(An interesting side note of the current situation is that startups like Blueland can’t just radically scale up supply overnight to capitalize on the unexpected demand: Beyond production constraints, air freight costs have increased 6x, Yoo says.)

There’s a lot going on here at once: The materials, their recyclability, the impact that has on design, aesthetics, and performance, the “circular” concept, the pricing, the idea of renting shoes vs. owning them, the direct consumer relationship vs. buying from a local store, and of course, the subscription business model.