I have a rather embarrassing, if not audacious, confession to make. For 29 years, I’ve been wearing the wrong shoe size. An 8 instead of a 9 or 9.5 (both UK). The realization, quite literally, hit me where it hurts—my feet. Now, I am not a sneaker person. I do not spend half of CTC on a Jordan drop. Naturally, then, I always blamed the blisters and numbness on my stinginess and addiction to cheap sneakers, figuring "You get what you pay for." But here’s the kicker: I love walking. I’ve been doing 10,000 steps a day for a year and a half, shedding almost a quarter of my body weight in the process... all while squeezing my feet into shoes that clearly hated me. 

After chucking my beloved, yet torturous, Chucks out the window, a new pair of Ludic EC Pro shoes landed at my door—finally, in the correct size. The unboxing was... an experience. Now, I’ve cycled through enough Nikes, Converses, and Pumas to know that most shoe brands treat unboxing like it's some kind of afterthought. Ludic, turned it into a whole event. The EC Pro came with extra laces and instructions on lacing them like an adult—something the big brands don’t seem to care about in their affordable lines. 

The shoes themselves? Basic, in a good way. They’re what you’d call a beater, not a grail—exactly what I needed as I rebuilt my collection. The camo-green upper, made from Ludic’s self-developed canvas fabric, pairs nicely with the sole, and the sock-like upper, which sounds like a gimmick, but after beating these shoes up, I’ve realized it’s a game-changer. Not only does it make slipping them on and off easy, but it saves my heels from the sneaker-brand-induced bruises that have been marking my feet for years. 

Now, Ludic didn’t exactly swing for the fences with this design. It’s pretty safe—bordering on boring. Sure, you can swap out the laces for something a little snazzier, but if you’re looking for a standout piece, this isn’t it. What bugged me, though, was the no-tie laces. They started loosening up like they’ve been hitting the gym with no gains. And don’t get me started on the branding—it’s slapped right on the front like Ludic’s trying too hard to make a first impression. Red strap? Meh. I’d argue refining the silhouette would speak louder than any logo ever could. 

But a shoe is a shoe, at the end of the day. And so far, the Ludic EC Pro has been pretty solid. It’s not memory foam-level cosy, but the sculpted insole does the trick for long walks. There’s a slight heft, but I’ll trade that for comfort any day. They look good and feel good, and for Rs 3,299, they’re practically a steal. Call it my sole-mate for now.