Page 33 - Sep-Oct 2021

Standing for an honest and sustainable product, Mercer
only works with unique sustainable materials to create
an environmentally conscious production process. This
idealistic approach comes from the intrinsic motivation
of Dresen to make a positive impact on the sector and
the environment.
This outside of the box thinking has resulted in unique
innovations and allowed for cross industry collaborations.
Three years ago they produced the first-ever sneaker made
from pineapple ‘leather, a material that has since turned
into one of their best-selling products and has become a
customer favourite.
A debut of a more recent collection featured outsoles
made of algae’s and cork, whilst another featured a sneaker
made from Italian grapes. The founder’s passion for plant-
based materials has been evident for many years as he really
aims for unique designs that maintain Mercer’s position at
the cutting edge.
“Our aim is to be at the forefront of the sustainable
innovation to show the market that standard materials can be interchanged for plant-based, recycled materials, and still be cool,” explains
Dresen. “To involve the customer in this process we ask them to collect old sneakers to be recycled and processed into fashion items,
playgrounds, floors and more, we do this together with our partner FastFeetGrinded.”
To help grow the brand they have been active across the social media platforms, and they work particularly hard on their Instagram
content, telling their story and feeding their growing follower base with inspiring images and brand content and information. Their main goal
is not to push with influencers, the business loves their consumers being authentic and falling in love with Mercer sneakers because they are
exclusive and different.
“The true Mercer lover falls for our iconic, exclusive silhouette because they know that all our designs are our own from sole-to-lace, like
the show I designed for NASA, this is what keeps them loyal and coming back to the brand they love,” comments Dresen.
Looking to the future, Dresen explains that the main challenge for them as a small brand with a high focus on sustainability is that it’s hard
to make a change with the power they have in the factories.
“It’s really hard to create awareness surrounding sustainability practices when you don’t have the upper hand in the discussion. For a lot of
factories we are but a small player, but we will keep pushing the envelope and we will keep doing what we do,” Dresen concludes.