HOKA’s Clifton 9 sneaker is certainly its most conventional. It has a breathable knitted upper, a middle-of-the-road midsole, and HOKA’s meta-rocker tech.

Together, these make up a good running sneaker or, as us runners call it, an everyday easy mileage shoe.

The fact that HOKA’s Clifton 9 isn’t a carbon-plated whippet and doesn’t boast a plethora of state-of-the-art tech doesn’t mean that it isn’t a great sneaker. Because it is.

In fact, HOKA’s Clifton 9 is one of my personal favorites for the very reason that it’s stripped of the super high-tech you’ll find in the Cielo X1, for instance.

But if I was head-over-heels in love with HOKA’s Clifton 9 beforehand (which, like I said, I was), I’ve now fallen deeper into a hole of passion since the release of the brand’s Clifton collaboration with FP Movement, the US-based wellness brand.

Draped in a Cirrus colorway (which for you, me and probably everyone else is basically purple), HOKA’s Clifton 9 looks the best it has since its release midway through 2023.

The sneaker’s upper is decorated with super tranquil purple and blue “watercolor waves”, per the brand, and sits atop a speckled compression molded EVA midsole that’s as resilient as it is complementary to the upper.

The FP x HOKA Clifton 9, which is available online now, arrives alongside collaborative takes on the Clifton L Suede, the Kawana 2, and an “Eggnog” version of the Clifton 9.

However, when it comes to picking my favorite of the bunch, FP’s Cirrus-colored HOKA Clifton 9 is by far and away my cup of tea.