Barefoot shoes have been steadily growing in popularity, with Vivobarefoot, a British company specialising in minimalist footwear designed to emulate the experience of walking barefoot, emerging as one of the market leaders. Their shoes feature thin, puncture-resistant soles that offer maximum sensory feedback while protecting the feet.
The company was founded in 2004 by Galahad and Asher Clark, members of the Clark family known for their long-standing involvement in the footwear industry. In 2022, Vivobarefoot sold 773,000 pairs of shoes, achieving nearly £50 million in sales—a 36% increase from the previous year. As of 2024, the company employs 177 people and has raised a total of $12.2 million in funding from investors including Innovate UK, Stella Investments Overseas, and The Clark Group (UK). While specific valuation figures are not publicly disclosed, estimates from 2016 placed the company's enterprise value between $7 million and $10 million.
Vivobarefoot has experienced significant growth since its inception, driven by increasing consumer interest in minimalist and barefoot-style footwear and a robust advertising campaign that includes the number 1 podcast in the world, the Joe Rogan experience and one of my personal favourites, Mark Bells Power project. The hosts of the Power project (Mark, Andrew and Nsima) who are leading the way when it comes to innovation and experimentation within the health and fitness industry, are all vocal advocates of the benefits of barefoot shoes, as is Joe, a man who has been lucky enough to discuss the body with some of the world's leading experts as well as multiple professional athletes. Vivo also sponsors athletes, including Olympians, surfers and even Justin Timberlake, who collaborated with Vivobarefoot to launch a limited-edition version of their Motus Strength shoe. The company emphasizes sustainability and regenerative business practices.
By all accounts these are some of the best barefoot shoes on the market, but I’m yet to try them due to the price, which ranges from £100 to £220 ($220-$300). However, I have discovered numerous alternatives that have served me well after I made the switch 2 years ago following surgery to fix my meniscus, MCL and patella tendon, as well as remove some cysts. The most notable of these being Saguaro Barefoot shoes, a brand based in China, which specializes in affordable minimalist footwear for both adults and children. Their branding is inspired by the resilience of the Saguaro cactus and their mission is to provide unrestrained walking experiences for everyone, focusing on comfort and natural foot movement.
While specific details about their founding date and financial valuation are not publicly available, Saguaro has expanded its online sales globally, reaching markets in Europe, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ireland, Australia, the Philippines, and Singapore. They market heavily on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, which is how I first became aware of them and offer an extremely affordable alternative to Vivos. Their prices range from £40 to £65 ($42-$67) and they also frequently offer sign-up discounts and periodically send out discount codes. Their growth is attributed to offering affordable barefoot shoes, making minimalist footwear accessible to a broader audience and they are often highlighted in discussions about budget-friendly barefoot shoes with customers praising them for their comfort, wide toe boxes, and value for money. Overall, Saguaro has established a presence in the barefoot shoe market by focusing on affordability, comfort, and global accessibility.
You can also get a wide variety of alternatives from Amazon and eBay, and if you’re willing to wait a week or so for delivery you can get some real bargains on Shein, I’ve purchased multiple pairs from the site for as little as £15 which have all served me well. How much you pay to enter the barefoot world is up to you, the question is, should you?
My Experience with Barefoot Shoes
For reference, I’m a 38-year-old sports rehabilitator, I’ve worked in the fitness industry for the past decade, I’ve competed in MMA and powerlifting and up until 2 years ago I’d never given what I put on my feet much thought, other than I liked lifting in converse and had always preferred wide skate trainers due to my mangled hammer toes. I was aware of the principle behind them and my biomechanics lecturer, who speacilised in Strength and conditioning and worked with athletes, would often go on at length about the follies of wearing marshmallows on your feet to mask a deeper biomechanical issue. But it just never crossed my mind to try them, I mean, cons are just the same, right? Anyway, I’d been dealing with a mangled knee for years and had finally had surgery, which meant I had a lengthy rehab in front of me, not only to recover from surgery, but to correct 18 years of dysfunction caused by training with one leg compromised. This had led to issues in my hips and lower back, including my most recent back injury which had left me in constant pain and with a numb quad/foot for over a year. I was a mess and decided that this was the perfect time to lay a better foundation and finally deal with multiple nagging issues, I was on a mission to take my body back to factory settings.
