Muristek
‘Big shoe isn’t working’: the ethical footwear brand offering a sustainable alternative
Designed to mimic being barefoot, Vivobarefoot shoes promote natural movement and help feet grow stronger. But there’s more to the brand than that – co-founder Galahad Clark also has his sights set on tackling the environmental impact of shoe production
Five years ago, Galahad Clark was on a quest to find the world’s most perfect feet. His search led him to the crimson sands of the Namibian Kalahari desert, where he met a wizened cobbler from the San bushmen tribe making ersatz sandals from old car tyres. The improvised material may have been rudimentary – hunting restrictions meant the shoemaker couldn’t use his usual eland antelope skins – but the sandals were thin soled, tailor-made for each individual tribesperson’s feet, and adapted to the rugged environment that the wearer would be running or hunting in.
“San bushmen are arguably as close to original humans as it gets – with perfect natural movement, plus healthy feet and posture,” says Galahad, co-founder of the ethical shoe brand Vivobarefoot. “They run on hot sands at pace, but the only pain they experience is when wearing [conventional] shoes. Many of the younger people there are starting to wear crap secondhand trainers from charities – ‘dead white man’s clothing’, as they call it – and you can see their feet are starting to develop different shapes to older generations who have only gone barefoot or worn sandals. The elders [moan]: ‘Bloody kids, they won’t move in the same way that we do!’”
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