Strengthen Your Feet This Summer with "Barefoot" Sandals

PHILOMATH, Ore., May 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- What if your sandals not only looked good, but they made your feet stronger? Softstar Shoes has released the Camino™ barefoot sandal that can do just that. The popular style is unique with its flexible and minimal soling approach paired with classic rugged leather uppers. The last decade has produced many scientific research studies^1,2,3 showing that wearing flat, flexible "barefoot-like" shoes increases foot strength and stability when compared to footwear with arch supports or stiff outsoles. The Camino™ was designed to meet the criteria of minimal footwear with a transitional flexible sole to safely build stronger, more functional feet. In addition, the shoe features a comfortable footbed and a secure heel strap to ensure optimal foot function. 

The sandals are 100% designed and crafted in the USA using durable oil tanned leather uppers. Sustainability is at the heart of all Softstar products, from green workshop practices, on-demand orders, fair wages and high quality, natural materials. The unisex design features a wide toe box, an activewear outsole and is highly adjustable to accommodate a variety of foot shapes. The Camino is exclusively available at Softstar.com for $130.

"Camino means "path" in Spanish, and our inspiration was the sun-soaked pilgrimage trails of El Camino in Western Europe. We wanted to design a sustainable, minimal sandal that would provide all day comfort for wherever your path will take you."

– Softstar CEO Tricia Salcido

In addition to minimal design, all sandals can help with improving the hygiene and health of your feet. Exposure to fresh air along with room for your toes to spread will help evaporate foot moisture as well as allow in UV rays which will help stop and improve any infections of the skin and nails. 

If you are new to minimalist shoes, the Camino is a great transition shoe with its zero drop design that is thick enough to absorb any sharp objects in your path while protecting your feet. In addition, the nice squish of the suede leather footbed paired with Poron® memory foam provides some shock absorption which can be helpful for people wanting to make the transition to stronger feet. If you spend most of your upright time in traditional shoes with arch supports, it is recommended that you transition gradually to minimal shoes over the course of several months, starting with an hour a day and increasing an hour each week. 

Softstar Shoes is a certified B Corp that has been designing and handcrafting minimal leather footwear in the USA since 1985.

Contact:
Anna Lammers
541-936-9300
[email protected]
Softstar Shoes
Philomath, OR 97370

¹ Roy Curtis, Catherine Willems, Paolo Paoletti and Kristiaan D'Aout. Daily Activity in minimal footwear increases foot strength (20 September 2021)
² Nicholas Holowka, Ian Wallace and Daniel Lieberman. Foot strength and stiffness are related to footwear use in a comparison of minimally- vs. conventionally-shod populations (27 February 2018)
³ Ridge, Sarah T.; Olsen, Mark T.; Bruening, Dustin A.; Jurgensmeier, Kevin; Griffin, David; Davis, Irene S.; and Johnson, A. Wayne, "Walking in Minimalist Shoes Is Effective for Strengthening Foot Muscles" (2018). Faculty Publications. 3159.

SOURCE Softstar Shoes