What exactly is a barefoot shoe?
Barefoot shoes aren’t called barefoot shoes because you wear them without socks.
They’re called barefoot shoes because they allow you to walk almost like you’re barefoot.
Thanks to their specific design features – no heel drop (zero drop), a thin, highly flexible sole just a few millimeters thick, a lightweight structure, and a wide toe box – barefoot shoes are designed to come as close as possible to natural barefoot walking while still offering protection.
The result? Your feet reconnect with the ground – in the best possible way.
Wearing barefoot shoes lets you move as if you were truly barefoot.
When walking barefoot, your gait naturally shifts. Instead of striking with the heel, you land more gently with the whole foot, especially the forefoot. This protects your joints and supports healthy foot development – in both adults and children.
Natural forefoot walking:
- Walking barefoot in a forefoot or midfoot gait is joint-friendly and natural
- Misalignments in the knees, hips, pelvis, back or even the jaw often stem from incorrect signals originating from the fee
Healthy and protected – even in a modern world:
The question: How can we move naturally and still stay protected?
The answer:
- A thin, abrasion-resistant and flexible sole – for smooth, joint-friendly walking
- Lightweight shoes that offer toes and feet the freedom to move – so your feet can finally do their job again
- Shoes that adapt to your feet – not the other way around
- Direct ground feedback – almost like walking on your own soles
SOLE RUNNER® barefoot shoes let you walk as if you were barefoot.
The direct sensory input from the sole of the foot has multiple benefits:
You feel uneven terrain and instinctively compensate. Muscles in the feet become active again, and your gait becomes more mindful.
Even blood circulation improves when your feet are allowed to participate fully.
Those who regularly wear barefoot shoes not only build stronger feet over time, but also improve the stability of their entire musculoskeletal system.
Whether for kids, women or men – barefoot shoes gently wrap the foot without restricting it.
They protect against sharp stones and glass while leaving enough room for natural movement.
The foot is neither restricted nor supported – it stays active.
Barefoot shoes are meant to protect, not support – with as little shoe as possible.
That’s why they’re often called minimal shoes – a name that says it all.
