Barefoot Shoe News Digest: Fall/Winter 2025
The Barefoot Shoe News Digest is your one-stop shop for major seasonal updates in barefoot footwear. Find new brands, new styles, and more!
We’re back with the Fall/Winter 2025 edition of the Barefoot Shoe News Digest! This round-up brings you all the biggest happenings in the barefoot shoe world — from exciting new brand launches to long-awaited product updates.
This digest is your one-stop shop for major seasonal updates in barefoot footwear. No need to scroll endlessly on social media or juggle a dozen mailing lists. That said, I’ll give a quick plug for my newsletter, Inside the Guide — it’s where we go deeper with real-time alerts for major launches and sales. But if you’re just here for the highlights, you’re in the right place.
I’ll continue updating this post through the end of winter 2025/26 before kicking off a new edition of the Barefoot Shoe News Digest for spring/summer
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you click on one of them, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
New Barefoot Shoe Brands
Continuing on with the trend I noted for the spring/summer edition, more established footwear brands are adding a barefoot shoe line. Here were talking about both–totally new brands, and brands that are new to the world of barefoot shoes.
Notace
Notace launched their first shoe this fall—the Yama T1, a feather-light trail shoe that retails for $180. It has a moderate 15 mm stack height (including a 3 mm insole), and it balances the cushion for comfort with the flexibility and ground feel really well. Fit-wise, I tried both a women’s 7.5 and 8, and the 8 was definitely the better match for me. They also have court shoes and road runners in the pipeline, so this is a brand worth keeping an eye on. Use code KELLY for 10% off!
Pikolinos
Pikolinos is an established Spanish footwear brand that recently added a barefoot shoe line.
Right now it includes two casual leather sneakers that look and feel every bit as premium as their traditional styles. They’re lightweight, flexible, and nicely made, but they do run narrower. Each pair comes with two insoles: a simple barefoot insole with a few millimeters of cushion, and a transitional option with arch support and additional padding in the heel that creates a small heel drop. These are best for low to medium volume feet; my higher instep makes them feel a bit snug with the insole included. I took them out for more room, and they still have a thin layer of cushion built into the shoe. I’m wearing an EU 38.
Alba Pluma
Alba Pluma is an Italian-based brand with several barefoot styles, including clogs, May Janes, loafers and sneakers. I’ve been loving clogs and mules this year, so I tried their Delia clogs. I was surprised at how affordable they were for a shoe made in Italy; the suede ones I’m wearing are €82.
They do fit on the narrower side, and the sole is firmer than what I usually prefer. It is a 10 mm rubber and EVA sole that should soften with wear. I can bend them (though not easily) and they are comfortable enough to walk in, but as of now, I can still feel some resistance when walking.
They are not shipping to the US yet, so this one is mainly for my EU readers, but they are looking into US shipping for the future.
RawClays
RawClays is another Italy-based brand, and they stand out for their unique wooden footbed design. At first glance, “wooden footbed” sounds like the opposite of what you would ever want in a flexible, minimalist shoe, but theirs is more like a series of thin wooden tiles that move with your foot. It creates a surprisingly natural, grounded feeling underfoot while still allowing the shoe to bend. Their lineup includes sandals, casual everyday styles and boots, all built with high-quality materials and a clean, modern aesthetic. If you have been curious about trying something different in the barefoot space, RawClays offers a really interesting take on structure and flexibility that you won’t find anywhere else.
Notable New Barefoot Shoe Releases
Even though the barefoot shoe space is growing, there are still some pretty big gaps. Some categories have almost no options at all, and others only have one or two choices even though I know people are looking for more. Here are some of the most anticipated styles that released this season or are coming very soon.
Tactical Boots from Lems
After steel-toe and composite toe work boots, tactical or military boots with a wide toe box was another big as a gap in the barefoot shoe market. Lems has responded with not just one, but two different wide toe box tactical boots.
The first is the Tactical Pro Tall Boot with a 9 inch shaft and full-grain, reverse calf skin leather and nylon uppers.The Tactical Pro Mid Boot is an all-black, military boot with leather and nylon uppers. Both boots comply with AR 670-1 in construction and materials.
These barefoot military boots are built on Lems’ widest last, and use the same zig-zag lug pattern found on styles like the Boulder Boot Summit and the Chelsea Boot Tuff. They use a Vibram® Megagrip outsole, which uses a high performance rubber compound specifically engineered for wet and dry terrain. They are built for traction and durability for trekking, hiking and other outdoor activities. These wide toe box tactical boots feature a 19mm total stack height.
Skate Shoes from Splay
Splay released the REV, their version of a Vans skate shoe with a wide toe box awhile ago, but it got a major upgrade this season. One of the main complaints (especially from skaters) was that the shoe was mostly canvas, and it just didn’t stand up to abrasive grip tape. The update means that there is more suede, and most importantly, it’s over the toe box. The Splay REV are built as practical skate shoes, which means their vulcanized soles aren’t the most minimal (they want it to stand up to both the impact and hard use from skating), but they are still pretty flexible. And, very importantly , the toe box is wide. The REV is available in both high tops and low tops. I used to think my Vans weren’t so bad, but when I compare them side-by-side to the REV, I can feel the toe squeeze and the heel-to-toe drop. Use code KELLY10 for 10% off at Splay.
Trending Styles Getting a Barefoot Version
Each year we see new mainstream trends making their way into barefoot form — and 2025 is no exception. While 2024 was dominated by Samba-inspired styles, this year’s hot items are:
Loafers
Loafers are always a classic, but up until recently, there weren’t that many barefoot options, especially if you were looking for something truly stylish. Now there are enough that I can say I’ve been loving a pair of patent leather studded loafers from Shapen, and a simple penny loafer from Feelgrounds with just enough details. Check out all of the barefoot loafers here.
Cowboy Boots
Cowboy boots continue to trend, and we had some amazing additions with western-inspired barefoot boots from brands including Shapen and Groundies. Most are for fashion, but there is a very rugged pair deigned as work boots by Texarado. Find the whole list of barefoot cowboy boots here.
Clogs
Clogs continue to be everywhere this fall — and I keep finding more barefoot clogs and mules. Find a full round-up of my favorite barefoot clogs (I recently added a few new styles, including some from Vivobarefoot, Lems, and Sambas the Bambas!).
Knee-High Boots
There’s been a solid number of barefoot knee-high boots in years past, but some really good ones have come out recently! Several brands that have never offered a knee-high boot now have one, including Mukishoes and Magical Shoes. I’m still working on this post, so check back soon!
Brands Opening US-Based Fulfillment Centers
The US tariffs have brought a lot of change to the barefoot shoe world for customers in the United States. Ordering shoes online has never been convenient, but the uncertainty around who would end up paying the tariff bill made it even more stressful. Thankfully, most brands now add the tariff as a line item at checkout, so it is no longer a surprise when your package arrives. Some brands are even taking it a step further by setting up fulfillment centers in the US. This doesn’t eliminate tariffs altogether, but it does mean they pay duties on the lower wholesale cost when importing inventory, and you as the customer are never stuck with an unexpected bill. It often results in faster shipping, lower shipping costs and much easier returns. Here are the foreighn brands that have made this move so far, and hopefully more will follow. And if you want to know all of brands based in the US, see that list here.
- Groundies: If you’re in the US, make sure you’re using the US website before trying to order. As of now, the International Groundies website is no longer shipping to the US.
- Wyde:
- Saguaro: They have both a US fulfillment center and a Chinese fulfillment center. The availability is listed on each product page.
- Vivobarefoot: They already had a US warehouse, but it’s even more helpful now considering the tariffs.
- My Foot Function (for foot health gear)
