Is the Mainstreaming of Minimalist a Good Thing? | Footnotes - by ...

The big buzz in the footwear industry today is minimalist shoes.? You know ? the shoes (mainly the athletic ones) that are thin, low to the ground and lightweight.? Even if you are unsure what a minimalist shoe is, you?ve seen obvious effects of this current shift in footwear design.? Gone are many styles that have thick soles and rugged uppers; in are styles that are light and have low silhouettes.

These shoes began in the running and outdoor segment.? The items that most defined this movement today are ?FiveFingers by Vibram.? The term ?minimalist? caught on because it not only described the shoe design theory but also captured the essence of the wearer; active, unrestricted and allows the body control the environment rather than allowing the environment to control the body.? While the minimalist moniker was an easy term to market, these initial waves of shoes were designed with specific users in mind, mainly the barefoot runners.?

?Over the last few years, these shoes can be found on people walking around the mall just as commonly as on on those out on the running trail.? Even celebrities have been spotted wearing them (see the photo of Danny Glover).? Sensing a ripe market, many manufacturers are coming out with new minimalist-type shoes, often inspired by fashion rather than function.?? Even the word ?minimalist? is being used as an adjective to inject authenticity to a shoe.? The ?less is more? attitude is causing a change in the performance running category with more thin-soled, less-structured running shoes showing up on the display walls each season.?

What does this mean for the consumer?? For those practicing barefoot running or natural movement and understand shoes and biomechanics, are able to easily separate the wheat from the chaff to find the proper shoes.? Those wanting to taste barefoot running could find themselves courting injury as a result of buying the wrong shoe or from not changing their running style.? Even those who are inspired to wear thin-soled, unstructured shoes for leisure wear may find themselves wearing a shoe that just isn?t correct for their body type.

Most people attribute the creation of the minimalist category to Nike, who designed the Nike Free in 2004.? It was a shoe designed to build muscle tone when used as equipment for a modified running gait.? Since then, the genre has slowly gained acceptance and more companies are now catering to the growing specialty running market.? It should be known that low-to-the-ground, minimally structured shoes are not for everyone.? The message remains that minimalist shoes came into this world as sports equipment ? specialized ones at that.? Don?t let the hype obscure common sense.? For some feet, less is not more.

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