A couple of months before my op I’d begun wearing a pair of beach shoes while treating people/training, so I started with these. I then became aware of Saguaro via a Facebook ad and ordered my first pair which cost £35 with shipping and discount for signing up (This pair lasted me my whole rehab, multiple miles of walking per day and numerous 10-15km runs before I had to finally replace them 18months later, bargain!). They came within a few days, and I began wearing them constantly. I was on crutches for the first several weeks but was still working/training and hobbling around the gym. Over the next several months I slowly rebuilt my movement capacity, not just in my knee, but my whole body, as years of heavy lifting and training through injuries had left me severely compromised. This included lots of walking and eventually I began to reintroduce running. Prior to the op I’d managed to build to a top distance of 40km and did at least one 20-30km run per week alongside strength training, but I don’t mind admitting that that first run without the familiar padding of my Asics and after a break made me nervous. I did 3km of the 5km journey to work and while it went ok, I could feel the impacts on my knee and generally it felt awkward, was it time to switch back to my marshmallows? I persevered and for my second run (7km) I picked a familiar trail route which I figured would be easier on the knee than the concrete, which, the soft, muddy ground was, but it was also slippy, uneven, and tested my surgeon's meniscal prowess. However, the new wheels seemed to come into their own on this more varied terrain and my whole lower body felt activated, then I hit the concrete incline home and couldn’t believe how good my hips felt and how my stride opened up, this was what I’d needed and this time my knee felt fine, despite the hazardous terrain.
I continued ramping up my runs and strength work for a good few months before hitting a bit of wall at 15km. I remember my calf's and feet being sore for a few days after this one and knowing that any further would’ve been extremely difficult, so I dialed my runs back, did a wave of lifting on my toes (deadlifts, squats, lunges, split squats), upped my plyometrics and increased my walking. This did the trick and after a few more months I was back up to 20km, a distance I‘ve run multiple times in the past year, including 25km. I’m not back to 40km yet but I’m deliberately taking my time as adaptations, i.e. the remodeling of your entire foot, need time.
I have worked diligently on mobility for the past 2 years and while I can’t attribute all my gains to the barefoot shoes they have made a significant difference to how I move and how my body organises itself. My foot shape has changed and my hammer toes, which I was told would need to be broken to be fixed, have improved significantly, leading to more efficient running, better balance, improved jumping, kicking and a much higher level of athleticism, better than when I was fighting in my 20s. If nothing else it just makes sense to me that wearing shoes that are actually foot shaped is good for them and that while traditional sports trainers have their advantages, them and things like insoles just mask a deeper bio mechanical issue that will rear its ugly head somewhere within the chain, i.e runners knee, shin splits and patella tendinopathy to name a few.
I recently listened to a podcast with Mark Sisson, the man behind the Primal blueprint and former endurance athlete, who sports a physique in his 70s that most 20 year old would be envious of. He was talking about his own brand of barefoot shoes and how in the past all running shoes were minimalist and running capacity was dependent on strong feet/calfs, then someone figured out that marshmallows would ‘help’ leading to people running distances they had no business running, this the men led to issues further up the chain (knees, hips, back). I’d also argue that constantly wearing shoes with a wedge at the back is driving a high percentage of Achilles issues/injuries. Think about it, the thing is constantly shortened and rarely loaded to full capacity, then all of a sudden you do something that requires that full dorsi flexion, with load, sprint, jump, a heavy sled push, and pop goes the weasel.
A bit about the foot
The human foot is such a complex structure made up of 26 bones, over 100 ligaments, 33 joints, and 20 intrinsic and 13 extrinsic muscles, all working together to provide support, balance, and movement. It also has thousands of nerve endings, supplied by major nerves like the tibial and peroneal nerves, enable balance and sensory feedback. Basically it’s a marvel of engineering with the capacity to take in mountains of information to allow your body to adapt and organise rapidly and effectively, then we bind it as tight as possible for most of the and wonder why our balance and coordination sucks and why bunions and plantar fasciitis are as common as chiropodists selling insoles, something most people don’t need.
What does the research say?
Potential Benefits:
Increased Foot Strength: A study published in Nature reported a 57.4% increase in foot strength after six months of daily activity in minimalist footwear.
