Valet Mag put five shoe styles on its September 2026 calendar radar, led by KEEN’s Jasper Zionic. The roundup centered on pairs the team said it could not stop talking about, giving readers a quick read on current models with clear design and materials cues.
Among the five, KEEN’s Jasper Zionic stood out for its waterproof protection, trail-ready cushioning, serious traction and KEEN.DRY waterproof membrane protection. It kept the low-slung, outdoorsy silhouette and extended lacing of the Jasper, which makes it easier to see why the shoe lands between everyday wear and a more functional trail setup.
Valet Mag’s five shoe styles
The list also included KEEN’s Jasper, described as a fast-and-light waterproof sneaker wrapped in clean, brushed suede; G.H.Bass’s Sportocasin with Metalwood Studios; New Balance’s 991 v2; L.L.Bean’s Maine Hunting shoe in Mossy Oak’s Bottomland Camo; and Sanders’ Lo-Top Gibson. That mix matters because the lineup moves from heritage to technical, so a reader can compare the shoes by use case instead of treating them as interchangeable fashion drops.
On the dressier end, the Sportocasin came back as a collaboration between G.H.Bass and Metalwood Studios. Bobby Jones originally wore the Sportocasin, but the update arrived in pebbled black leather with the low, streamlined shape of a derby. That shift gives the silhouette a different job: it reads like an archival shoe with serious links history, yet the current version is framed as an unusually cool alternative to a standard black loafer rather than an 18-hole golf shoe.
New Balance 991 v2 and L.L.Bean Maine Hunting
New Balance’s 991 v2 was presented as a sleeker version of the 991 with updated cushioning underfoot. In the Made in UK version, premium suede and breathable mesh sat over full-length FuelCell cushioning, which points to a shoe built to soften the ride without losing the older model’s shape.
L.L.Bean’s Maine Hunting shoe got a limited run in Mossy Oak’s Bottomland Camo, the pattern tied to Mossy Oak’s 40th anniversary. The shoe kept its 10-inch height and is still made in Maine, so the update is less a redesign than a material-and-print change on a long-running workhorse.
Sanders Lo-Top Gibson in England
Sanders has been making shoes in England since the 19th century, and its Lo-Top Gibson stayed close to that legacy with a supple polo snuff suede upper. The roundup’s value is in that comparison: one list, five different buying cues, from trail function to archival status to maker history.
What the piece does not give readers is an on-sale date or release schedule, so the practical move is to treat these as models to watch rather than purchases to expect on a fixed calendar. The more useful reading is in the differences: waterproof performance in the KEEN pairs, heritage revival in the Sportocasin, updated cushioning in the 991 v2, and a limited camo treatment for the Maine Hunting shoe.
