Barefoot alternative

Remember going barefoot as a child? That is the way you first discovered and conquered your world without the constraint of shoes. As you grow to know that exposure to the ground without footwear is not hygienic, you adopted the idea of putting on shoes or sandals but the only problem is that not all of them provide adequate comfort.

With the vibram five fingers, you can now experience that same physical and visceral sensation. A footwear which offers the exhilarating joy of going barefoot with the protection and sure-footed gecko-like grip of a Vibram sole, you need not worry about uncomfortable steps or your feet being exposed to dusty grounds.

"The five finger shoes are from Italy and they are all designed there as well. The parent company Vibram is one of the largest sole manufacturers globally and manufacture soles for brands like Timberland, Colombia, Bestard and The North Face, especially for their serious hiking boots. five fingers is their own footwear along the bare-footing movement and technology," explained founder and owner of Innovatez Pte Ltd, Pauline Png.

The vibram fivefinger shoes does not merely serve as a protection for your feet but also provides benefits for those who have foot health concerns. Wearing a pair of five fingers helps stimulate and strengthen muscles in the feet and lower legs, improving general foot health which reduces risk of injury.

"Foot movement is not restrained as it improves a range of motion in ankles, feet and toes where our feet are usually ‘cast’ in a mould of shoes. At the same time, it stimulates neural function which is important to improve balance and agility, improves proprioception and body awareness and eliminates heel lift to align the spine and improve posture. By lowering the heel, our bodyweight becomes evenly distributed across the foot bed," elaborated Png.

Originally developed as a barefoot alternative for sailing, climbing and light trekking, 5 finger shoes footwear soon gained popularity among runners, fitness enthusiasts, yoga and pilates practitioners, martial artists, surfers, kayakers, hikers and travellers.

"Anyone can wear this multipurpose shoe which can be used for leisure walking, shopping, travelling or more serious gym use, trail running, hiking, water sports and more. It is important to ensure you ease into using such a footwear especially if one has not been exercising much since barefooting even though is the most natural way of walking. People have been used to using very padded shoes and heel striking and may find that they need to gradually adapt to the shoe. We encourage consumers to read the reviews online by wearers of the vibram five fingers before deciding to buy in order to understand the product before jumping into it," advised Png.
In most footwear, we tend to question what it is made of and how durable it is. The FiveFingers is available in several variants namely, the Classic, Sprint, KSO and Flow models where each upper part is made with a thin, abrasion-resistant stretch polyamide fabric.

A patented Vibram sole is made from TC1 performance rubber compound which is non-marking and provides excellent grip and ground feel in both wet and dry conditions. There are also neoprene materials for colder and wet conditions.

vibram five fingers have sizes for both men and women, and can be interchangeably worn depending on the fit and breath of the feet. There are various colours for both men and women. Price starts from S$159 (RM382) onwards.


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