Casual, leather barefoot shoes besides the Soft Star Rogue?

Sorry about this. Disregard my question. Soft Star had one pair, my size, in stock. It felt right so I ordered them. Thanks.

vivobarefoot ra.
http://www.vivobarefoot.com/us/ra-red-brown.html

Vivobarefoot scott.
http://www.vivobarefoot.com/uk/mens/lifestyle/scott.html

I like my Vivobarefoot Gobi and my Skora Form shoes. Both are leather, but the Forms are much more casual and comfortable, albeit a little less minimal. In case someone else is wondering.

I love my Vivobarefoot Ra's.

Moccasins are the original barefoot shoe and on the casual side :)

Dale…speaking of originals, here's a pair I made ~5 yrs ago out of deer rawhide and smoked buckskin straps.:) They are actually Diegueno replicas…except the Diegueno people removed the hair as far as I can tell. I left it on for a little extra comfort.

I was thinking of something a little more this side of the Paleolithic. Minnetonka Moccasins makes the classic double bottom moose hide mocs that would put your Ki in contact with the Earth's energy while keeping your toes protected from the filth and sharp edges of the city :D

why are MINIMALIST shoes so freakin expensive? Wonder how much sourcing the leather for a myog pair would be.

Edit- Spoke to soon. These are probably totally affordable-

http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/11/5200814/designer-creates-3d-printed-regenerative-running-shoe

it's a niche market.

go to a local cheap shoe store and get a pair of cheap "tennies shoes" … or flat sneakers … aka plimsoles

tons of people do that … thats what we did decades past …

why dont people brag about those shoes more often? … because they arent "stylish" or have a fancy "name brand"

;)

Marketing and covering returns and add 2x for fashion.

Seems that flip flops would lead the pack for cheap shoes worn all over the world.

Eric,

I don't disagree with what you say on things being stylish or having fancy names. People habitually like trendy stuff. Makes'em feel good about themselves (cough-egos-cough, cough). However, believe it or not, some people don't care about fashion. Some people actually care where their stuff is made, how it is made, by what kind of people, out of which materials, what kind of company (ma & pa shop vs corp), etc, etc. And, these people are some times willing to spend more money knowing these things. They are willing to spend more to support good practices and good people. Not too many things wrong with that……

Isnt much of the vibrobarefoot made in china regardless?

I believe some of the premium line might be made in portugal, but how about the rest?

As to "ethical" sourcing not many companies publish their audits …. Many companies however make the claims on their sites

Hmmmmm

;)

I don't know enough about Vivobarefoot to opine. I was referring in general terms…and within the context here, Soft Star.

Eric, I don't think tennis shoes or flat sneakers are comparable to minimalist shoes like vivobarefoot, merrel trail glove, soft star, ect. Flat sneakers are relatively minimal, but nowhere near as minimal as what has been suggested. You get zero drop which is good but not a lot of ground feel.

I used to take classic vans skateboard shoes and cut out the midsole/insole and then insert a super thin insole. The outsole was thin enough to make a fantastic minimalist shoe. I did this for years before minimalist shoes became popular. Vans started changing the construction of their shoes and I wasn't able to remove the insole without destroying the shoe. This is when I first started researching newer minimalist shoes.

Here in Australia we have a custom moccasin maker who does nice work:
http://www.jannfrench.com/2.html
I'm going to order a pair, maybe not for trips, just for the coolness of having custom mocs. I'm sure you could send it a tracing of your foot to have them made specifically for you, or there's bound to be other makers in the states.

Wow, AD! Thanks for sharing that link. Very nice. I really like what she has written…and really dig her shoes and other stuff. I'm bookmarking her site.

There are makers in the US. In fact, there used to be a cool shop here in town that worked with a guy that did similar shoes to those of Jann Frenchs'. There was another local guy living out of a school bus doing similar things on a smaller scale. He'd use old conveyer belts from spud trucks for soles on some models. A friend of mine has a pair. They're pretty cool. Definitely love the craftsmanship that goes into these type of things…and the handmade look. Soul.