Get the latest gossip
Feet on the ground: the rise and rise of the barefoot shoe
Our gravitation towards thin-soled shoes could be a manifestation of our desire to reconnect with the world, and brands from Adidas to Loewe are jumping on the trend
Designed so that the heel and ball of the foot hit the ground at the same level, the shoes enable their wearers to move as naturally as possible (imagine a caveman chasing a Smilodon wearing goatskins on his feet and you’ll get the idea). Photograph: Courtesy of VivobarefootLow profile, understated, flat – the barefoot shoe is the diametric opposite of the oversized, chunky-soled footwear styles that have dominated for the past decade or so, and which I (and many others) are itching to depart from in favour of a return to on-foot simplicity. It’s no secret that we’re living through a moment of great turbulence – environmentally, economically, socially – and the closer to the ground we are, the safer and more in tune with our surroundings we feel (picture Richard Gere strolling barefoot in the grass in 1990’s Pretty Woman or the kids inSuccession paddling fraternally in the Caribbean sea before their big boardroom showdown, for proof).
Or read this on The Guardian