World’s first fully-customisable running shoe lands in the UK

The world’s first fully-customisable running shoe has hit the UK market – and is already making waves in the ultra-competitive performance sector.

Somnio Running shoes are a revolution in running shoe technology, delivering a bespoke level of support and cushioning to each individual wearer.

Each Somnio running shoe can be set up in more than a 100 different ways, using various cushioning inserts, wedges and foot beds to adjust the position of the wearer’s foot in the shoe - and the level of cushioning and support it delivers.

The shoes are the brainchild of Sean Sullivan, a long-time ‘gear designer’, who cut his teeth in customisable sports equipment with the Specialized Body Geometry system, used to determine an individual’s ‘perfect’ bike fit.

Somnio takes this principle of customisation and applies it to the fit of your running shoes and, in turn, how they perform.

The brand has been years in development with extensive testing, primarily at the Boulder Centre for Sports Medicine and in the capable hands of Dr Andy Pruitt and Tim Hilden, world experts in running biomechanics.

The real beauty of Somnio is that you can set each shoe not only to a specific person, but to that person’s biomechanics, even if that includes different leg lengths and foot dynamics.

“Footwear is becoming more specific and each specific model in every brand is becoming more niche to a specific foot shape and function,” says Danny Orr, of UK and Ireland distributors, MAR Systems. “However they are still generic for left and right feet. With Somnio, we can take a customisable shoe and make it specific to each individual.

“Each base model can be adjusted in 108 different ways: the big advantage of that is the fact that, if you do have a left foot that works differently from the right, we can amend the shoe based on exactly what your biomechanical needs are - and create a left and a right shoe just for you.”

According to Danny, around 70% of people in the world have one foot different to the other, from a size, shape and function perspective. Not all of these people will experience problems, but a good percentage will: for them, he says, Somnio would be the perfect solution.

Somnio has three base models of shoe from neutral to maximum stability (or highly supportive), but each takes the same swappable parts: a footbed, or insole, which address arch height; the ‘Varus Wedge’, which should correct (not just cushion) overpronation by changing your foot position; and separate inserts for heel and forefoot cushioning or support, which mostly adjust for the runner’s size, mileage and shoe usage (for example, off or on road, or speed of running).

There are three of these inserts, each at a different density of EVA (45, 55 and 65 SI), which gives a wide number of permutations.

Despite the high level of technology, the shoes retail for between £90 and £120 – a pricepoint comparable to other off-the-shelf brands.

“We’ve work hard to make sure that we've made the shoes as competitive as possible,” says Danny. “With Somnio, you're getting a far better product suited to your individual biomechanics and, more specifically, to exactly what your needs are compared to an off-the-shelf product.”

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