Feelbarefoot Shoes: Handmade Barefoot Shoes on Etsy 

Find a large selection of handmade barefoot shoes on the FeelBarefoot Etsy shop.  

Etsy has a growing number of shops offering handmade leather barefoot shoes. The FeelBarefoot Etsy shop by Aintap Shoes has one of the widest selections of styles, excellent quality, and offers customizations like bold colors, larger sizes and wider widths.  

Here is a quick highlight list for the barefoot shoes available in the Feelbarefoot shop:

• Sizes Children’s US 8 – Men’s US 17
• Leather uppers and soles
• Handmade in Turkey
• Customization options including colors, changes to sole, and custom sizing
• Range of styles including loafers, oxfords, boots and sneakers
• Pricing starting at $100 ($80 for kid’s sizes)
• Code KELLY50 for 50% of retail

This post includes a detailed review of the Feelbarefoot brand, as well as individual information about all of their handmade barefoot shoe styles.

About the FeelBarefoot Etsy shop 

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I want to start off by clarifying the name—FeelBarefoot is the name of the Etsy Shop, while Aintap Shoes is the name of the company that actually makes the shoes. So while you order your shoes from Etsy under the FeelBarefoot name, the shoes you receive will be marked with the Aintap Shoes logo. 

Aintap Shoes is based in Gaziantep, Turkey, which has a history of shoemaking that goes back hundreds of years. The popular style from this region is called a Yemeni shoe, which is a heelless loafer-style shoe, hand sewn with natural leather and other natural materials. 

Handmade Shoes

The artisans that make the shoes for FeelBarefoot use many of the same practices and materials that people have used in this region for centuries. They have since expanded beyond just the traditional Yemeni style, to include popular shoes like Chelsea boots, chukkas and sneakers.  

I’ve always found FeelBarefoot shop shoe to be well-made. You can see the craftmanship in these handmade barefoot shoes.

I’ve worn some of their styles for over a year, and they still look and feel great. Aintap Shoes also has a wholesale business where they create shoes for several other brands—so chances are if you see a barefoot yemeni shoe, it may have been made by Aintap Shoes even if it’s labeled with a different brand name. 

Barefoot Style Shoes 

The shoes in the FeelBarefoot Shop feature a wide, foot-shaped toe box. Aintap Shoes does make more conventionally shaped shoes (as you can see on their website), but exclusively sells barefoot options in the FeelBarefoot Shop. 

The soles are all zero-drop. I’ll cover more about the sole’s flexibility and thickness in the materials section below. 

Materials 

The uppers on the FeelBarefoot shoes are mostly vegetable tanned smooth leather or nubuck leather. There are several styles that have fabric uppers. 

 While I’m featuring a lot of neutrals in my photos as that’s my personal preference, Feelbarefoot offers a large array of color options. Think bright colors like fuscia, shiny silver, or fun patterns like plaid or a leopard print. 

The insoles and soles are made from vegetable tanned buffalo leather. The insole is 1.5mm and the outsole is 5mm, for a total stack height of 6.5mm. The outsole starts out very smooth and slippery, so it’s best to scuff them up a bit so you’re not walking on such a slick surface. You can also add a 2mm rubber bottom, which I’ve added to a few of the boots for better grip and to use them when the ground may be wet.  

These have good flexibility considering the stack height and use of leather, but they’re not as flexible as rubber. The leather soles feel a bit stiff when they’re new, but soften with use.

More recently, the shop made many of their styles available with a fully rubber 5mm sole. These are super flexible.

Customization options 

Here are a few of the customization options: 

• Large selection of colors 
• Two tone color selection for some styles 
• Large selection of sizes (may be able to make larger size if requested) 
• Buffalo Leather or Rubber outsole 
• Add 2mm rubber outsole to the leather sole 
• Add copper rivet for grounding 

Fit and Sizing 

Feelbarefoot currently offers one of the largest arrays of sizing in barefoot shoes. They have children’s barefoot shoes starting at kid’s size US8 (this is new in 2023), up to men’s size US17. 

Most of the shoes are unisex. There is no difference in width in the men’s and women’s shoes, but the sizing is slightly different. For example, I wear an EU38 in women’s, which would be the exact same shoe as the EU37 in men’s.  Make sure you refer to the size chart and you’re ordering from the corresponding page (men’s or women’s) to make sure the sizing is correct. 

Although the Etsy website lists half sizes, these shoes technically only come in full sizes. So for me, it lists my size as a 7-7.5 in the size chart. If I order a US7 or US7.5 on Etsy, it will be the same size.

