Merrell Wrapped Its $170 Moab Slide in Handwoven Harris Tweed

Merrell’s Moab 2 Slide has the sole of an outdoor shoe and the open heel of something you would leave by the back door. Its Harris Tweed edition makes that combination a little stranger, and considerably more interesting: a brown leather frame surrounds a patterned wool upper, with a hefty rubber sole underneath. The US price is $170.

The Dark Walnut colorway brings together earthy brown, green and rust tones, with the Harris Tweed Orb label sitting prominently on the vamp. There are no laces to interrupt the cloth. From above, the weave does most of the work; from the side, the deep sole and leather toe keep the Moab family resemblance intact.

Harris Tweed is more specific than a check pattern. The Harris Tweed Authority defines it as cloth woven by islanders in their Outer Hebrides homes, using virgin wool dyed and spun on the islands, with finishing also carried out there. That provenance belongs to the fabric; it does not mean the finished shoes are made in Scotland.

Under the wool

Under the new upper, Merrell uses an EVA foam midsole and a Vibram TC5+ outsole. Inside are a mesh lining made from recycled material and a removable PU footbed with a leather cover. Merrell specifies 5% recycled content for the footbed, so the recycled-material story does not apply equally to every component.

The distinction from a hiking shoe is worth keeping in view. This is a backless slip-on intended for casual wear, travel and relaxation. Merrell’s US collection filters classify the range as non-waterproof. Think coffee runs and weekends away rather than a wool-covered replacement for the Huckberry x Merrell Moab 3 Smooth hiking boots.

The wider Harris Tweed collection also includes the $130 Jungle Moc, $140 Relay Lace and $190 Cham Redux. The slide is our pick for its silhouette: a broad stretch of textured cloth above a distinctly outdoorsy base, with the heel left open.

The Moab 2 Slide X Harris Tweed is listed on Merrell’s US store in unisex sizing. The size chart follows men’s US sizing; check the conversion before ordering.

Images courtesy of Merrell.