Carl Pei’s ethos of injecting fun into technology culminated in not one, but two brands. Most people recognize a Nothing device in the wild, instantly spotting and identifying its transparent design. But as a little sibling to the Nothing brand, Pei also unveiled CMF – a design-forward tech brand that was specifically founded to bring great technology and great design to the masses.

CMF actually pre-empted Nothing on a few fronts, it launched the first 3-camera smartphone before Nothing, it rolled out GaN chargers before Nothing, it even still holds the mantle of being the only brand of the two to have a smartwatch… and now it seems like CMF is adding sneakers to its list. The sneakers come as a result of a collab with Indian sneaker brand Gully Labs, but rather than merely launching a sneaker line, the two brands decided to turn the exercise into a community design effort. The result, perhaps one of the most interesting pieces of footwear I’ve seen from the design community. This particular concept by Abhishek Mistry injects CMF’s design ethos into a piece of footwear brilliantly. Aside from just making a neon orange pair of shoes, Mistry wove CMF details into them too, ditching the laces for a BOA system, and translating the CMF Phone’s modular backplate into a modular heel counter. The result feels perfectly CMF, it’s edgy, wild, and has that iconic flair that Pei’s constantly spoken about injecting into the products he creates.

Designer: Abhishek Mistry

The purpose of the community challenge was to rally the community behind the company – a classic move to build culture while also ensuring a strong, unwavering base of support. A side pursuit, however, is to also release a product that captures the brand’s essence perfectly – and Mistry’s design does that remarkably well. CMF’s design ethos has always been around building products that are fun, interactive, and modular. It’s practically baked into the Phone 1 and Phone 2 Pro’s designs, as well as the Buds series. The interaction manifests in the form of a laceless design that ditches conventional laces for a closed-loop BOA system. A knob, that looks very similar to the one found on the Phone and the Buds, lets you tighten or loosen the shoes, giving them a wonderfully tactile and enjoyable touch. You don’t need two hands to fasten your shoes, and you sure as hell don’t need velcro. Rotate the knob to tighten, rotate the other way to loosen. Genius.

The shoes also come in four colorways that match the CMF phones, you’ve got the iconic Orange color (which personally looks better on the shoes than on CMF’s tech), but then for the faint of heart, you’ve got more somber colors like white, black, and light green. The paneling feels exquisitely premium, as the shoes use cutting-edge new-age materials, or as Mistry calls, technical fabric. There’s an interplay of matte and metallic finishes, quite like on the Phone 2 Pro, and the CMF logo is confidently placed on the BOA knob, while the Gully Labs logo finds its way on the front.

That, however, isn’t where Mistry draws the line. Like the Phone 1 and 2 Pro, the sneaker builds modularity into its design too, giving the entire community the ability to customize their shoes while also opening up an entire third-party aftermarket for custom parts. The design borrows from the CMF Phones’ removable backplates, featuring a removable heel cover that’s held together by the same screws found on the Phone 1 and 2 Pro. Simply unscrew the heel cover on your existing shoe and swap it for something more funky or more your style. You could go for a color-change, a texture-change, even a material change should you choose! Want to go even more wild? Turn that modular heel into an accessory mount – maybe for AirTags, maybe a mount for a GoPro, the possibilities are quite literally endless, and let’s just say, CMF’s target audience has a surplus of creativity!

For now, Mistry’s footwear exists as a fan-made concept, but the competition’s underway, and with enough luck, designs like Mistry’s could get officially picked up by the brands and potentially turned into actual footwear. If you’d love to see modular sneakers with BOA fasteners, go check out Abhishek Mistry’s Instagram page for more photos. Or if you’re interested in designing your own shoes, check out the official competition page for more info.

The post Nothing’s CMF gets its own Sneaker Line with this edgy, modular Fan-made Design first appeared on Yanko Design.

It’s a striking move for Vans to embrace the clog format, especially with a design that leans so hard into futuristic minimalism. Looking at the Vans Future Clog in light of the Dutch clog’s history, the connection is both surprising and oddly fitting. Traditional Dutch clogs, or “klompen,” were sturdy, carved from wood, and designed as practical footwear for farmers and laborers. Their iconic, blocky silhouette, instantly recognizable for its simplicity and function, has endured for centuries as a symbol of honest craftsmanship and everyday utility.

The Vans Future Clog plays with this legacy in a way that feels almost tongue-in-cheek. The exaggerated, blunt front and seamless build echo the klomp’s solid, all-in-one construction, but instead of wood, Vans opts for a lightweight, synthetic material that is molded rather than carved. The simplicity of the clog is preserved: there are no laces, minimal seams, and a monolithic look, but it’s been reimagined for a postmodern, urban audience. The result is something that feels both ancient and alien at once: a nod to Europe’s peasant past, updated for streetwear’s obsession with the bold and the unusual.

Designer: SR Studio for Vans

Sterling Ruby’s SR Studio brings an art world perspective to this collaboration that elevates the clog beyond typical footwear territory. Ruby, known for his large-scale sculptures and installations that often explore themes of decay, transformation, and industrial materials, seems like an ideal partner for reimagining something as humble as the clog. His influence is evident in the Future Clog’s sculptural quality and its willingness to look more like a wearable art piece than traditional footwear. The collaboration suggests that Vans is serious about pushing boundaries, not just creating another slip-on variation.

Comparing the Vans Future Clog to other modern, monomaterial footwear, the parallels with Yeezy’s Foam Runner and similar slip-on silhouettes are obvious. These shoes, popularized by brands like Adidas (Yeezy), Crocs (with their recent designer collabs), and even Merrell (Hydro Moc), all tap into a shared ethos: comfort, easy wear, and a sculptural approach that makes each pair instantly recognizable. They’re all about statement shapes, single-piece construction, and a willingness to look strange, sometimes even polarizing, rather than safe.

Where the Yeezy Foam Runner has organic curves and alien pod-like holes, the Vans Future Clog is more angular and automotive, almost as if the designers took the klomp, ran it through a wind tunnel, and then cast it in foam. Both shoes are intentionally minimal in branding, letting the silhouette and material do the talking. Each pairs well with streetwear and casual fits, but they telegraph different moods: Yeezies are more futuristic and playful, Crocs lean on comfort and nostalgia, while the Vans Future Clog splits the difference between industrial design object and fashion experiment.

The real question is whether this represents a new direction for Vans or just a one-off experiment. Given the brand’s recent “New Future” campaign and their push into premium materials and collaborations, this feels like testing the waters for a more design-forward approach. The clog format offers advantages: it’s Instagram-friendly, comfortable for extended wear, and different enough to generate buzz without alienating core customers who can always fall back on Old Skools. Smart brands know when to zig while others zag, and Vans appears to be zigging hard into sculptural footwear territory.

The post The New Vans Future Clog Looks Like an Alien Spaceship for Your Feet first appeared on Yanko Design.