Why to try custom made barefoot shoes?

Sometimes it can be hard to choose the right shape of shoes even if they are barefoot. Because barefoot does not mean perfect. That´s why you might be thinking about getting a pair of custom made barefoot shoes for you.

Today I would like to tell you a story. It´s a true story and it´s my story. So you can be sure every single word is accurate. It never occurred to me 6 years ago that people’s feet could be so different. They all look the same in regular shoes. And unfortunately, after decades of wearing inappropriate footwear, they really can all be shaped similarly, unhealthily.

Even when I had my first pair of custom made shoes, then one for my husband and one for my son, I still didn’t get it. Yes, I had some idea that there were Egyptian, Greek, and Polynesian feet according to the dominant toe… And I thought that was the point. And you know what? I was very wrong. That’s not what it’s about. It wasn’t until I started doing live barefoot shoe sewing classes that I was amazed that I couldn’t find 2 pairs of feet that were the same. 

This is the secret I want to let you in on today: Your feet are unique…

That’s why it’s absolutely impossible to try to cram them into some standard sizes and shapes. And the worst part is that when you’re not lucky enough to have the shape of a particular brand fit you, you’re still presented with the feeling that your feet are wrong. Few people realize that the shoe business is set up wrong. Therefore, they consciously opt for a few quality custom-made barefoot shoes, which are also a more sustainable choice.

Finally, I’m getting to the story… Once upon a time, there was a boy. His name was, shall we say, Adam. Adam was a piece of work from an early age. And his mom was surprised that even as a baby, he had extremely wide feet and high instep. As a doctor, she wondered if he had some swelling, or some medical problem. She’d never seen a baby’s feet like that before…

But it was a perfectly healthy baby, so eventually she got used to it and stopped worrying about it. Adam had one lucky thing. His mother knew how to make a custom shoes. When he started walking, she made him shoes to fit his feet. And as he grew, his feet got wider and wider.  It didn’t matter, as long as his mom kept making him new pairs of shoes.

But at a certain period of time, it happened that mom couldn’t keep up. For one thing, she had 4 kids, and she had a lot of work to do on top of that.  And she started to put sewing shoes for her children on the back burner… She said to herself – once I buy them barefoot shoes, nothing will happen, I’ll sew them when I have time.

One morning Mom was doing her daily foot exercises and Adam wanted to practice with her. He took off his socks and tried to move each toe like Mom. But he wasn’t good at it at all. Mom noticed that his toes were not moving properly and even when he was standing, she could see that he was starting to get his big toe in the wrong position…
And that’s when it dawned on her… She stopped dealing with it. The shoes that didn’t fit. And when it rained, the rubber boots – all of this had an unfortunate effect on his feet. Even after a short time.

This story had a happy ending. Mom took the time to make the shoes to fit him. And she decided to take her art a step further and learn to make waterproof shoes too. (She’s still working on that; this winter when sliding Adam will have to wear wider but less than ideal snow boots).

But hundreds and thousands of similar stories don’t have this ending… That’s why we see so many adults with bunions, ankle problems, knee problems, hip problems, spine problems… That they’re supposedly unrelated? Wrong. Some other time…

You too can change your story or your children’s stories. It’s up to you. And the first step you can take is to learn how to sew simple, custom-made barefoot shoes.

All you need are a few hand tools, a piece of leather and a rubber sheet for soles. And if you want a proven process, I’d be happy to teach you on my online course. Hundreds of people have sewn their own customized barefoot lace-up shoes with me by following the procedure in my online barefoot shoe sewing course.

You too can become one of them. Start writing your happy feet story today. I am planning to open the next run of the online Lace-up shoe sewing course in February 2024. Subscribe to the waiting list and be among the first people to know about it.