Ahead of the London Marathon, the Swiss running brand brings its LightSpray technology to Hanover Square, turning sneaker-making into a live performance
Running shoes are usually sold through the language of speed: lighter, faster, more responsive, more advanced. But with LightSpray, On is also making the process itself part of the spectacle.
In the days leading up to the London Marathon 2026, the Swiss sportswear brand brought its LightSpray Tour to Hanover Square, opening a temporary space where visitors could watch a robotic arm create sneaker uppers in real time. The activation ran from April 24 to 26, transforming a central London address into something between a lab, a showroom, and a performance space.
At the centre of it all was the LightSpray robot, which uses a spray-on process to form an ultralight shoe upper around a last. Instead of the traditional, multi-step construction usually associated with performance footwear, the technology condenses the making of the upper into a single, continuous motion. The result looks almost choreographic: a machine drawing a shoe into existence, layer by layer.
The process is used on models including the Cloudboom Strike and Cloudmonster 3 Hyper, both available for visitors to try during the London activation. Rather than presenting innovation as something hidden inside a product, On brought it into full view, allowing people to witness the moment where material, movement, and engineering meet.
There was also a wider experiential layer. Guests could take part in running sessions, workouts, and community programming, while audio elements featuring marathon champion Hellen Obiri connected the technology back to the body it is ultimately designed for: the runner in motion.
That balance is what makes the project interesting. LightSpray is not just about futuristic manufacturing, or the novelty of a robot making shoes in front of an audience. It is about collapsing the distance between design and performance — showing how an object built for speed is itself produced through speed, precision, and repetition.
For a brand like On, whose identity sits somewhere between athletic science and minimalist design culture, the London activation felt like a clear statement. The future of running footwear may not only be lighter or faster. It may also be more visible, more immediate, and stranger to watch being born.
On LightSpray Tour London ran from April 24 to 26, 2026 at Hanover Square, London.
Photos: On