From Small Beginnings: Barefoot Brand Origins

We are delighted to be working with Bernie Landels, a barefooted Certified Structural Integration Practitioner (IASI) and Infant Massage Instructor (IAIM) with a passion for feet. Author of ‘Finding Their Feet - Every parents guide to milestones & movement’, she draws on her years in clinical practice in NZ and UK to share why feet are a vital part of development and the foundations for health and wellbeing. In her latest Blog post, our guest blogger, Bernie Landels, looks at the origins of many of our favourite barefoot shoe brands.

Barefoot Beginnings and Boots!

How often do you purchase a product, an item of clothing and think about where the idea or design came from? Who first thought about the concept? What drove them to create the end product?

Let’s give a shout out to those in the minimal shoe business! Why? Well many of them came from small beginnings with a desire to create something better - better for their children’s and your children’s feet.

It’s been a while since I posted a blog for Happy Little Soles as I have been away travelling - visiting my parents and two boys back in New Zealand. On my way to NZ I stopped off in Melbourne and grabbed the opportunity to meet with the two crazy mums behind PaperKrane Shoes, pictured above.

A little of their story…..Kate kicked things off by sewing little booties herself, creating sock-like shoes that were both great looking and functional. Zara was one of her customers buying for her own children, they joined forces in 2015 and have never looked back

They definitely have put the FUN into FUNctional footwear - their motto ‘love of foot health without sacrificing fashion’

I first came across PK shoes when researching for my book ‘Finding Their Feet - Every parent’s guide to milestones and movement’ and looking for which minimal shoe companies were out there providing footwear that was - foot shaped, flat, flexible and featherlight - for infants and kids.

What I love about Zara and Kate is that they are also doing good in the world. Despite them being a small player in the shoe game they have big hearts. For their ‘Soles with Soul’ styles, the design of the uppers is created by local artists and these limited edition kicks are then used to raise awareness and funds for important charities around the world.

I love wearing my PK shoes and have taken them exciting places as I travel……from Paris to Japan, Lebanon to Cairo! I don’t get anything in return - I just have fun wearing them.

Whilst in Australia I purchased a pair of their Choco boots for winter because they are so cool (and apparently a girl can’t have too many barefoot shoes!)

What you’ll notice is that most PK shoes have the same sole structure - and they haven’t moved from the need for it to be foot shaped, flat, flexible and featherlight - what PK refer to as the 4 F’s.

My very first pair of barefoot shoes were actually Vivobarefoot. Vivo had a different start - PAIN! A guy called Tim Brennan who kept twisting his ankle playing tennis, and also suffered from back pain. He was studying design and embarked on creating a pair of minimal shoes. He had discovered that after some postural alignment work and being barefoot he was pain free. Tim met Galahad Clark (7th generation Clark, as in the shoe company) in 2002 and together vivo shoes were born. Galahad eventually paired up with his cousin Asher Clark (after Tim went on to do his own thing) and they bring us what we know of today with a wide range of shoes from toddler sizes to adults. I took these travelling too…

here I am atop a rock in Phoenix, Arizona - now the story here is that wearing these while climbing I was so much more agile and faster than a couple in ‘normal’ hiking boots……only to be overtaken by a mum and daughter - both barefoot!

(Climbing tip - wear footwear that does not restrict your ankle movement)

Like PK Vivo have kept their sole fairly standard - meeting the 4 F’s, where they have made changes is in the depth and pattern of the tread. I love my Tracker boots that I have several years and recently had re-soled by Vivo.

Gotta love that for sustainability and maintaining a friendship! I also have a pair of their black Geo Chelsea boots to dress up my look!

Back now to Happy Little Soles and how they got started. Happy Little Soles was founded back in 2010 in response to the frustration at the children’s shoes that were available in the high street. Kate’s younger daughter was struggling with shoes and balance and so she began to research other options, a path which eventually led her to the solution to Keala's balance problems and to Happy Little Soles! 12 years later it still remains a family run business rooted in providing the best footwear options for all members of your family.

In addition to stocking PaperKranes and Vivo, Happy Little Soles stock a range of other footwear for winter online, many from brands with great back stories, embedded in family and experience:

Bundgaard

Again has a nice family story of Thorvald Emil Bundgaard who acquired the shoe company, who after the birth of his first grandchild decided to focus on designing great shoes for children. In recent years they have been aligning more with the minimal shoe industry in order to provide the best for children, their range of barefoot wellingtons is unbeatable.

Stonz

Stonz was established in 2004 by Lisa Will. Lisa was struggling to find outdoor shoes for her infant son so set about designing some so that their adventures could continue. Their best selling baby and toddler booties are a great first outdoor option in the colder months. They offer all the benefits and flexibility of a soft sole, yet are ideal for protecting little feet against the elements. Ideal for pre-walkers, cruisers and new walkers they are designed to stay securely on your child’s feet with the double draw string design.

Tikki

Tikki - you guessed it, another family story. Maria and Adrian crafted their first shoes in 2008 for their first son as they began to discover the fascinating world of minimalist footwear. Crafting shoes quickly became their hobby and their passion. At the beginning, everything was worn by their own children and those of their friends. Tikki grew as they added more children and experiences to the family. They now have a fantastic range of sandals, shoes and boots, including the lovely Beetle boots which are some of the most barefoot and cosy winter boots around.

So we have many individuals to thank for their personal drive and passion. For creating footwear for all ages that is designed to be more foot-like than shoe-like, which is so much better for all our feet and overall health.

I encourage you to spread the word about barefoot minimal shoes, for the health of all feet and in support of these people.

Remember footwear is really designed for protection - limit use for that purpose and create a ‘FOOTWEAR-FREE ZONE at HOME’

For those heading into winter - Feet love jumping in puddles more than wellies or boots, they dry quicker and it feels great!

And you can’t beat a good dose of mud between the toes…..

FREE the FEET

Bernie Landels

https://bernielandels.com