A Canadian waterproof sneaker brand from British Columbia. Founder Sean Back spent 16 years making shoes for other brands, then built the pair his rainy city needed — vegan, cold-water washable, and waterproof-proven in unedited test footage. Our promise is simple: we don't claim it. We prove it.
Make your move. Every step counts.
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First order delivered. 📦
Someone out there is lacing up their NTX-2601s right now. From a sketch, to a factory floor in Dongguan, to a doorstep — this one took everything.
Thank you for trusting a brand that's just getting started. More on the way.
Make your move.
I'm Sean, a footwear product developer based in Langley. I've spent the last 16 years designing shoes for other brands, and this month I finally launched my own: NORIX Collective. www.norixcollective.com
Why waterproof sneakers? Because I live here. With 160+ rainy days a year, I was tired of "water-resistant" shoes that give up by November. So I built the NTX-2601 around a waterproof membrane (N-TEX, 10,000mm+), made it fully vegan, and — the part I'm proudest of — you can throw them in the washing machine. Cold wash, dries in about 2 hours.
I'm not here to pitch a miracle shoe. The proof videos are on the site — waterproof test, wash test, dry test — because I'd rather show than tell.
We're tiny. It's basically me, a factory I've worked with for years, and a warehouse. No funding, no big marketing budget. Just a local guy trying to make a genuinely good rainy-day shoe.
CA$159, free shipping in Canada and the US: norixcollective.com. And if you have feedback — brutal honesty welcome — I'd genuinely love to hear it. What would make you actually try a waterproof sneaker from a brand you've never heard of?
Make your move. 🧭
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Sean
Designed by a footwear guy with 16 years in the industry (FXR Racing, BRP/Bombardier) who finally built his own shoe.
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The NTX-2601:
→ Waterproof membrane, rated 10,000mmH₂O+
→ Machine washable, dries in ~2 hours
→ 100% vegan, unisex sizing EU 36–46
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Founding Member pricing is live now, before it goes to full retail.
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norixcollective.com
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MAKE YOUR MOVE.
Hey r/veganfashion,
Long-time lurker, first time posting something I made myself — so bear with me.
I've been designing footwear professionally for 16 years.
And for the last few years I kept running into the same problem:
I couldn't find a waterproof sneaker that was actually vegan AND looked like
something I'd wear in the city.
Most waterproof options use animal-based glues or leather overlays.
The ones that were vegan looked like they belonged on a trail, not a sidewalk.
So I built one.
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**norix NTX-2601 — Steel Grey**
✅ 100% Vegan — no animal-derived materials anywhere
(upper, lining, midsole, outsole, adhesives — all synthetic or plant-based)
✅ Waterproof — N-TEX™ membrane, 10,000mmH₂O rated
✅ Machine washable — cold cycle, ~2hr dry time
✅ Retro runner silhouette — designed to look like a sneaker, not a hiking shoe
This is my first shoe under my own brand, NORIX Collective.
It's currently on Kickstarter (link in my profile — Reddit doesn't love links in posts).
I'm not here to sell you anything.
Just wanted to share with people who actually care about what goes into their shoes.
Happy to answer any questions about the materials, construction, or why vegan
footwear is still so hard to find at a decent price point.
— Sean, founder
In 1995, I was a 4th grader in Busan, Korea. My mom took me to a Nike store. I saw a pair of shoes I couldn't afford. We left. That night I went home and drew them in my textbook.
I spent the next 16 years designing shoes for other brands. 160+ models. Never once with my name on them.
I named my two sons Jordan and Max. After Air Jordan and Air Max. That's how long I've been waiting to do this.
Last year I finally started my own brand. NORIX. A waterproof sneaker built from 16 years of everything I learned.
Yesterday was Day 1 on Kickstarter. 15 strangers backed it. I sat in my car and didn't move for a while.
I'm not asking you to buy anything. Just — if this story means something to you, tell one person.
That kid who drew shoes in his textbook finally made his own. I just need people to find it.
Thank you.
In 1995, I was a 4th grader in Busan, Korea.
My mom didn't have much money. But one day she took me to a Nike store. I saw a pair of shoes behind the glass. I stood there for a long time. I couldn't afford them. We left.
That night, I went home and drew those shoes in my textbook.
I kept drawing shoes. For years. In notebooks. On the backs of homework. I didn't know why. I just couldn't stop.
Then somehow — I don't even know how — that kid who couldn't afford shoes ended up designing them for a living. 16 years. 160+ models. For brands you've heard of. FXR Racing. BRP. Real shoes, worn by real people.
But they were never mine.
Every single one of those shoes had someone else's name on it.
I have two sons. I named them Jordan and Max. After Air Jordan and Air Max. My wife thought I was crazy. Maybe I was. But I needed them to know — from the day they were born — what their dad believed in.
Last year, I finally did it. I quit building other people's dreams and started my own. NORIX. A waterproof sneaker. Built from everything I learned in 16 years. Every mistake. Every sample that failed. Every factory argument at 2am.
Yesterday was Day 1 on Kickstarter.
15 people backed it. Strangers. People who don't know me. People who just read my story and said yes.
I sat in my car after and just... sat there for a while.
I'm not asking you to spend money. I'm not even asking you to click a link.
I'm just asking — if this story means something to you, tell one person. Just one.
Because that kid in Busan who drew shoes in his textbook? He made something real. And I just need people to find it.
Thank you for reading this.
I'm Sean. 16 years in footwear design. Yesterday I launched my first shoe — the NTX-2601.
100% vegan. Waterproof. Machine washable.
15 people said yes on Day 1. For a brand no one's heard of, that means everything.
I just wanted to share that moment with a community that actually cares about what goes into a shoe.
No leather. No animal products. No compromises on performance either.
If anyone has questions about how it's made — I'm here.
Hey, I'm Sean. Spent 16 years developing shoes for other brands — learned a lot about what works and what's just marketing.
One thing that always frustrated me: most "waterproof" sneakers either fail fast or aren't breathable. So I built one from scratch. Waterproof membrane, machine washable, 2-hour dry time.
Launched on Kickstarter today — small batch from BC, Canada. Happy to talk construction, materials, whatever you're curious about.
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Hey, I'm Sean — I've spent 16 years developing footwear professionally (FXR Racing, BRP, and others). The whole time I kept hitting the same wall: waterproof shoes weren't vegan, and vegan shoes weren't actually waterproof.
So I made one myself. 100% vegan, waterproof membrane, machine washable, dries in about 2 hours. Small first run out of Langley, BC.
Just launched on Kickstarter today. Not here to push sales — genuinely curious what this community thinks. Happy to answer anything about the materials or construction.