In paid collaboration with Nallan

I Did the Maths on How Many Pairs of Sandals & Clogs I've Replaced in 3 Years. It's Embarrassing.

8 min read · Sep 2026

I finally sat down and counted. In the last three years, I've bought — and thrown out — eleven pairs of "everyday comfortable" shoes. Cracked leather. Insoles that went flat within a couple of months. Cheap linings that stopped keeping my feet warm by the second winter. Add it up, and I've spent more replacing cheap shoes than I would have spent on two or three properly made pairs, total.

That's the part nobody talks about when a shoe is "affordable." It's not actually cheaper. It's just cheaper per purchase, and you end up making the purchase over and over again. This autumn I did something different — I bought the Lana wool clogs instead of restocking the usual rotation.

The wool is real, which means it actually holds its warmth instead of going flat and thin after a few wears. The anatomical footbed is built into the shoe itself, not a cheap insert that flattens out by winter. Three generations of shoemakers went into getting that sole right, and it shows the moment you put them on — and it should still show a year from now.

I'm not buying eleven pairs of shoes next year. I'm buying one, properly, and I expect to still be wearing it long after this season ends.

Nallan Lana is currently up to 30% off, with a free foot care gift included and 30-day free returns if it's not the right fit.