how we built cloka: merch to movement

so, cloka wasn't supposed to be this. started back in march 2025 like a typical side quest. clothing brand. simple storefront. sell some hoodies, vibe out. standard stack: next.js, tailwind, stripe.

Cloka storefront and branding

the origin

started with a single prompt. "build a dark mode run club hosting website". cursor spit out the bones in seconds. vibe coding isn't just a meme, it's about velocity. skipped the boilerplate, focused on the aesthetic. 80% of the initial code was AI generated. raw functionality over perfection.

but then the community happened. people weren't just buying clothes. they were running. they wanted to connect. saw the signal, decided to pivot. hard.

the pivot

clothing brand -> run club -> social health tech. sounds crazy on paper but the git logs don't lie. moved from products to events, check-ins, and arcs. realized the value wasn't the fabric, it was the sweat.

Cloka pivot to social health tech

the stack

kept it simple to move fast. core:

  • next.js 15 (app router is good actually)
  • typescript (sanity checks)
  • tailwind (speed)
  • mongodb + mongoose (flexible schema for a pivoting brain)

infrastructure:

  • vercel (hosting, blob for images)
  • github actions (ci/cd)

why mongo?

why mongo? because rigid schemas kill creativity. early cloka was chaos. features changed daily. sql migrations would have slowed me down. mongo let me dump objects and figure it out later. flexible schema for a flexible roadmap.

why pwa?

native apps have friction. download, install, update. wanted zero friction. cloka is a url. add to home screen, done. plus, offline mode via service workers matters when you're running deep in the trails with no signal.

feature: arcs

this is the social layer. wanted something ephemeral but sticky. built "arcs". think of it like a seasonal campaign for your health. you join an arc, you check in, you track progress. leveraged html-to-image for those shareable cards you see on twitter. make it look good, people will share it. simple growth loop.

Cloka Arcs feature

the strava integration

couldn't build a run club without the data. integrated strava oauth. now we pull:

  • prs (5k, 10k, half marathon)
  • streaks
  • weekly distance

gamified it. you don't just run; you unlock achievements. the backend syncs this automatically. user connects once, we handle the refreshing tokens and data fetching in the background.

handling scale (and images)

user generated content is heavy. check-in photos, profile pics, event galleries. dumped s3 for vercel blob. easier DX. serves optimized images fast, without configuring buckets or permissions policies.

Cloka handling scale and images

what's next

cloka is evolving. it’s not just a run club anymore. it’s becoming a social health protocol. building a mobile app now. more health integrations. more social graph features.

built with intent. shipped with speed. evolution is the only constant.

more soon. fabian.