Keen Footwear exploded onto the market five years ago, selling millions of its innovative toe-bumper-equipped sandals in its first year of business. Now, Jim Van Dine, the former president of Keen, has formed a new footwear company he believes will garner similar response.

Ahnu Footwear (www.ahnufootwear.com) is, for the time being, a small operation in San Francisco, staffed by a core set of former top designers with Keen.

Its first shoes debut this summer. The shoes have a modern aesthetic + are made to perform by blending “the support of a hiker, the stability of a skate shoe, the fit of a runner, and the go-anywhere versatility of a sandal.”

See the sneak peek images below.