Right Green: Onitsuka Tiger launches first shoe made from cactus
The product line has a diverse color palette, showing the richness of nature, which is difficult to do on real leather.
Continuing to renew the brand through designs that combine fashion with sport, heritage with innovation, Onitsuka Tiger recently launched the MEXICO 66™ CACTFUL™ sneaker, a new iteration of the MEXICO 66™ line. . What's special here is that this version uses cactus-derived material in more than 20% of the upper of the shoe.
To do this, the company co-developed a new material with DESSERTO ® engineers , using Mexican cactus fiber as the raw material with a manufacturing process that aims to reduce its impact on the environment and meet The product's quality standards are produced by Onitsuka Tiger's smart technology and can be deployed on a global scale.
Keeping the iconic design features of the MEXICO 66 TM intact , the new shoe also comes in five unique colors that accentuate the softness – a characteristic of this material, something leather is hard to can be reflected. Another feature of cactus-derived materials is their lightness, which is optimally used in shoe design, in shoelaces and other components that are also composed of recycled materials.
Onitsuka Tiger's deep connection with Mexico dates back to 1966. The "Mexico Lines" motif (now Onitsuka Tiger Stripes) was introduced as the Onitsuka Tiger in 1966, and the shoe was introduced by the worn by Japanese athletes at the 1968 Mexican Olympics is the origin of the MEXICO 66™ shoe that we know today.
With a common origin in the country of Mexico – the country that inspired the birth of one of the iconic Onitsuka Tiger shoes, and possessing a large number of Nopal cactus, a plant with a lot of potential to production of environmentally friendly materials, all of which has led to the co-development and launch of new products.
Developed by the Mexican company Adrian and Marte, DESSERTO ® material is not only free of phthalates or PVC (polyvinyl chloride), harmful chemicals, but also consumes less water. Therefore, DESSERTO ® is considered as an environmentally friendly biomaterial, and is gradually gaining worldwide attention. This material is both durable and UV resistant, while possessing a supple texture. In this collaboration, Onitsuka Tiger co-developed a new cactus-derived material, refined from DESSERTO ® , to meet the company's stringent standards for sustainability and eco-friendliness. school.
Compared to conventional genuine leather, the material used in the MEXICO 66™ CACTFUL™ has reduced CO2 emissions by approximately 80%* during the manufacturing process. Besides, the company also tries to make use of the remaining cactus parts after the production process to serve the food industry. In addition to the upper part of the shoe body, other parts such as the insole and shoelaces are also made of recycled materials.
* This result is based on an early life cycle analysis performed by DESSERTO on Desserto products in accordance with the ISO lifecycle analysis guidelines (14040 and 14044) and on data and a rough estimate of the process. production processes and materials in the relevant supply chain.
To celebrate the launch of this new product, the Mexican Embassy in Japan also participated in the design and concept oversight. The launch event was also held at the Mexican Embassy on Thursday, October 27. The MEXICO 66™ CACTFUL™ shoe will be available at Onitsuka Tiger flagship stores in 15 countries worldwide from May. 1, 2023. Enjoy the softness and diverse palette of colors that can only be created from cacti grown in the land of Mexico.
