Vibram, the venerable maker of countless solid soles and treads, has never made a shoe. The company’s first foray into designing something for the whole foot doesn’t really end its shoeless streak.
The Vibram Five Fingers ($70) was initially designed as a sailor’s slipper but quickly harvested an appreciation among the growing number of runners who feel the misguided design of today’s running shoes encourages a heel-first landing that sends injurious impacts throughout the body.
Barefoot running, according to the unshod flock, improves balance, strength and form. The five-toed Five Fingers slipper may be vying with Crocs, Keen and Mion for the funkiest looking footwear out there, but it promises the freedom of barefooting with the protection of a pliable, contoured, grippy sole.
Several top barefoot marathoners and ultrarunners are extolling Vibram’s Five Fingers as the foot’s grandest fete.
Initial demand for the fresh design overwhelmed Vibram and this spring they ran out of the shoes. Vibram promises a renewed supply beginning next Monday. Next spring’s new designs include more secure slippers for surfers and paddlers.
Get it — Check ’em out at www.vibramfivefingers.com.