Improved Running Economy: Some evidence suggests that minimalist shoes can enhance running efficiency by promoting a more natural gait.
Potential Risks:
Injury Risk: Transitioning abruptly to minimalist footwear may elevate the risk of injuries, such as stress fractures, due to increased loading rates.
Increased Loading Rates: Research indicates that running barefoot or in minimalist shoes can double impact loading rates, potentially leading to injuries like plantar fasciitis.
Considerations:
Transition Period: Experts recommend a gradual transition to minimalist footwear to allow the body to adapt and mitigate injury risks.
Individual Differences: The effects of minimalist shoes can vary based on
individual biomechanics, foot structure, and running style.
Final thoughts
I agree with the research that results will depend on the individual, you need to be extremely patient when transitioning and it will be harder on the body, but your feet will get stronger, your running and training will improve and most people would benefit from liberating themselves from their foot prisons more often, including athletes. Sadly barefoot shoes remain under-researched in the sporting environment but I believe Ben Patrick (knees over toes guy) has recently patented a barefoot basketball shoe so we may start to see more athletes experimenting with them over the next few years.
If your curious my advice would be to get a cheap pair and wear them casually, i.e at work, around the house/garden, going to the supermarket, or short walks and gradually introduce them into training, followed by running. Start slow, give yourself plenty of rest in between sessions, build the distance slowly and when your feet/calf’s start to get sore/fatigued, dial it back. It will take time, but by strengthening your foundation and first point of contact with the earth you’ll develop better control of your body, more efficient movement and a greater resilience to unexpected obstacles and injury.
References
Maguire, Lucy. 2024. “Why Barefoot Shoes Could Be Big Business in 2025.” Vogue Business. December 10, 2024. https://www.voguebusiness.com/story/fashion/why-barefoot-shoes-could-be-big-business-in-2025?.
Spicer, Kate. 2024. “Why Skinny Soles and Barefoot Shoes Are in for Autumn 2024.” Thetimes.com. The Sunday Times. September 21, 2024. https://www.thetimes.com/magazines/style-magazine/article/why-skinny-soles-and-barefoot-shoes-are-in-for-autumn-2024-60qvt2xvx?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
“Vivobarefoot X John John Florence | Barefoot Shoe Collaboration.” 2019. Vivobarefoot Europe. 2019. https://www.vivobarefoot.com/eu/jjf-collaboration?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
“About Us｜SAGUARO: Keep Unrestrained Walking Anytime, Anywhere.” 2024. Saguaro Barefoot Shoes. 2024. https://www.saguaro.com/pages/about-us?srsltid=AfmBOorA-gW_QAWMEVvr1RuaSB0jC3AG4Ixh7NhK_H94zTK11gKmjxzv&utm_.
“Saguaro Luck I Review - BarefootBrit.” 2024. Barefootbrit.co.uk. February 23, 2024. https://barefootbrit.co.uk/saguaro-luck-i-review/?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
Anya. 2022. “The 10 Best Affordable Barefoot Shoes for Adults | Anya’s Reviews.” Anya’s Reviews. August 26, 2022. https://anyasreviews.com/the-10-best-affordable-barefoot-shoes-for-adults/?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
Curtis, Rory, Catherine Willems, Paolo Paoletti, and Kristiaan D’Août. 2021. “Daily Activity in Minimal Footwear Increases Foot Strength.” Scientific Reports 11 (1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-98070-0.
Klayman, Matt. 2024. “Barefoot Running: Game-Changer or Fad?” Science for Sport. March 2024. https://www.scienceforsport.com/barefoot-running-game-changer-or-fad/?srsltid=AfmBOoo77UpVzHXVsiTZdn1DdFNptSDH_UUXorjYJArZ6CqX8nhTRQfX&utm_source=chatgpt.com.
“Youth Running Study: Minimal Shoes May Increase Injury Risk.” 2024. College of Health. March 6, 2024. https://health.oregonstate.edu/news-and-stories/2024-03/barefoot-and-minimal-shoes-may-increase-injury-risk-young-runners?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
Warne, Joe P., and Allison H. Gruber. 2017. “Transitioning to Minimal Footwear: A Systematic Review of Methods and Future Clinical Recommendations.” Sports Medicine - Open 3 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-017-0096-x.