Over the past decade Keen has built much of its identity around one specific material, rope. The brand has braided it, knotted it, turned it into structure long before it became an aesthetic detail, ever since launching UNEEK in 2014, making it as recognizable a trait as the protected toe of its hybrid sandals. With Nocturnal Pack, the limited-edition collection that brings UNEEK Loafer and Newport Oxford to an all-leather upper, the Portland brand changes material without betraying its nature.

The starting point remains the same as ever, that hybrid structure halfway between an adventure sandal and a city shoe that Keen perfected more than twenty years ago, in 2003, with the first Newport. This is the departure point again this time, but rope gives way to leather sourced from Leather Working Group-certified tanneries, in the Nocturnal Black colorway that plays into a trend where all-black never goes out of season and remains the choice of many, for every occasion.

UNEEK Loafer is certainly the model that winks hardest at current trends, taking the original two-cord sneaker and converting it into a loafer stitched and hand-woven using traditional shoemaking techniques, with a leather upper, lining and insole, and a new hybrid rubber sole that keeps the lightness underfoot that has always defined the model.

Newport Oxford keeps the sandal’s open structure, letting the black leather upper carry it toward a decidedly more urban context. This move makes the shoe perfect both for the in-between seasons and for a return to the office.

According to Blaine Conrad, Keen’s Vice President of Product, Nocturnal Pack represents a new form of versatility for the brand, rooted in outdoor tradition but expressed through premium materials and a more sophisticated design, with the aim of offering models that are refined yet accessible, built for everyday use from morning to evening.

Nocturnal Pack will be available from August 27, 2026 on Keen’s official website and at a selection of retailers.