Mion’s Satguru Trail Shoe Wins OutDoor Industry Award

Mion® Footwear’s new Spring 2008 Satguru Trail shoe was honored with an OutDoor Industry Bronze Award at the OutDoor trade show in Friedrichshafen, Germany July 19.

Recognized for its innovative design, material and performance, Mion’s Satguru Trail was one of 30 products from a total of 204 entries from 21 countries to receive an award. An international jury of industry professionals, including designers, retailers and journalists selected the award winners.

The products in the different competition categories were evaluated using the following criteria: degree of innovation, design quality, workmanship, choice of materials, environmental compatibility, functionality, utility, safety, trendsetting character and brand value/branding.

Mion’s Satguru Trail is the amphibious footwear brand’s first multi-purpose, three-season performance shoe.

Meaning “true guru or true teacher” according to Hindu philosophy, the guru is the sacred conduit to self-realization, inner peace and enlightenment. The Satguru Trail is designed for the amphibious athlete whose path to enlightenment is a journey over trails, rivers, creek beds, and back again.

The Satguru Trail is loaded with many performance features, including Miōn’s removable Ergomorphicâ„¢ footbed, made with a proprietary EVA compound that has a 20-percent recycled content known as, “Round 2 EVA” or “R2E.” The footbed molds to the shape of the wearer’s foot after approximately 12 hours of use, resulting in a customized fit.

The non-wicking, fast drying mesh bootie is outfitted with a gusseted tongue to keep out debris. The webbing in the upper is made with a 100-percent recycled PET material. The upper bootie is housed in Miōn’s light and protective injection molded EVA (IMEVA) Super Structure that sculpts itself around the wearer’s foot. The brand’s patent pending 360-degree lacing system offers full adjustability with a climbing grade cord (tensile strength = 106kg/233 lbs) and an integrated low profile lace lock.

The bootie and super structure are stacked onto an (IMEVA) midsole, which generates less than three-percent waste as a result of a pellet to parts manufacturing process. Both the upper and midsole are protected by abrasion resistant rubber panels in the heel, medial and lateral regions. A sculpted, protective toe design is reinforced with an abrasion resistant rubber for added durability while a three-quarter length midsole shank supports shock dispersion and stability.

The Satguru Trail’s outsole is constructed with Miōn’s Gripstickâ„¢ rubber outsole that features Miōn’s proprietary Round 2 Rubber (R2R) with a 15-percent recycled rubber outsole. The lug configuration works in concert with the Gripstickâ„¢ rubber to deliver traction and durability.

The Satguru Trail will be available in Captain’s Blue and Pewter for men and Black and Starlight Blue for women. Suggested retail will be $110.

About Mion® Footwear
Beyond providing an innovative new product, Mion is committed to a path toward environmentally sustainable practices. While performance footwear manufacturing is not yet a “green” process, Miōn is making every effort to embed its environmental philosophy into every aspect of its business.

Mion® Footwear will strive to operate as a carbon neutral brand beginning in 2007 and beyond. Mion is committed to 100-percent renewable energy, its U.S. distribution center gets 60-percent of its power from on-site solar panels, it uses recycled materials in all of its packaging and collateral, and Miōn has created and launched the industry’s first Ecometrics label designed to provide visibility into the environmental impact of its products.

Mion’s pellet-to-part injection molded EVA manufacturing process generates 90-percent less EVA waste than the traditional process of compression molding EVA. And Mion is committed to developing a program that will allow it to use 100-percent of the EVA production waste in future products.

For additional information on Mion® footwear, please visit www.mionfootwear.com. For media inquiries, please contact Verde PR at 970.259.3555.

MION® FOOTWEAR IS COMMITTED TO 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY