert, you should be careful.

Made from the milk of the rubber tree

Natural crepe is made of vulcanized, specially prepared rubber. The raw material used is taken from the rubber tree: by scoring the bark of the tree, the liquid, also known as latex, flows down the tree and is collected in containers. The collected latex is then brought to the coagulation stage. The resulting rubber runs through several grooved and smooth rollers before the large sheets of rubber, only a millimeter thick, are hung up to dry. Several sheets are laid on top of each other and laminated until they reach the desired thickness. Finally, the crepe soles are cut from them. You see: natural crepe is a great product that requires a lot of work!