Barefoot shoes! They make it so it feels like you’re walking barefoot! But while… wearing shoes! And boy are they getting popular.
The basic theory of barefoot or minimalist shoes is: regular shoes constrain our feet, not allowing them to spread and flex and move naturally, and causing them to actually weaken over time. With wide toe boxes and often a zero drop, aka no heel rise setup, barefoot shoes do the opposite—allowing each step to be more natural and actually strengthening your feet!
At least that’s the pitch.
The rise of barefoot shoes has been rapid, with big brands like Vivo Barefoot, Vibram, and Merrell selling over half a billion dollars worth of the product in recent years. And I can’t say I personally love the way any of them look!
Then along came Andrew Turriff, a Canadian shoemaker with an incredible wealth of experience—studied at Cordwainer’s Footwear Design program in London, worked for some big sneaker brands, did pattern work for fellow Canadians Viberg and time in the orthopedic world—who decided to make a zero-drop, anatomical, barefoot shoe with of top-end materials like Charles F. Stead Repello calf suede and leather heel counters—and also make it resolable, which it’s otherwise quite tough to find.
I was lucky enough to ride shotgun for a bunch of Andrew’s development process on what eventually became Turriff Functional Footwear—whose launch model recently became available and I’ve been wearing and loving for over a month now. Are my feet stronger? I have no idea. Am I a barefoot shoe zealot now? Nope! But I legitimately love the shoes Andrew’s created.
Our chat that gets deep into the science behind barefoot shoes, the technical construction and design aspects of Turriff Footwear, and the shoemaking journey that provided the building blocks for what’s certainly been one of the more interesting pieces of quality footwear I’ve worn in a while.
Here’s Andrew Turriff, on the Shoecast.
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