No products in the cart.
Outdoor Adventure
Faster, Farther, Funner
13
Sep
Sep
If a little bit of nature is good, a lot is great. That’s the time-tested math behind the urge to charge ahead and see more when you’re out hiking, running, and scrambling. Stay nimble, and good things will follow. You don’t have to be an FKT-chasing zealot to embrace a light-footed, fun-loving spirit. Just ask these two adventure chasers, who inspire all of us to go outside, play hard, and care for the planet and each other. Learn from them below, and find out how their KEEN shoes align with their mission.
The Wanderer: Emi Matsushima
Mission: Inspire Others to Live Authentically
Everyone should get a chance to reinvent themselves. That’s the lesson Emi Matsushima wants to share.
The daughter of a German mother and Japanese father, Matsushima—who’s now a photographer and outdoor industry model—grew up in half a dozen countries. By the fourth grade, she’d attended school in four different languages.
Matsushima moved back to Japan at age 16 and fell into modeling. For a while it was fun, but it didn’t stay that way. “I developed all these complexes,” she says. “By the time I was 29, that turned into dieting and losing weight.” Matsushima developed body image issues. Agents stopped booking her. Her mental health deteriorated.
In 2018, she finally broke free and quit. Two years later, she moved to California—just before the pandemic hit. With the world on pause, Matsushima started exploring the outdoors, climbing mountains, and taking timeless photographs—all things she’d loved as a kid. Suddenly, she couldn’t get enough and embarked on an endless quest to see more, do more, experience more.
View this post on Instagram
“I find a sense of calm outdoors,” Matsushima says. “But it’s also a place of action—of self-discovery and self-expression.”
She fell back in love with movement—and with her body. She started a new career in outdoor lifestyle modeling. Climbing, hiking, and photography have become staples in her life. “I used to feel like I was chasing something, but now I feel like I’ve finally found balance,” Matsushima says. “At 37, I feel like I have this reinvented version of myself.” And she’s living proof that anyone can do the same.
Tested: KEEN Zionic
“For me, being fast and light means flexibility and spontaneity,” says Matsushima. “I’m all about chasing your curiosity and learning to adapt along the way. This shoe can be used for urban exploration, hiking trails, or navigating through diverse landscapes—I feel like they really mold to whatever your adventure might be. They’re super light and agile, but they have such a solid grip.”
Consciously Created
Building anything authentic and sustainable—anything that will stand the test of time—starts with intention. Intention to apply a planet- and people-first philosophy that acts as a north star for any endeavor, from making art to designing products. KEEN calls it Consciously Created—a way of reimagining how gear gets made so it supports both humanity and the environment from start to finish. Here’s how that approach resulted in the Zionic, a fast-and-light-and-fun shoe that’s free of forever chemicals.
The Runner: Abi LaFleur
Mission: Make Everyone Feel Welcome Outdoors
For years, Abi LaFleur refused to run. A successful adventure photographer, she had always been active outdoors, but she laughed at the idea of running. She never expected that, one day, running would transform her life. Everything changed a few years ago when her long-term relationship became abusive and dissolved. LaFleur found herself diagnosed with PTSD and her self-confidence nearly shattered.
“Something had chemically altered inside of me, but I couldn’t understand it,” she says. “I had panic attacks.” Then a friend asked her if she wanted to train for a 50-mile trail race. LaFleur rolled her eyes—until she saw photos of the trail. The scenery caught her photographer’s eye, and she started training. One day, LaFleur was on a high alpine trail and suddenly realized: her mind was blessedly empty. No flashbacks. She finally felt free. Running helped her find the confidence that she had lost.
LaFleur ran that 50-miler—and then went on to run more. Today, the mountains remain her greatest source of inspiration, for both her professional work and her personal goals. One of those goals: improving the visibility of historically marginalized groups outside through her timeless art.
“When I first started in the outdoor industry, there weren’t a lot of people in the industry or in outdoor media who looked like me,” says LaFleur, who was raised in Florence, Colorado, by her Mexican-Spanish-Indigenous mother and grandparents. (Her father’s side is French-Polish.) Since then, LaFleur has used her camera to capture the stories and personalities of a diverse range of subjects.
“That’s always been part of my work,” she says. “I want people to know there’s space for everyone here.”
Tested: KEEN Zionic
“I loved chasing my dogs around when wearing the Zionics. They’re waterproof—ideal for walking through snowmelt and for creek crossings. I really like how lightweight they are, but they still have plenty of cushion and are super grippy. And like all of KEEN’s shoes—they’re free of forever chemicals. Plus, I’m loving this tangerine color!”
KEEN is a shoemaker with purpose. Family owned and values-led for more than 20 years, KEEN has been consciously making unapologetically comfortable, innovative footwear that lasts and using its business to do good. In 2003, KEEN started a revolution with the introduction of the original hybrid sandal, the Newport. As a revolutionary, thoughtful shoemaker, KEEN is determined to reduce the impact of how it makes shoes. The brand has been PFAS-free since 2018 and envisions a shoe industry that has a net-positive impact on lives. To get there, KEEN is sharing its sustainable innovations to do more good together. Learn more at keenfootwear.com.
The post Faster, Farther, Funner appeared first on Outside Online.
