With innovation at the center of athletic footwear conversations, On has revealed LightSpray, its latest upper technology created through a fully automated production process that has sustainably at the forefront.
“LightSpray is set to revolutionize performance uppers in the same way On CloudTec transformed midsoles,” On senior director of innovation Ilmarin Heitz told FN. “It has the potential to [impact] not just how performance uppers are made, but also reshape how we think about manufacturing, which hasn’t been done in decades.”
LightSpray, which was developed by the innovation team at the On Labs in Zurich, Switzerland, is an ultralight, one-piece upper. It has a thin and seamless design, and On is banking on the no-lace design to help it stand out in an ultra-competitive running market.
The manufacturing process, too, is innovative. The shoes are made in what On described as a “fast, one-step manufacturing process” that is “automated by a robotic arm.” With this fully automated process, On said waste is reduced and the uppers are produced with 75 percent fewer carbon emissions than its other racing shoes.
Once LightSpray uppers are created, On’s branding is added “within minutes” through a fully automated ink-jet printing process. The brand explained the process is more sustainable than typical branding processes because of the minimal amount of water used.
On also stated its new manufacturing process “offers the potential to make shoes closer to the customer” and could create “new opportunities for circular manufacturing and products” because of its “construction from a single recyclable material and assembly process that eliminates the need for glue.”
The idea for LightSpray, according to On, came from a Halloween decoration. Specifically, a member of its innovation team was inspired by a video of a hot glue gun creating spider webs, and was intrigued by “the swift creation of fabric onto a complex shape.” They created a prototype shoe upper with a handheld, modified hot glue gun. On said that progressed to “developing a unit which produces a continuous filament, forming an engineered structure” that would eventually became a one-piece upper, sprayed in a single step.
On stated its LightSpray technology will make its debut in the Cloudboom Strike LS (LightSpray), the brand’s lightest running shoe, with an upper that weighs 30 grams (1.06 ounces) and an entire shoe coming in at 170 grams (6 ounces).
The brand’s athletes were involved in the design and testing of both the LightSpray technology and the Cloudboom Strike LS shoe, and On-sponsored marathoner Hellen Obiri wore a development version of a LightSpray shoe when she won the Boston Marathon in April.
In terms of the Cloudboom Strike LS construction, On paired thin and laceless LightSpray uppers with two layers of the brand’s Helion HF hyper foam midsoles, made from a responsive Pebax formula with more than 40 percent bio-based raw materials. Between the foam is a pre-shaped, stiff carbon Speedboard to enable propulsion. The shoe is completed with traction-focused outsoles underfoot with an increased ground contact area based on runner pressure map data.
On further explained that the glue-free bonding of the LightSpray uppers allows for minimal construction, and that there is no sockliner or strobel in direct contact with the Helion HF hyper foam, leading to minimal energy loss.
“The On Labs in Zurich are engineering and patenting radical innovation that allows world-class athletes to compete and win at the top of their game. LightSpray has been designed to optimize athletes’ performance and maximize speed on race day,” Heitz told FN. “Athletes all over the world rely on our products, including those competing at the highest level. Ask any athlete competing in an event like this: When it comes to equipment they just cannot afford to rely on anything but the best of the best.”
After initially releasing the shoe in April, the On Cloudboom Strike LS will return in the fall, and it will retail for $330.
On also confirmed consumers can watch shoes being made by the automated production unit that makes its LightSpray technology at the On Labs Paris pop-up from July 27 to Aug. 10.
“LightSpray marks a significant milestone for On, not only in creating high performance products but also the potential it has to move us towards a more sustainable, circular future,” On co-chief executive officer Marc Maurer said in a statement. “Our team is constantly challenging itself to rethink the status quo in terms of the design, development, and manufacturing of performance sportswear. LightSpray technology will propel us forward in our mission to be the most premium sportswear brand, rooted in innovation, design and impact.”
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.
