I’ve been a fan of the On shoe brand as it is Roger Federer’s company (a superfan here). They make good shoes too! I received my first On Cloud 5 shoes a few years ago for Christmas, in the maroon color. My running days are over, and so I used these shoes for just doing stuff, “lifestyle” shoes I guess. They were so comfortable and had elastic shoe strings so you didn’t need to tie them, just slipped on and off.
I wore them for as long as I could, and then it was clear they weren’t going to give me any more support and so I was thinking of getting another pair. As you all know, I don’t like buying anything new. But I have found that used shoes either do not fit as well or they have so little life left in them that it’s not going to help me any.
You can see how signature stone catching soles have worn out
I do look online for preowned “new” shoes first, to see if I can find some in the style I want and in my size. For my second pair of Ons I found an unused pair, NIB (new in box) in my size 9 size and I ordered them. They were also the On Cloud 5 shoe but with some terrycloth(!) on the shoe tongue. I got them and loved them to death.
They are definitely shot now. The sole is worn out and the cushioning is minimal. But the rest of the shoe looks pretty good.
As I am getting ready for a European trip right now, and anticipating a ton of walking, I'm thinking about a new pair of Ons. I checked out the current colors for the On Cloud on the the On website, to see what to look for on my resale sites, and I came across this- the Cloudeasy Cyclon- a subscription shoe!
Run. Recycle. Repeat.
This has been around for a couple of years, but no one told me! You never own your shoes! This is how it works- you agree to the subscription, which is a $30 a month charge. After six months you can trade in the shoes for new ones.
This is gear you will never own, because you subscribed to it (Like music)
They're made from good stuff
I selected the Cloudeasy Cyclon, the "lifestyle" shoe. From the website:
The shoe is made with just 15 parts. (That's half of the average industry standard.) – The upper knit is crafted from yarn made with 100% recycled polyester fiber. – The midsole is made with 40% bio-attributed EVA foam, from ISCC+ certified material from sustainable feedstock. – The TPU half-Speedboard® is 35% bio-based. And it's injected into the shoe's midsole to reduce waste.
They're recyclable!
Trading in shoes for new ones is great, but what happens to your used shoes? On recycles them. And just to reiterate, because so many companies use the word “recycling” when they actually just resell the product, recycling means that you break the product down to separate components and then reuse the materials for another product. The recycling is different depending on what style you order. For the Cloudeasy Cyclon:
We separate the upper from the bottom unit and use fiber-to-fiber recycling to turn the used upper into new yarn for other uppers. Then, we grind down the shoe's bottom unit and send the material to partners who create new products out of it. All in all, the goal stays the same: to keep materials in use.
So far, I’m liking all that I am reading. But the whole concept works only if the shoe is good.
Critics of the On subscription plan that I saw on Reddit were mostly based around the quality of the running shoes. I totally get this. Runners are particular and the shoe has to deliver for whatever kind of foot you have and fit you need. But I am not getting one of the running shoes, and I will be less demanding on a lifestyle shoe than as a runner clocking serious miles.
I love, and am used to the On Cloud 5s, and so I am taking a chance on the Cloudeasy, just because of the recycling aspect.
Kind of Pricey!
And I know what you are thinking: $180 ($30 a month for 6 months) is more than you would spend on a lifestyle shoe (way more), or a running shoe or any kind of shoe. Me too.
But I want to support new ideas to address these environmental problems of recycling and consumption. If On can truly deal with the recycling, and I really love the shoe, then I'm happy to support that effort. Or try it out.
I'm going to give it a go!
Stay tuned for Part II, and see how it turns out.
But tell me now, would you try this kind of subscription service out? Why or why not?
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