KEEN x First Camp | An idyllic weekend in Wales

KEEN x First Camp | an idyllic weekend in Wales

Written by Dylan Humphreys

It’s mid-May – the leaves are brand-new and acid-green, flowers appear, and the sun feels warm on the face. First Camp, hosted by Outsiders, Snow Peak, and Bert’s Kitchen Garden, is the backdrop for a social weekend of slowing down and tuning out through workshops, events, and happenings.

This year, we hosted our very own workshop in partnership with Nots, customising the iconic UNEEK sneakers you know and love.

A landscape image shows a path leading towards a rocky mountain under a clear blue sky at Bert's Kitchen Garden. In the foreground, a blurred figure in a denim jacket is partially visible. Tents are scattered across a grassy area between the path and the mountain. A small building with a sign is on the left.

Picture it – you’re off to north Wales for a weekend’s camping in May, your main concern is the weather… Fortunately, the British weather gods must have been smiling upon us for our time at First Camp – three days of gorgeous sunshine made for the perfect time to break out our sandals and enjoy some time out of the office.

The stunning Llyn Peninsula and idyllic Bert’s Kitchen Garden was the setting for our weekend, offering panoramic views of the sea and some breath-taking sunsets. Arriving early on the Friday morning, we met with Mills from Nots and started setting up our workshop.

We had a large tent for shade, which was perfect in the sweltering (for Wales) 19 degree heat. 140 pairs of UNEEKs had made their way from our warehouse to the site, and we spent the first hour organising them ready for our first session of the weekend.

As people began to arrive, our excitement was tangible. We had two full sessions on the Friday afternoon and could already tell this was the perfect event for us, with people getting stuck in to making their UNEEKs even more so – the unique construction of the shoe makes for the perfect base for Nots’ creative Macrame process, and once everyone got the hang of it they were fast on their way to creating their own personalised pair.

A group of people gathered around Mils from Nots learning to add personalised Macrame to the UNEEK sandal at one of the workshops hosted by KEEN.

Two people looking at their customised UNEEK

A close up of someone beginning to add paracord to their UNEEK sandal

In the evening following our first customisation sessions, we chatted, made friends and shared in the first stunning sunset of our trip.

Saturday and Sunday saw many more works of art, with people getting increasingly creative as time went on. Custom UNEEKs could be spotted in every corner of the campsite. See a few of our favourites below!

@go.outside.moore
@hr.msn
@yea7i
@garethllewelyn_

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To wrap up, First Camp was a perfect experience – getting to meet you all in a such a laid-back setting was incredible and we’d definitely like to be back next year (if Outsiders will have us, that is!) We also owe a big thank you to Mills at Nots for running our workshop, and Outsiders, Snow Peak, and Bert's Kitchen Garden for hosting the whole event.

P.S. – If you like the look of the custom UNEEKs but didn’t attend, sign up to our newsletter below and keep an eye out for something that may be of interest to you…