When Vibram Five Fingers released the original five-toe barefoot style shoe back in 2005, they became an immediate sensation. They consisted of a nylon, sock-like upper with a thin rubber sole. They offered by far the most barefoot-simulated footwear experience of any shoe in modern times. The Vibram marketing pitch was spot-on: elevated, cushioned shoes cause dysfunction, while a barefoot lifestyle is the ultimate expression of health and functionality. Forward-thinking fitness enthusiasts started wearing Vibrams for walking, hiking, jogging, gym workouts, and everyday life. Those hard-core folks who became barefoot-adapted drove a true revolution in fitness footwear. However, only a select few were able to enjoy such an unusual shoe, and for a limited number of fitness endeavors. Unfortunately, backlash occurred against this radical shoe movement in the form of complaints and injuries sustained by poorly adapted people. A class-action lawsuit blaming Vibram’s lack of protection for overuse injuries was a ridiculous premise, but nevertheless generated bad publicity for the company.
Soon after came the rise of the maximalist shoe movement, driven by the upstart brand Hoka making shoes with extra-thick, highly cushioned soles. The barefoot shoe movement took a backseat to the cutting-edge technology of maximum cushion, and soon the carbon-plated super shoes that offered a verified performance advantage. Alas, the realities of evolutionary biology and the modern epidemics of chronic foot pain and overuse injuries cannot be ignored forever. This notion paved the way for Mark and Kyle Sisson to bring Peluva shoes to market in 2023. This “Barefoot 2.0” launch offered the critical five-toe functionality first presented by Vibram, along with sufficient cushion to allow more people to do more things with a barefoot-style shoe, and stylish designs that can be worn for both fitness and fashion all day long.
Some hard-core barefoot and ancestral health enthusiasts question whether less is best, but the Peluva mission is to get more people to safely transition to a barefoot-inspired lifestyle. Our strategic nine millimeters of cushion (In the Strand models; a bit more in fashion lines), allows us to navigate hard modern man made indoor and outdoor surfaces. Remember, our ancestors walked on packed African savannah grass, soft dirt, snow, frozen tundra, sandy beaches, and so forth–no marble floors or concrete sidewalks to negotiate in primal times!
We’ve learned from the setbacks the barefoot movement has experienced in the past, and present the most functional, stylish, versatile and safe barefoot-inspired shoe ever developed. We are also committed to educating you about best practices and smooth transitions. For example, we encourage you to walk as much as you can in Peluvas, but don’t run in them–too risky for almost everyone (perhaps don’t run at all, a concept detailed in Mark Sisson and Brad Kearns new book, Born To Walk.) For more support, we offer our free 88-page PDF eBook called The Definitive Guide To A Barefoot And Minimalist Shoe Lifestyle at Peluva.com.