On Loan

During the original weartesting program, the shoes weren&rsquo;t yours. They were on loan. You signed for them, promised to wear them to death, and return them. It took me a while to realise, but you had to relinquish Western, transactional ownership entirely. The shoes owned us. It felt strange. Intimate. Like forming a bond with a tool or a ritual object — something that passes through many…