Exuberants,
Check out this new offering: Kigo Footwear
Please have a look and report back! Looks promising?
A new barefoot shoe?
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Change your body, change the world
Exuberants,
Check out this new offering: Kigo Footwear
Please have a look and report back! Looks promising?
Previous post: Stop with the "Vitamin I"
Next post: Day at the Beach
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
They look cute. I like the Mary Jane style…
Hmm. Not sure about these. They seem to be designed for the transition from active to casual rather than active. Also, they bear a striking similarity to my dive booties. :) I’m sure they’re comfy though.
Don’t the toes, as well as the heels, need to be able to get down if a shod foot’s really to function something like a bare foot?
There looks to be quite a lot of toespring on these. Maybe looks are deceptive, but that’s what strikes me.
interesting – definitely looks promising if they’re willing to test and improve their models based on what the market wants.
I’d have to try them out to know any better. Regardless, I’ll go barefoot whenever I can, transition to Vibram Fivefingers as it gets cooler, and I’m still not sure what I’m going to do in the wintertime.
I’m glad the market is finally starting to offer some alternatives, there really isn’t that much to choose from for going minimal.
John,
I think there are too many options for fair weather minimalist footwear. We need more for cold, wet weather. I have ideas and designs, I just need someone who is willing to implement them!
They look soft and flexy. My concern lies in the design of the toe box. They will need to be a good stretchy fabric to allow for the toes to spread out.
As far as winter footwear, Look into surf booties. They are extremely warm and tall enough to keep the elements out. They are also typically designed for more sensation in the bottom of the foot for better feel of the surfboard. I also find that since they come in a split toe variety they keep your toes from sliding around. The last benefit is you can get a decent pair for les than $60.
Hi Gang,
Love the discussion and appreciate any and all suggestions. To attempt to answer a few points…The outsole is completely flexible, so you do get a full natural motion roll from heel to toe. The grooving provides good grip, and when I’ve had opportunities to be off road with them, I’ve really liked being able to feel the ground beneath my feet while still feeling protected. The toe box is obviously not as spacious as the VFF, because kigos are designed to look more like a traditional shoe (we have a lot of customers wearing them for travel, commuting, etc and not everyone is okay with the look of toe pockets) but the uppers are made of a textile that has 4 way stretch, so once you’ve worn them two or three times, they begin to stretch and conform to your foot. As a colder weather alternative, they’ll be great because they are microporous and breathable, but are treated with a (EPA approved) water resistance that keeps feet well protected. And in the case of the shel style (unisex slip on – the ‘water bootie’ as I think it was compared :), because they cover the whole vamp, you’re less likely to get crud, snow, cold water, etc in your shoe. Because of the textiles we’ve used (post-consumer textiles,) the shoes are extremely lightweight (about .7lb p/pr), which contributes to the comfort.
I hope this addresses a few points. A few things to know (unsolicited) – the last is more narrow than the VFF. It is built on a similar shape to a Clarks’ shoe – very middle of the road width. The fabric is 4 way stretch, so initially, the shoes will feel like they wrap snugly around your foot, and then they will stretch to fit YOUR foot.
If you have any questions that can’t be addressed by the site you can contact me (see Contacts) and check us out on FB (http://www.facebook.com/kigo.footwear) and twitter (kigofootwear).
Interesting, however was calling the unisex an afterthought? With the largest men’s size at 11.5 and the shoes running small that leaves out a lot of guys from trying these.
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