The Bipedalist

Foot fits through a collar-like opening to slide

Bellows tongue keeps out debris

Soft foldable knitted upper

Made with breathable fabric

Full-grain leather upper, 5,000-Mile sole guarantee

Hardwearing, waterproof hiking boots; Soft leather and textile lining

Handmade in Oregon!

Patent leather look. Leopard print option!

Casual dress shoe

Minimalist Lightweight Flexible Sneakers

No-Sew Upper

Mesh uppers with rubber soles

The most popular zero-drop brand in 2025

Premium, ultra-minimal, recycled materials

Innovative design by one of the first "barefoot shoe" companies, all with their famous Vibram soles

Named for the cactus species; worldwide online sales

Widest toe boxes on the market

Designed and handcrafted in Philomath, Oregon.

German company with U.S. shipping

Innovative and value-priced shoes

Well-made Chinese brand

Well-known brand with barefoot line

Designs cater to all ages

Combining fashion with barefoot design

Minimalist running shoes

Non-Slip Breathable Barefoot Shoes

Combines elegance and stage-ready flair

Handcrafted in Mexico from locally sourced natural materials

Offers free size swaps worldwide

Focus on performance barefoot shoes.

Slovak company with worldwide shipping

Handcrafted in South Africa with sustainably sourced leather.

Connect to your skateboard like never before. Hip. Hop.

Innovative zero-drop faux heel design

Soles are thin, light, flexible, robust, durable

Unique grounding technology

Barefoot shoes without sacrificing style

Portugese company making barefoot shoes entirely from natural materials

Handmade in Southern Turkey; 100% Copper Rivet conductor hand hammered through sole

Finnish company partnering with Portugese family-run factory

Innovative odor-control technology on some models so you can confidently wear them sock-free.

Designed in the UK by Gaucho Ninja and completely handmade in Spain by a family-run artisan factory

Offers free worldwide shipping on all orders

Czech based born in 2018 in a crowdfunding campaign

Colorful running shoes

Lots to choose from

Lightweight casual fashion sneakers

Basic inexpensive well-designed shoes with classic barefoot style

German company featuring high-end, hand-sewn leather and vegan shoes.

All vegan designs made in Elche, Spain.

Vibram FiveFingers and Birkenstocks make the cut!

Persian cavalry → French aristocracy

From the Smithsonian Magazine

Venetian platforms up to 20 inches high

Getty medievalist discusses the feet of fashionistas of the past

Christopher McDougall introduced the idea of “minimalist running” in this 2009 bestseller (currently the #1 Best Seller in Track & Field Sports at Amazon.) McDougall had been told he'd never be able to run without pain (because "humans weren't built for running"), but he learned of a tribe called the Tarahumara who could run hundreds of miles a day without injury. This discovery led him to show that simple changes in form and footwear could turn running into a pain-free experience.

McDougall teamed up with Eric Orton to publish this followup volume for runners wanting to run without injury. “Born to Run 2” is a holistic program for runners of every stripe that centers on seven key themes: food, fitness, form, footwear, focus, fun, and family.

Ken Bob Saxton has been doing barefoot running since 1987, long before the idea went mainstream. After frustration with blisters led him to conclude that if he couldn't run barefoot then he shouldn't run at all. Since then, he has finished nearly 80 marathons barefoot, including several entries into the Boston Marathon and a marathon-a-month challenge in 2004. In 2011, he shared his knowledge and experience through the release of his book “Barefoot Running Step by Step” that separates the facts from the hype covering the latest research and running techniques behind this key trend.

Dr. Daniel Lieberman, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard, was a key thinker behind the "Running Man” theory of human evolution. At a time when popular opinion assumed that humans were lousy runners and that only our ancestors' ability to develop tools led us to evolve as the dominant species, Dr. Lieberman suggested otherwise. He studied fossil records and anatomy and concluded that our ability to run long distances was the main reason we survived as a species, and big brains and tools came later. Furthermore, he contends that the introduction of supportive shoes and altered running styles led to an increase in running injuries.

A freak cycling accident gave Michael Sandler the prognosis that he would never run again. After discovering that running without shoes may lead to less impact force, he decided to give it a try. Three months later, he ran a 10k barefoot and finished with his fastest time ever.

Sandler and his wife, Jessica Lee, then released a second book to show how to take command of their physical and spiritual well-being through this simple and easy practice.

Biomechanist Katy Bowman provides clear, accessible lessons on how the shape of shoes can play a role in painful feet, knees, and hips. Currently, it's the #1 Best Seller in Podiatry on Amazon.

Despite our natural ability and our human need to run, each year more than half of all runners suffer injuries. Pain and discouragement inevitably follow. Cucuzzella's book outlines the proven, practical techniques to avoid injury and reach the goal of personal fitness and overall health.

Older Yet Faster is a manual for teaching runners how to transition to efficient running and help them avoid incurring almost all of the common running injuries as they do so. The book is ideal for beginners to learn how to run well, and for experienced runners to change over to good technique.

In the 1960s, Simon J. Wikler refused to agree with those who insisted that foot problems were mostly incurable chronic conditions. His reaserch showed that people who lived barefoot didn't experience the foot problems that were plaguing his patients. In 1961, Wikler published his book “Take Off Your Shoes and Walk,” about how fashionable shoes were crippling our feet. The book is now out of print, but can still be read at unshod.org

Watch Gaucho Ninja sculpt a handmade barefoot shoe. A beautiful video.

Published in 1861, a fascinating essay by anatomy professor Hermann Meyer. Link goes to a Wikimedia pdf of the original publication.

Natural gait is radically different

Your legs will thank you.

Forefoot strike shifts joint work

Improves proprioception and stability in 6–12 weeks

Minimalist shoes match support for older adults' walking