The other day, for the first time in a while, I spent a day off in shoes with a raised heel.
I'm sure spending almost every day in BEDROCK SANDALS has something to do with it, but sure enough, my lower back started to hurt.
In fact, this symptom is nothing new.
I had the same experience more than twenty years ago, when I worked in customer service and was on my feet almost all day.
Of course, that was before BEDROCK SANDALS had even been born as a brand.
The way my body got tired and sore was completely different depending on whether I spent the day in sneakers such as New Balance or NIKE, with a raised heel to make running easier, or in low-tech sneakers (do we still call them that?) with flat soles, such as VANS or CONVERSE.
Back then too, wearing sneakers with a raised heel made my lower back hurt.
I'm sure part of the cause lay in my own skeletal misalignment and the way I stand, but for some reason those symptoms appeared, so I avoided sneakers of that shape at work.
Then I came across BEDROCK SANDALS, learned about the ideas of zero drop and barefoot, and felt I had found the answer to the unease I'd felt for so long.
Partly because my feet were wide to begin with, from then on I wore shoes with those two features as much as I possibly could.
So I was truly happy when the Mountain Clog appeared.
At the time, if you looked for shoes like this, there weren't many options beyond minimal sandals or sneakers with a slightly sporty design.
"If only it were a bit more like this," "if only it were like that": nothing ever quite felt right.
Then along came the Mountain Clog.
Its look, combining a rounded, chunky feel with the refined texture of leather, was exactly the kind of thing that made me think, "This is it!"
Easy to match with any style, and with a timeless design you can keep wearing for years.
I felt sure of that.
Ever since, once summer ends and there's a chill in the air, I spend almost all my time in Mountain Clogs until the next summer comes.
In summer, by the way, I'm almost always in Cairns.
The Mountain Clog started out in two materials, Nubuck Leather and Synthetic Leather, then Suede Leather was added, and the color range has grown as well.
With this many options, a person's individuality starts to show in which one they choose.
In fact, looking at the Circles staff, not only the materials and colors they pick but also the way they work them into their everyday outfits are all different.
They're the same Mountain Clog, yet they seem to give off a different mood on each person who wears them.
So this time, I asked the Circles staff who love their Mountain Clogs to make an appearance.
The staff's Mountain Clog Style
This time, along with a style photo of each staff member, I asked about
"(1) what you like most about them" and "(2) why you chose that model."
Baki / Circles apparel staff (Model: Suede Leather / Wild Rose Upper – Wild Rose Webbing)
(1): I like how versatile they are: loosen them to relax, tighten them and they're fully up for activities.
(2): Because you get to enjoy the color changing! The way Nubuck changes tends to get the attention, but I like how Suede gets dirty while keeping its softness. Another reason is that I was curious what would happen to pink. So far it just keeps getting deeper!
Dora / Circles mechanic staff (Model: Suede Leather / Chanterelle Upper – Abstract Brown Webbing)
(1): It has to be the color. It's cute. They look good even just sitting in the entryway. You only get this feel with suede. I usually prefer simple outfits, and these make a nice accent at my feet.
(2): I already owned the black Nubuck Leather. They're comfortable and the color is easy to use, but I felt like being a bit adventurous. Unlike the Nubuck, the upper is lined, so I thought this model would be warmer in winter and chose it for that.
Chan-Mai / Circles apparel staff (Model: Suede Leather / Deep Plum Upper – Deep Plum Webbing)
(1): The color! I've worn them for a full two years and they've faded quite a bit compared with the start, but that has its own charm too.
The ankle is held firmly, yet there's room at the toe to spread your toes, so they're relaxing to wear. That makes it easy to alternate with the Cairn series, and since they protect my feet from knocking against the pedals, I often wear them on ride days too.
(2): The color! I thought, "Purple is unusual!" but I tend to wear shades like that anyway, so I figured it would be easy to fit into my daily life and chose this color.
Since I chose by color I didn't pay much attention to the type of leather, but just as Dora says, I love the fluffy feel that Nubuck doesn't have.
GO / Photographer (Model: Nubuck Leather / Obsidian Dark Gray Leather – Black Webbing)
(1): For three years I wore nothing but Cairns in every season, but I couldn't take the numb toes in winter any longer and bought the Clog. (A full year has passed.)
(2): The overwhelming sense of security in situations where Cairns make me nervous (shoots on bad footing, setting up events, bushwhacking and so on). Also, when Cairns would be too casual, the Clog's design, which in a good way doesn't look like a sandal, has helped me out. I used to wonder why Bedrock released this, but wearing it I understood: the feeling of release from both worry and confinement.
