{"id":214597,"date":"2012-05-17T12:38:38","date_gmt":"2012-05-17T17:38:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nicekicks.com\/?p=214597"},"modified":"2018-05-13T02:44:03","modified_gmt":"2018-05-13T06:44:03","slug":"sustainability-in-sneakers-1-on-1-remyxx-founder-gary-gagnon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sustainability-in-sneakers-1-on-1-remyxx-founder-gary-gagnon\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability in Sneakers: 1 on 1 with REMYXX Founder Gary Gagnon"},"content":{"rendered":"

“There are 300,000,000 pairs of shoes thrown away each year in the U.S. alone. REMYXX speaks to the world that advocates better recycling, green initiative and sustainability.”<\/em> – Gary Gagnon, founder of REMYXX sneakers<\/p>\n

We have witnessed a number of Eco-friendly sneaker attempts from brands over the years, so what makes Gary Gagnon’s newly-designed REMYXX sneakers<\/strong> different? Minutes into our conversation with the North Carolina native, his enthusiasm for sustainability and recycling became genuinely evident. We recently caught up with Gagnon to discuss the upstart of REMYXX (available for pre-order on Kickstarter.com<\/a>), the motive behind his new brand and the creative process in regards to manufacturing these 100% recyclable shoes. Check out our full conversation with Gary Gagnon below.<\/p>\n

**Note**<\/strong> To learn more about?REMYXX sneakers, tune in to ABC’s Shark Tank<\/em><\/a> tomorrow, as Gary Gagnon will be a special guest on the show at 8 PM EST.<\/p>\n

Gary Gagnon with his REMYXX sneakers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Snkrs Day: How would you describe REMYXX sneakers for those that do not know anything about your brand?
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gary Gagnon: REMYXX not only represents design and fashion but also awareness and sustainability. It’s solely about being different and making a project that matters. If I couldn’t make a sneaker that was 100% recyclable from the beginning, then there was no point to continue. There are 300,000,000 pairs of shoes thrown away each year in the U.S. alone. REMYXX speaks to the world that advocates better recycling, green initiative and sustainability.<\/p>\n

Snkrs Day: What, specifically, are <\/strong>REMYXX sneakers<\/strong> comprised of?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gary Gagnon: It’s a proprietary, self-formulated polyresin content. I got a chemist involved right from the beginning to help me dial in to what I wanted to do. The bottom is also made of another blend of polyresin content.<\/p>\n

A collection of REMYXX sneakers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Snkrs Day: Is this polyresin content durable?
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gary Gagnon: Definitely. I wouldn’t put it up there with leather or canvas, but it’s right up there with anything that you’re wearing after that durability-wise. It has a canvas feel to it, and the bottom has a rubber feel to it. They’re not going to last you forever, but I have three-year-old pairs that are still in good shape.<\/p>\n

What was the most challenging aspect of creating these shoes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gary Gagnon: Finding the right materials for the chemicals and substances that I needed was one of the easiest parts, but the most difficult part was applying that to a sneaker construction. My shoes are made in a sneaker factory just like others, but I have a proprietary manufacturing process that creates something different than your everyday sneaker canvas. I wanted it to be lab-certified and technically proven. At the end of its life cycle, these shoes can be made into similar-content product.<\/p>\n

A close-up image of a REMYXX sneaker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Snkrs Day: When did you begin the development of <\/strong><\/strong>REMYXX sneakers<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

Gary Gagnon: I began the development in July of 2009.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Another close-up image of Gagnon's REMYXX sneakers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Snkrs Day: What was the most surprising piece of knowledge you encountered during your research of recycling and during your trials\/lab tests of manufacturing <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>REMYXX sneakers<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

Gary Gagnon: There are many, many products that have the recycling symbol, but there is no home for them. From my view, it’s not a highly policed process. You can put the recycling symbol on something that’s only 50% recyclable. In the recycling industry, I’ve learned that there are lots of recyclable products, but there’s not a home for a lot of this stuff and the processors do not know what to do with them.<\/p>\n

Snkrs Day: One of your slogans for <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>REMYXX sneakers<\/strong> is “Keep it out of the Earth.” How does that phrase define the direction of your brand?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gary Gagnon: Well, it started as “Keep it out of the Trash,” but in the bigger picture of REMYXX, I think it?s a style, a fashion and a design to show to the entire world that I subscribe to the recycling practice. I’m not a tree hugger. I’m just an everyday guy, and I think this is a step in the right direction, especially for people that wear sneakers. It just speaks to the fact that you can advocate and initiate your own daily practice to recycle. If you do it as a consumer, everybody else will follow, including the shoe companies. I’d like ?Keep it out of the Earth? beginning with my first step of the sneaker.<\/p>\n

A close-up image of Gagnon's REMYXX sneakers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n


\nSnkrs Day: What is your message to sneaker enthusiasts who maybe want to put more of an emphasis on recycling starting with <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>REMYXX<\/strong> sneakers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gary Gagnon: If they like sneakers, these are definitely cool, hip and different. They’re very stylish. You can wear these in the school hallway, at the mall, or at a dinner. They’re what I call a ?casual street sneaker.? You’ll be making a statement with your feet in these. By having these on your feet, you’re saying, “I care a little bit more than the other guy.” You’re supporting sustainability and when other people see them on your feet, you’re spreading a message. It starts as a sneaker, but the message can build and grow.<\/p>\n

Snkrs Day: Where can you purchase <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>REMYXX<\/strong> kicks?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gary Gagnon: I don’t have inventory right now, but you can pre-order these on Kickstarter.com<\/a>. You can buy it, you can live it, you can breathe it, and you can be the first of any, through Kickstarter, to get your own pair of REMYXX sneakers. I also have some other incentives on Kickstarter for this purchase. You’ll be posted, in eternity, on my wall as a supporter for the first ever launch of REMYXX.<\/p>\n

REMYXX Sneakers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Snkrs Day: How are you looking to develop <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>REMYXX<\/strong> in the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gary Gagnon: As the development grows, I want to create a sneaker that will be made from 50% recycled material in my own closed loop system – where you wear the sneakers, I get the sneakers back and I make new sneakers out of the old materials. That would be golden. I’m already lab-certified and technically proven, but I don’t have the financial resources at the moment. Plus, I know the development will take a long time again, so I need to sell what I have and find the consumer interest. In the next generation, I can maybe create high-tops and add some more cushioning. I?d like to create a heavy-duty, skater-padded style. I know it has that skater look already, and I love it. That’s why I call it a ?street sneaker.?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Check out our in-depth conversation with Gary Gagnon, the founder of REMYXX sneakers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":149,"featured_media":214753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSustainability in Sneakers: 1 on 1 with REMYXX Founder Gary Gagnon | Snkrs Day<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Where to buy Sustainability in Sneakers: 1 on 1 with REMYXX Founder Gary Gagnon shoes. 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