FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are barefoot shoes ?
Barefoot or minimalist shoes try to mimic the feeling of walking barefoot. The elements of a barefoot shoe are –zero drop (flat) from heel to toe, flexible and thin sole and a wide toe box. A barefoot shoe can be stylish, that’s why we started paidal.
Why should you care about barefoot shoes ?
Wearing barefoot shoes can improve posture, balance and stability. It can also relieve pain by redistributing pressure and strengthening under-used muscles. It’s like the princess and the pea, a small change leads to massive benefits.
- A flexible sole strengthens feet and reduces stiffness.
- The flat shoe improves posture and redistributes uneven pressure by properly distributing your weight across the length your foot.
- A wide toe box allows your toes to splay naturally and improves balance and stability.
- A thin sole increases sensitivity and reactivity to the ground while you walk.
How to transition to barefoot shoes ?
We recommend transitioning slowly and listening to your body. If this is the first time that you are trying barefoot shoes, we recommend buying paidal’s padded range. It will takes your entire body time to adjust to the new way that you are moving. Think of it like a new exercise, you might find your feet and calves are a bit achy and fatigued like they’ve had a good workout. If any pain persists or feels wrong, we recommend consulting your doctor.
How to care for your paidals ?
All paidals are made from the highest quality leather. With some care and attention, your leather shoes can last you a very long time. Every type of leather is different and requires different care. On our storage & care page you will find tips on storage and care by leather type.
Where does our leather come from ?
Our leather comes from tanneries that are certified by LWG where possible and as mentioned on individual product pages. LWG or Leather Working Group is a global not-for-profit, multi-stakeholder initiative that sets ethics and sustainability standards for leather manufacturers and traders.
We order the best quality, minimally processed leathers. When we design our shoes, we take care to pick a leather that works with the style and purpose of the shoe, to give you the best experience possible. We have tried to represent the colors of our leathers accurately, however variations may be seen in real life.
Why did we decide to use leather ?
While the jury is out on what is actually better for the planet, we decided to go the time tested route with leather. It is breathable, hard wearing and long lasting. And nothing else can give the natural texture and color of leather.
What is coming next ?
Behind the scenes we are constantly working on developing more styles and adding more types and colors of leather. To give you a flavor – we are working on releasing our new styles and more colors and leathers. We are also working on making shoes for men and children (we didn’t forget!). For updates, you can follow us on Instagram or sign up to our mailing list or both!
CUSTOM SERVICE FAQ
What is paidal's custom service ?
Our custom service brings you a new way to shop for paidals. With custom paidals we hand the creativity to you. We have carefully curated a set of leathers in limited quantities that work perfectly with our styles. You can decide what leather, style and sole colour you want. Our artisans will do the rest.
All custom paidal’s are made in sacchetto construction and come with our signature & soft LWG certified sheep skin lining.
How to order custom paidals ?
On our custom page you will see leather swatches segregated by type of leather. Each type of leather will have a few colours. These will be updated as we run out of stock or when we receive new colours at the studio.
Once you click on a colour that you like, you will be directed to a familiar looking product page. Here you can select basic options like size and padding. What’s new is that you have to select a style. Once you place your order, our team will start crafting your custom paidals.
How long does it take to make custom paidals ?
Once you confirm your order, we need 5-6 weeks to make your pair of custom paidals. After we ship your order, shipments take 5-7 days for international locations.
Email us at custom@paidalbarefoot.com with any questions, doubts and difficulties and we will do our best to solve them for you.