On rainy days it used to be barefoot Cairns and nothing else, but lately the Clog gets most of the outings. (During Nagoya's record-breaking downpour the other day, it was Cairns after all.)
The moments when I'm choosing between the two make me feel I'm getting closer to being a true Bedrocker, and I enjoy that.
Da / Media and e-commerce staff (Model: Nubuck Leather / Driftwood Gray Upper – Black Webbing)
(1): Number one would be how easy they are to wear! Unlike sneakers you can slip them on and off in a moment, yet they're properly comfortable for walking long distances. That's what I like most.
(2): More than ease of care or function, the main reason is simply that I liked how they look. At first I thought that, being leather, they'd need looking after, but these days even when they get soaked in the rain I just let them dry and don't do any special care.
Lazy as I am, I'd say they're aging rather nicely, wouldn't you? Ha!
Kim-nii / (Model: Nubuck Leather / Brown Upper – Brown Webbing)
(1): The fact that, one way or another, I end up wearing them all year round. On rides and in daily life, it's the Mountain Clog. I've almost stopped wearing sneakers. Mine are the Nubuck Leather model, and being leather they don't get stuffy easily, and I can wear them in a bit of rain without worrying. The covered toe is also a welcome point for someone as easily distracted as me.
And then there's the way the leather ages. They're nice when new and clean, but as you wear them they take on a character that's yours alone. That's a pleasure unique to leather goods, where even with an industrial product each pair ends up with a different face.
(2): To begin with, isn't BEDROCK SANDALS' idea of wanting to live in sandals even in winter a fun one?
I myself like the style of wearing sandals with socks, so the Mountain Clog is just about ideal. It has the breathability particular to Nubuck Leather, and by changing the thickness of your wool socks you can get through spring, summer, autumn and winter in this one pair. The functionality goes without saying, but including the pleasure of the leather changing over the years, I think of them as a tool I can stay with for a long time.
Kamochi / CWD staff (Model: Synthetic Suede / Pinecone Upper – Pinecone Webbing)
(1): Only the Synthetic Suede has small triangular vents at the toe and on either side of the arch, and the more I wore them the more I appreciated how well they ventilate. For someone like me whose feet alone sweat a lot, what I like is that, together with the spacer-mesh lining, they don't get stuffy even when worn all day with thick socks. The vents also sit as a geometric pattern on the Clog's rounded form, which is a point I secretly love.
(2): I'm drawn to the fun of breaking in leather goods, but for someone as lazy as me, the deciding factor was the ease of being able to care for them with just a wipe with a damp cloth or a brushing. On top of that, I skid on my fixed-gear bike nearly every day, so something else I wouldn't compromise on was that the instep is a synthetic microfiber upper that is both durable and supple, so I can use them hard without worrying even when they press or rub strongly against the pedal straps.
Nacchan / (Model: Synthetic Suede / Gray Upper – Black Webbing)
(1): The now-discontinued synthetic in gray. I've been wearing them for three years or more by now, so they've molded perfectly to my feet and are superbly comfortable. I don't have to worry about care, and when they get dirty I can scrub and wash them whole, so I can wear them without a second thought on rainy days, in the mountains, to the park, wherever I go to play.
Running, climbing or wet, they never slip and never come off, and they fit my feet securely, so I can wear them all year round with confidence.
(2): A pair I bought when the Mountain Clog was released. At the time the choice was between brown Nubuck Leather and the synthetic. I like leather, so I hesitated, but I wanted to wear them when going out to play with my kids too. Above all I wanted something I could wear casually and play in all sorts of places to my heart's content without caring how dirty they got, so I chose the synthetic.
Since then I've bought the Nubuck Leather too, and I switch between them depending on the occasion.
Looking at them like this, even the same Mountain Clog takes on quite a different mood depending on who chooses it.
Some staff only started wearing them this year, while others treasure pairs that have been worn in and taken on a great look.
And of course, some staff are already on their second or third pair.
The materials vary, and so do the ways of wearing them and working them in.
Go back to the top and take another look at each staff member's Mountain Clogs and style.
Even if they didn't really "click" for you before, you might find yourself thinking, "Oh! Those are nice!"
This year I'm wearing the Nubuck Leather Brown that I've kept on wearing and my newly acquired Suede Leather Cascade Green in a rotation of about 3:1.
If you'd like to see in person what they look like once they're worn in, come and see them at Circles Tailored too.
