{"id":442630,"date":"2026-05-15T06:26:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T06:26:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/442630\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T06:26:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T06:26:08","slug":"all-in-the-mind-are-exercise-slides-the-next-ugly-shoe-fashion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/442630\/","title":{"rendered":"All in the mind: are exercise slides the next ugly shoe? | Fashion"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the much-hyped Nike Mind shoes were released in January, I bought a pair. I was grabbed by the idea that the orange nodules on the sole could, supposedly, focus the mind. The futuristic look of the shoe also appeals. If walking on knobbly things took a bit of getting used to, it was worth it \u2013 if only for that irresistible fashion smugness of having something rare. In the last week, I have been stopped in the street and asked where I got the shoes. It turns out they are now out of stock and have sold for over \u00a3300<\/a> on resale site Goat.<\/p>\n

The Mind is part of a wider trend in \u201cexercise slides\u201d, a pre-game shoe designed to ground you ahead of your chosen activity. Nike claim that the 22 nodules on the sole stimulate the mechanoreceptors on your feet, engaging the sensory area of your brain, meaning focus is heightened. Meanwhile, recovery slides made by brands such as Hoka and Oofos use cushioned soles and a shape that cradles the foot to helpfight foot fatigue after a lot of exercise. The Mind are worn by footballers including Erling Haaland and Reece James, runner Keely Hodgkinson and basketball players Victor Wembanyama and A\u2019ja Wilson, while ballerina Francesca Hayward namechecks Hoka\u2019s slides as part of her daily routine.<\/p>\n

Heightened focus \u2026 A\u2019ja Wilson in her Nikes.<\/p>\n

Of course, the connection between footwear and sport isn\u2019t always purely about function. This month, Crocs partnered with Umbro on a pair of slides that combine the clog shape with the look of a football boot \u2013 just because. And American brand Literary Sport have previously styled their design-led activewear<\/a> with what look like recovery shoes. So: in a world where the ugly shoe is now an established category<\/a>, could the exercise slide be next in line?<\/p>\n

Tom Barker, style editor at Highsnobiety, thinks they have stiff competition in the world of ugly shoes. Consider the Vibram FiveFingers barefoot shoes<\/a> \u2013 originally created for hikers, with a \u201cpocket\u201d for each toe \u2013 that are now being worn with cult brands Damson Madder and Peachy Den by people in south-east London drinking skin-contact wine.<\/p>\n

Footwear collab \u2026 Umbro x Crocs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a time when people are wearing toe shoes, these kind of shoes don\u2019t actually feel that out there,\u201d he says. The Mind 002 collaboration with the brand Fragment<\/a> \u2013 the same sole but with a sneaker upper-covered in cross-hatched lacing \u2013 has a chance, though. \u201cThat version has the right amount of freaky and weird that it could catch on,\u201d he says. \u201cThe normal Nike Mind, as futuristic as it is, looks a little bit like something someone\u2019s made in the lab. It\u2019s very tech oriented.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s little doubt that shoe trends have leaned towards the absurd this century, moving from the relative calm of so-called dad trainers<\/a> to Martine Rose\u2019s mule Nike Shox<\/a>, Balenciaga\u2019s oversized 10XL sneakers<\/a>, and surprising hit hybrids like the snoafer (a mix of sneaker and loafer) and the sneakerina<\/a>. While some of this might be down to designers\u2019 desire to create the latest viral item, it also reflects the foregrounding of footwear in what most of us wear. Shoes are far from the afterthought of an outfit now \u2013 they\u2019re becoming a main character.<\/p>\n

If the exercise slide might not win the ugly shoe competition, it could still take off this summer thanks to the boom in running<\/a> \u2013 and its impact on our wardrobes. Whether that\u2019s through a Harry Styles-approved pair of running shorts reworked with a band T-shirt<\/a>, or run club merch worn way beyond parks<\/a>, this is a case of lifestyle influencing fashion. \u201cPeople are wearing [exercise slides] as casual shoes a little bit, but the flip side of that is everyone\u2019s running, it\u2019s not just a pure style thing,\u201d says Barker. \u201cThere\u2019s a niche there of people who want nice-looking recovery shoes because everyone and their nan is doing a half marathon.\u201d Put simply, they appeal equally to those still suffering from runner\u2019s toe<\/a> from the London Marathon, those gearing up for Sunday\u2019s Hackney Half and non-runners concerned with aesthetics, like me.<\/p>\n

For running or home \u2026 Hoka\u2019s recovery slides. Photograph: Hoka<\/p>\n

Ali Ball, the e-commerce director at Runner\u2019s World, sees the shoes as part of a wider trend, with consumers buying into all aspects of their run. \u201cPeople are investing more in running kit these days, so may be more willing to spend money on extra accessories,\u201d she says. While she has seen a growth of recovery slides for post-race, those who run the races regularly tend to use more tried and tested options: \u201cA lot of [marathon runners] wear Crocs, general sliders, Birkenstocks etc \u2013 anything that feels more comfortable and cushioned than a regular shoe.\u201d<\/p>\n

But do they even work? And could they be doing more harm than good? Dr Helen Branthwaite, chief clinical adviser at the Royal College of Podiatry, says there\u2019s little evidence either way as yet, but one rule of thumb remains: don\u2019t wear any shoe for an extended period of time. \u201cWe know through research [that] if you have a varied choice of footwear, you\u2019ve got a much healthier foot,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Experts are not convinced by the Mind shoes. Branthwaite says nodules on the sole are not new \u2013 she points to similar ones on shoes from Japan, and the Arena pool slides popular in the 70s \u2013 but they do have some logic. \u201cIf you stimulate the mechanoreceptors in patients with diseases like Parkinson\u2019s [who have lost sensation in their feet] it does bring back some better function.\u201d However, she is skeptical that the bumpy texture will mean more mental focus in the long-term: \u201cIf you think of having a pebble in your shoe, after a period of time you get used to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ball agrees. \u201cEveryone is looking at ways they can improve or get faster,\u201d she says. \u201cI would just urge people to remember that there are other things you can focus on to improve your time \u2013 pre- and mid-race fuelling, strength training, for example. Slides won\u2019t magically make you a faster runner.\u201d Or, if you\u2019re like me, clock in a personal best on your next stroll to the pub.<\/p>\n

To read the complete version of this newsletter \u2013 complete with this week\u2019s trending topics in The Measure and your wardrobe dilemmas solved \u2013 subscribe to receive Fashion Statement<\/a> in your inbox every Thursday.<\/p>\n