Cole Haan has launched its lightest, most breathable sneaker ever — here's what it's like to wear

Cole Haan's ZEROGRAND shoes are special because they blur the lines between traditional footwear and modern sneaker culture. Now, the brand is declaring a new generation in footwear with a shoe aptly named the Generation ZEROGRAND.

The Generation ZEROGRAND features an ultra-breathable Stitchlite upper, a simple, yet supportive and springy arched outsole, cushioned Ortholite insoles, and an overall design that mimics that natural motion of the human foot. While many of those same exact attributes are found in other ZEROGRAND shoes, Cole Haan's designers managed to further refine each characteristic in the Generation ZEROGRAND — and the end result was the brand's lightest sneaker ever.

First impressions

The terms "lightweight" and "breathable" get thrown at just about every shoe that features a minimalistic design or some sort of woven or knitted upper — and to be completely honest, most modern silhouettes that are even the slightest bit comfort- or performance-based are made that way. The Cole Haan Generation ZEROGRAND, however, isn't a shoe that uses either term loosely. They're impressively light — you'll be able to feel it just by holding them in your hands. You can also tell that they're exceptionally breathable just by looking at them because the holes in the Stitchlite material are so pronounced you can literally see through them.

I received a pair to try out before Cole Haan sent me any details or specs, and even without product information, I was immediately impressed by how light they were. When I learned that they were Cole Haan's lightest sneaker to date, it wasn't a surprise.