Barefoot Shoes: What They Are & Why People Wear Them


1. What Are Barefoot Shoes?

Barefoot shoes are shoes designed to let your feet move the way they naturally should — almost like you’re barefoot, but with protection.

Most regular shoes are stiff, narrow, and raised at the heel. Barefoot shoes are different. They are:

  • Flat from heel to toe

  • Flexible

  • Lightweight

  • Wider at the front so your toes can spread

  • Thin enough to feel the ground, but still protect your feet

The goal isn’t to “support” your foot with padding.
The goal is to let your foot do what it was designed to do.

2. Why Go Barefoot? (Why This Even Matters)

Your feet have muscles, joints, and nerves that are meant to work together when you walk.

When shoes are stiff, tight, or overly cushioned, your feet don’t move naturally. Over time, they can feel weaker, tighter, and more restricted.

Going barefoot — or wearing barefoot-style shoes — can help:

  • Let foot muscles work more naturally

  • Improve balance and body awareness

  • Encourage a more natural walking pattern

  • Help your feet feel less trapped and restricted

That’s why some doctors and foot specialists talk about minimalist or barefoot-style shoes as a way to support natural movement — when used properly and gradually.

You don’t need to throw away all your shoes overnight.
Most people ease into barefoot shoes and listen to their bodies.

What Doctors Are Saying

“I was first introduced to this concept during my medical school years by a Portland functional medicine Chiropractor Tim Irving DC, and have since continued to learn more, try it out for myself and now have recommended this footwear to countless patients who have seen the same positive results for themselves.”
— Dr. Angela Cortal, M.D.
(from “Barefoot shoes? What is all this nonsense about?!”)

If you’d like to read the full article, you can find it here:
👉 https://www.drcortal.com/blog/barefoot-shoes-what-is-all-this-nonsense-about

This reflects what many professionals say: barefoot-style shoes aren’t about trends or gimmicks — they’re about allowing the body to move more naturally, when done sensibly.

3. Are Barefoot Shoes for You?

Barefoot shoes aren’t just for one type of person. They’re often chosen by people who say things like:

  • “I hate wearing normal shoes.”

  • “My feet feel squished or uncomfortable.”

  • “I’d rather be barefoot.”

  • “Shoes bother me after a few hours.”

  • “I stand or walk all day and my feet are done.”

If shoes feel like something you have to tolerate instead of forget about, barefoot shoes are worth considering.

4. Why Our Barefoot Shoes?

There are many barefoot shoes out there. Here’s what makes ours different — explained simply.

1. Design (They Don’t Look Weird)

A lot of barefoot shoes have very wide, unusual shapes that make them hard to wear everywhere.
They can look “clownish” or overly “hippie,” which puts people off.

Our shoes are designed to:

  • Keep a natural foot shape

  • Still look clean and simple

  • Be worn to work, errands, or social settings

You don’t have to sacrifice how you look to feel comfortable.

2. Material (Your Feet Can Breathe)

Most shoes are made from thick or synthetic materials that trap heat.
That’s why feet get sweaty and uncomfortable.

Our barefoot shoes use breathable materials that allow air to move around your foot. This helps reduce heat and sweat, so your feet feel fresher for longer.

When your feet can breathe, you don’t feel desperate to take your shoes off the second you get home.

3. Slip Them On. Don’t Squeeze Your Feet In.

Most shoes feel like something you have to force your foot into.
You tighten laces, adjust straps, and still feel pressure.

These don’t work like that.

You slip them on, the way you would with slippers.
Your foot goes in naturally — no squeezing, no fighting the shoe.

No gimmicks.
No “lasers.”
Just put them on and go.

4. Designed for South Africans

We’re a South African brand, and these barefoot shoes were made with South Africans in mind.

Most barefoot shoe companies are international. They have to design for many different countries, climates, and lifestyles all at once. That often means making compromises.

We don’t have to do that.

We focus on OUR people, our climate, and how life actually feels here. We know how much South Africans love being barefoot — at home, outside, at the beach, in the garden, wherever we can. It’s part of how we live.

So instead of designing for everyone, we chose to design with care for South Africans first.
Because when you truly understand the people you’re building for, the result just feels better.

Quick Summary

  • Barefoot shoes let your feet move naturally

  • They feel closer to being barefoot, without the risks

  • People choose them for comfort, freedom, and simplicity

  • Our shoes focus on clean design, breathable materials, easy wear, and local understanding

No hype. No overthinking.
Just shoes that let your feet be feet.