2020's COVID-19 quarantines dictated that comfortable, easy-on footwear ruled the day. Reebok's Beatnik sandal, Birkenstock's Boston clog, and Crocs' inimitable foam slip-ons all had their time in the sun but none were nearly as cool as Merrell's Hydro Moc.
That's partially because the Merrell Hydro Moc is unlike any shoe you've ever seen before. It's invitingly idiosyncratic, looking like a mutated lotus pod but feeling like a squishy rubber sock. Th Hydro Moc's golden ratio of familiar yet alien design cues truly hit different in the midst of a familiar yet alien year.
Over time, the Hydro Moc transmogrified into funky running shoes and weatherproof winter boots that never quite recaptured the original's charm. But, finally, Merrell's Hydro Next Gen Moc has come to claim the title of the Hydro Moc's first worthy successor.
Now, I prefer to call it the "Merrell Hydro Moc Next Gen" but that's not what it says on the box. No matter what you call it, though, you can't call it widely available: Highsnobiety is revealing Merrell's Hydro Next Gen Moc many months prior to the $90 shoe's Spring 2024 release date.
The Hydro Next Gen Moc works because it doesn't change what made its forebear so great. The trypophobia-triggering upper is intact, if streamlined, the shoe is still wildly easy to step into, and it's as cushy as it is water-friendly.
However, the Hydro Next Gen Moc one-ups the Hydro Moc by outstepping the stay-home sandal, literally. Note the shoe's chunky outsole, made out of a denser rubber than the eco-conscious BLOOM EVA foam upper and perfect for pounding the pavement. No need for a heel strap, either: Merrell's concocted a proper slip-on shoe.
As much as I enjoy the original Hydro Moc, my main beef is that it's really meant for rainy day strolls, not trekking around a city. The Hydro Moc, house shoe all-star that it is, just isn't a substantial long-distance driver nor was it never intended to be one.
The Hydro Next Gen Moc lives up to its name. It's a generational upgrade that feels like the product of natural selection, evolving the good bits and ditching the stuff irrelevant to user demands.
It's part of Merrell's forthcoming three-piece Hydro pack, which includes a lace-up sneaker and slide sandal that ought to be a hit with the 3D-printed foam slide crowd.
But the Hydro Next Gen Moc is the star of the show, an intelligent evolution to a contemporary classic. And it still looks like nothing you've ever seen before.
