On Running has been pushing its LightSpray technology to the forefront of running shoe innovation in 2026, and the results are turning heads across the industry. The Swiss brand's proprietary manufacturing process creates shoe uppers by spraying a thin layer of material directly onto a last, eliminating the need for traditional gluing, stitching, or mechanical assembly. The result is a seamless, lace-free upper that hugs the foot with a precision that conventional construction methods simply cannot match.
The technology has been most prominently deployed in On's Cloudboom Strike LS, a racing flat that weighs significantly less than its competitors while maintaining the structural integrity needed for marathon-distance racing. By removing the dozens of individual components that typically make up a shoe upper — panels, overlays, eyelets, laces, and the adhesives that hold them together — LightSpray creates a product with fewer potential failure points and a dramatically reduced environmental footprint in production.
The manufacturing process itself is remarkably fast. Where a traditional running shoe upper might require dozens of steps across multiple production lines, LightSpray can create an upper in a fraction of the time, with less material waste and lower energy consumption. On has been vocal about the sustainability benefits, positioning LightSpray as both a performance breakthrough and an environmental one, though the shoes currently retail at a premium that limits their accessibility to a broader market.
Industry analysts see LightSpray as part of a wider trend toward simplified, more efficient shoe construction that mirrors advances in other industries like 3D printing and additive manufacturing. Nike has explored similar concepts with its Flyprint and Flyknit technologies, while Adidas has invested in 4D-printed midsoles. What sets LightSpray apart is the completeness of the approach — it replaces the entire upper construction process rather than optimising one component of it. Whether LightSpray eventually trickles down from elite racing to everyday training shoes will likely determine its long-term impact on the market.