etnies

Pierre with son Mateo

With this year's PAS Collection, The Sixth Element, etnies head honcho Pierre Andre Senizergues provides a glimpse into his life beyond the familiar skateboard-champ-cum-eco-warrior persona... into fatherhood. The new line features three different options for matching, yet not identical, father-son footwear.

Named for the 6th decade and a new generation of skateboarders in 2010, The Sixth Element takes the future of skateboarding on a three-stage ride through its past... or its past as experienced by Pierre, at least:

The red, white and blue Revolution represents the arrival of Sole Tech's favorite French exports - Pierre and etnies - in the good ol' U.S. of A. This first "stage" is simple on the surface with its colorful undertones just barely hinted at through translucent white.

Stage two Reflection is all about pondering the past while looking toward the future. Light-reflecting metallic creates a color-shifting effect, pointing to seemingly endless possibilities.

Finally, Evolution is the third and final stage of the 6th Element. A pair of brown, worn leather kicks sits beside its mini-me of soft, supple brown nubuck for just about all the literal juxtaposition you can stand.

But that's not all; Pierre Andre isn't all talk and deep thoughts when it comes to respect and hope for the future. He took The Sixth Element a step further to make it his second completely carbon neutral collection. Waste and emissions were kept to a minimum during production and those that were inevitable were offset with the planting of trees in Costa Rica. Transparency facts can be found printed inside each shoebox. The collection's green factor was also upped by the small production runs of only a dozen pairs per style. Yep, they're super limited AND only available via Japanese retailer, Beams. For more on The Sixth Element, check out Pierre's interview on Crooked Tongues.