Have you ever looked down at your favourite pair of shoes and thought, Man, I really wish these came in ethylene-vinyl acetate?
Chances are no... and thats why your name isnt Damian Van Zyll De Jong. In fact, odds are thats no one elses name except the founder and CEO of Vancouver footwear brand Native Shoes.
Damian Van Zyll De Jong. What might be a run-of-the-mill Dutch name, in Canada, sounds more like he was bred from birth to take over the world. But the footwear designer just went by plain old Damian De Jong most of his life. Still, he returned to full Van Zyll glory in 2002 and founded Native seven years later, with the help of friend Matthew Penner. Coincidence? Most likely.
While he declined to enlighten us on his age (well go with somewhere between 35 and Yoda), and the information ocean that is the internet was no help before press time, he did have plenty to say about his vision for Native.
I realized there was nothing else on the market like it. No other brands were exploring the design possibilities of EVA and injection molding. I saw an opportunity to pair evolving construction techniques and lightweight material with great design. After his Aha! moment, the rest was trial and error.
Pencil sketches and computer renderings gave the Native concept life. After many raucous discussions, late nights, good (and bad) advice, we arrived with our first prototype.
Everyone who sees Native shoes for the first time experiences a brief WTF; one-piece rubber shoes are antithetic to style. But pick them up and they practically float off your hand. Wear them and your feet are happier than a spaniel in a dog park. Wear them for a while and, whats that? No smell? The rubber foam is closed-cell, so no nasty odours penetrate the shoes surface.
Each Native incarnation represents an interpretation of the shoe industrys most classic, casual silhouettes, rethought in injection-molded EVA. Old-school brands must have been surprised when Natives hit the streets, but Van Zyll De Jong says the other companies are supportive.
The footwear market hadnt seen anything new for so long, people are naturally excited to see something fresh and innovative. Its cool to see other brands now experimenting with similar construction methods.
And as familiar as the Native outlines appear to be, youve never seen anything like the Fitzsimmons. Their foray into two-piece construction a slip-on rubber mountain boot with neoprene inner and outer abrasion finish has been in Van Zyll De Jongs plans since the beginning and marks his personal favourite. As a rule, when someone really likes something, other people will too.
The shoe garnered Native a red dot award for product design when it was released in 2011, only six months after Native launched. The award dates back to 1955 and is now one of the worlds largest and most distinguished design competitions; more than 14,000 participations from over 70 nations sought a red dot in 2011.
Native also surprised many with an aggressive move into the fashion big leagues with a collaborative Marc Jacobs Jimmy Boot their version of a duck boot and another, rare, two-material creation.
Weve been fortunate to be getting a lot of positive attention. Weve been featured in a cross section of outlets, from Esquire to the Today Show to Oprah Magazine to Teen Vogue. Celebrities like Hilary Duff and Portia de Rossi have been seen wearing [Natives]. When we found out that Sasha Obama (President Barack Obamas daughter) was spotted wearing them, we knew it had hit a whole other realm. But really, as much as we love seeing the shoe on celebrities, we are even more stoked to see them on random people on streets around the world.
Despite the serious hype already mounting, the brand doesnt rest, releasing proselytizing videos featuring man/woman/yeti love-triangles, Lamborghini Countaches and other smile-inducers. Gems like 17 things you should do in your Veronas might explain why you see entire families and friend-packs walking down the street wearing the unique, candy-coloured footwear. The price point doesnt hurt either, with kids shoes ranging from $34.99 to $64.99 and adults from $34.99 to $99.99.
Unique is an abused word. It means one-of-a-kind not simply uncommon, but truly nothing else like it. While similarities to Crocs get bandied about, Natives are not Crocs. You dont see tourists standing outside the Crocs office taking photos of themselves with the signage (and if you do, you probably dont want to dress like them). But the WE office happens to be just down the street from the brand new Native office space, and thats exactly what happens.
The word native laid out in bold white letters on a pleasantly soft-focus forest scene seems to be what a lot of people identify with when they think of Vancouver. Has the Vancouver-based shoe brand created a Vancouver shoe, or has the city forged an iconic brand?
In a lot of ways, I think all of our shoes celebrate aspects of Vancouver that I love. Vancouver is a city with four seasons, and we have created silhouettes with that climate and those elements in mind, explains Van Zyll De Jong. This city is also filled with people that might go from their office job downtown straight to Kits Beach or hit up the local mountains in the winter, and that type of versatile lifestyle has definitely influenced the brand.
But while their one-year-old office space draws onlookers and attracts staff that Van Zyll De Jong values as loved ones, there are no immediate plans for a retail location in Vancouver.
At this point, we dont have a scheduled date. We are really focused on creating innovative footwear and growing the brand globally, retail will come with time.
Their Vancouver office currently has about 14 employees, and the shoes are sold in over 40 countries worldwide. At the helm of it all is a shy skateboarder whose love for what he does each day is tacitly evident in the ubiquitous Native Keep It Lite mantra, the quirky video concepts and the fact that you wont hear him say a good thing about himself (or anything about himself at all).
Do you have a wicked Van Zyll De Jong family crest?
I do have a family crest its a shield, a swan and a scorpion.
If you could go back in time and put Native Shoes on characters in a movie, what movie would you choose?
Any Charlie Chaplin film he had the best walk in the business.
What do you like to do when you arent at work?
Depends on the weekend, but often, Im working from home. Thats how I get things done, but I do try and enjoy my down time and what this city has to offer. For example, this morning I did the Grouse Grind before work. Tomorrow Im going to hit up a lake in Squamish. And I still like to skateboard.
What gave you the foundation to make Native so successful?
I dont have a background in footwear design but growing up in the skateboard and snowboard world I was surrounded by brands in the industry that were doing innovative things that inspired me. Ive always loved shoes and through that passion I ended up learning the ropes of footwear manufacturing and development. I believe that success comes from persistence, inspired by your passion.
What are the roots of the name Native?
Everyone is a Native of somewhere. That is really one of the driving forces behind the brand, Native shoes are for everybody.
What do you see in the future of fashion design in Vancouver?
I think were headed in a really positive direction. Vancouver is a great place to be creative because you can still stand out. Theres a lot of good design coming out of this city right now and I think were only going to see more. Were proud to be a Canadian, Vancouver-based brand.
What other Vancouver fashion brands or designers have earned your respect.
We are actually good friends with a lot of Vancouver-based brands like Herschel Supply and Lifetime Collective. Theres a mutual respect there, on all sides, because were all friends and support each others contributions in the industry.
In your travels, what citys style most appeals to you?
In the US, I really like San Francisco and New York. Internationally, I would say London, Hong Kong and Tokyo. I travel a lot but Im always stoked to come home. I love Vancouvers style.
What was your favourite shoe as a teen?
I had a couple, but half cab Vans were definitely high on the list.
Whats the strangest place youd like to see a photo of someone wearing Natives (see contest, bottom left)?
The tip of the iceburg.
Whats your favourite Native shoe?
I love them all equally but I usually wear the Miller or the Paolo sandal. As far as colours go, sometimes I like to stick to more neutral skews but lately Ive been enjoying our two tones as well.
If you werent doing this, what is your parallel life career?
I can genuinely say that I wouldnt want to be doing anything else than what Im doing right now.