Before any shoe purchase, I start with measuring my feet and comparing my longest foot measurement to the size chart. See my guide for measuring your feet for barefoot shoes. 

I find the FeelBarefoot shoes to fit true to size, and according to FeelBarefoot, so do about 95% of their other customers. I wear an EU38/US7 for my 23.3cm measurement. I typically like about 1.2cm of extra space, so I opted for the EU38 that gives me a little bit more than that. 

These fit medium to wide feet best. With my medium width feet, I have some extra room in the toe box. They tend to be the same width all the way through the shoe, so I have some extra width through the mid-foot and ankle.  

FeelBarefoot Shoes are a good fit for someone that has higher volume feet or a high instep. I have a higher instep and these shoes comfortably fit over the top of my foot. I also have narrower ankles, so I tend to have more room in this space. If you have lower volume feet or narrower ankles, you can use things like heel grips, tongue pads and an extra insole for a better fit. Check out my video here on how I adjusted the volume on the FeelBarefoot slip-ons to better fit my feet. 

Affordable Pricing 

If you head to the Etsy shop, you’ll often see the FeelBarefoot shoes discounted between 30 and 45% off retail. These deals are usually going on, so I consider that the default price. If you use code KELLY50, you can get an additional 5% off. This discount makes most of the shoes about $100. These are one of the most affordable barefoot shoes on the market, especially for a high-quality handmade leather shoe.  

Like I mentioned before, the Aintap Shoes makes similar style loafers for a number of other brands out there, which usually have a much higher price tag. I’d recommend going right to the source to get the best deal and take advantage of the customization options.  

Shipping and Returns 

FeelBarefoot offers free shipping through Etsy. These shoes ship directly from Turkey. Etsy provides an estimated arrival time based on the order date, which is uaully 16 to 20 days after ordering. But, may people report receiving their shoes faster than that! You have 14 days from when you receive the shoes to return them if they do not fit. Many people also use the Minimalist buy/sell groups on Facebook to sell shoes that didn’t fit.  

FeelBarefoot Shoe Styles 

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Slip-on Loafers 

These are the original Yemeni style of shoes. These loafers can be dressed up or down, and the best part is they aren’t going to squish your toes.  

The FeelBarefoot shop has these in both leather soles and the newer rubber soles. The leather sole gives these loafers more of a business casual vibe, while the ones with a rubber sole feel more casual.

Fit: This particular style works best for those with high volume feet and those that have average or wider ankles.  I have a higher arch and instep but narrower heels, and found that I need to make adjustments for the volume and especially for the ankle area for a more secure fit. I added an extra insole and a tongue pad to get a better fit for the volume. I also added a heel pad to help take up some of the space around the heel. I show how I adjusted the fit of these barefoot loafers in this Instagram Reel.

Kids Loafers

The Yemeni barefoot loafers are also available in children’s sizes, EU24 – EU33. They offer most of the same customization options as the adults. My son uses these as a dressier shoe for special occasions. These are about $20 less than the adult version, starting at $80.

There is a size guide for the children’s sizes. I measured the EU 30 we have and compared it to the size chart, and the insole was about 2mm shorter than the listed length.

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Feelbarefoot Boots

Chelsea Boots 

The Chelsea Boots are another great option for dressier barefoot shoes. The leather sole gives them a dressier vibe than options with a pure rubber sole, but you can also add the additional 2mm rubber outsole to make these work better for wet weather. They feature an elastic side panel for easy on and off. The Chelsea boots look great pair with both pants and dresses/skirts. 

Fit: Similar to the loafers, these are a higher volume shoe, but I found these to be a better fit as they have a higher cut up the ankle.

Chukka Boots 

The Chukka Boots are one of FeelBarefoot’s newest styles, and adds more options for those that prefer laces. The Chukka Boots can also be further customized with use two different leather colors for the front and back. 

Fit: these have a similar fit to the oxfords, just with a taller shaft. They fit average to high volume feet best, and can be adjusted up or down thanks to the laces.

Tall Boots 

Feelbarefoot’s handmade barefoot tall boots are designed to be both stylish and practical, with a zipper up the inside in addition to the laces. This makes these minimalist boots easy to slip on and off without having to redo the lacing. These are a good option for a combat-style boot, and plus you can customize them in so many ways. 

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Conclusion

If you’re looking for healthy, barefoot shoes that are stylish and customizable, Feelbarefoot on Etsy is one of the best places to start. Their range of handmade barefoot shoes includes something for everyone, whether you’re looking for dress shoes or casual wear.