The truth behind shoes that "break in less than a year"

Have you ever had a pair of brand-new shoes or sandals fall apart, with the sole peeling or a strap coming off, in less than a year?

One of the causes for this is the deterioration of the "adhesive" used to connect each part.

Synthetic adhesives can become hard or brittle over time as they are exposed to moisture, heat, ultraviolet light, and other environmental factors.

Even if the main material is still in good condition, the item can fail at the adhesive points.

At AOTOMORI, we employ a structure that secures the straps directly into the sole itself to minimize reliance on these adhesive bonds.

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How AOTOMORI sandals are assembled

AOTOMORI sandals do not use a structure where straps are glued to the surface of the sole.

The rubber base, designed specifically for each sandal model, features holes for the straps to pass through and recesses to house the anchoring points.

Assembly is carried out in the following steps:

1. Select your parts
   Choose the size and color of the sole and the design of the straps.

2. Thread the straps through the sole
   Using a specialized tool, the ends of the straps or ribbons are passed from the top of the rubber base through the holes and pulled out underneath.

3. Secure the anchoring points
   The T-shaped or locking-style anchor at the tip of the strap is pulled to the underside of the sole and fastened until it sits perfectly within the dedicated recess.

In this way, the strap is firmly secured by the structure of the sole itself.

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Benefit 1 — A structure that doesn't rely solely on adhesive

AOTOMORI does not rely on gluing methods to attach straps to the sole.

By firmly housing the strap's anchoring point inside the rubber base, the component is secured structurally.

This creates a structure that is less prone to the problem of straps peeling off due to the aging of adhesive.

Because sandals are worn every day, we believe that "how they are secured" is just as important as how they look.

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Benefit 2 — A structure that utilizes the characteristics of rubber material

AOTOMORI uses over 90% recycled natural rubber for our soles.

These rubber bases are designed with strap holes and anchor recesses tailored to each specific sandal model.

Rather than attaching straps after the fact, the sole itself serves the function of holding the straps in place.

Instead of considering material and structure separately, we utilize the rubber base itself as a functional part of the sandal.

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Benefit 3 — Transparency in craftsmanship

With mass-produced products, it is often difficult to see from the outside how each part is secured.

AOTOMORI sandals have a relatively simple structure where the straps pass through holes in the sole and are held in place by anchors on the underside.

We value not only "what it is made of," but also the ability to clearly understand "how it becomes a pair of sandals."

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There are also downsides

Of course, this structure comes with manufacturing challenges:

• Each strap must be threaded individually using a specialized tool.

• Each anchor point must be verified to ensure it is correctly seated in the recess.

• The combination of sole and strap must be correctly matched for each model.

Compared to simply gluing parts together, this assembly requires more manual labor and quality checks.

Nevertheless, we prioritize giving meaning to the very structure of our sandals.

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Conclusion

Sandals are something you wear nearly every day.

That is why we aim to create products you can enjoy for as long as possible, rather than assuming they will be short-lived consumables.

When we ask "why sandals break," it becomes clear that it is not just the materials, but how the parts are connected that truly matters.

At AOTOMORI, we don't glue straps on; we secure them firmly using the structure of the rubber sole itself.

That is the reason AOTOMORI chooses this assembly method.