These shoes are made for walkin’
Barefoot shoe industry grows in the UK
By Molly Lee
Being a first-time mum can be overwhelming and confusing. You have an innocent human to look after and care for. Every day you are learning new things: how to bathe them, how to feed them, wean them off milk, how to change their nappies – the list is endless.
For these types of situations, you have your health visitors who give out advice and resources online. But who tells you about what shoes to put on your child?
Brittany Balinski, mum of four, discovered barefoot shoes when she was in this exact situation with her first baby. Barefoot shoes aren’t your typical footwear apparel that you can buy on the high street.
“You get your baby’s eyes tested and their hearing, but you just get left to go and buy shoes from Primark for them,” says Brittany, who has been wearing barefoot shoes since 2017. “There’s no guidelines at all and I really think that there should be.”
Brittany Balinski
Barefoot shoes allow your feet to move more naturally, while still protecting you from weather. Currently, the UK retailers are: Vivo Barefoot, BGreater, Freet Footwear, Barhé and Happy Little Soles.
“Essentially, you eliminate the feeling of needing to kick off your shoes at the end of the day,” says Brittany who shares information about these type of shoes on social media. “You’re in a permanent state of comfort and a lot of people don’t realise because they’ve become so used to wearing other shoes that they don’t realise they’re actually restrictive and uncomfortable.”
The growth of barefoot shoes in the UK has grown massively. Globally, the market was valued at $471.1 million in 2021 and is forecast to reach $788.7 million by 2031 (Allied Market Research, 2023)
Adult barefoot shoes are still somewhat of a niche, but it is much easier to find children’s shoes. This is because, generally, most shoes made for toddlers and natural foot development have the same attributes as barefoot shoes.
All Brittany’s children wear these styles of shoes and don’t know anything different. “They know that their friends wear other shoes, and they think it’s a bit strange that they would want to wear such hard, tall shoes,” says Brittany.
The common struggle of finding school shoes that fit your child and don’t rub isn’t an issue for Brittany. Not only are they more comfortable, the quality of them from barefoot shoe brands are better.
“The cost of barefoot shoes is entirely justified,” says Brittany, holding up an example of a barefoot shoe in a Chelsea boot style. “You get far more out of a barefoot shoe for the price than you do from any other shoe that you think you’re getting good value for.”
“If you buy £80 school shoes, you’re going to know that you’re not going to cause much damage to the feet that you’re going to put them on. So, it’s swings and roundabouts for sure,” she continues.
By andriano_cz on Adobe Stock
By andriano_cz on Adobe Stock
By saichon on Adobe Stock
By saichon on Adobe Stock
Brittany uses social media to share her experiences of barefoot shoes, her reviews of different ones and advice for people. On TikTok alone, she has more than 46,000 followers. Also, she has a Facebook group with almost 10,000 members and growing.
Ultimately, she hopes to use research and take it to schools and the NHS to make them aware of the benefits of these shoes.
“Many people wouldn’t recognise all of the barefoot brands so you wouldn’t necessarily go, oh, that’s a barefoot shoe,” says Brittany, who wants to change this.
Before discovering these alternative shoes, she used to wear Converse a lot. But if you were to ask Brittany back then if her trainers were uncomfortable, she would say not at all. It wasn’t until she put her foot inside a barefoot shoe and wore them for 30 minutes, she realised how uncomfortable her old ones were.
Ever since this revelation, Brittany is determined to share information about barefoot shoes across the UK and to bring the community together.
On September 21, 2025, a Barefoot Shoe and Foot Health Expo will be taking place in Birmingham, arranged by Brittany. The event will be a way for people to connect with the community of barefooters and the UK brands.
Anyone with an interest in barefoot shoes and foot health can attend. Tickets for consumers will go live soon, you can register your interest on Brittany’s website here.
Want to follow Brittany? Click the buttons below!
On the street: Brittany pointing out a Vivobarefoot store
On the street: Brittany pointing out a Vivobarefoot store
https://barefootbrit.co.uk/collaboration-magic/
https://barefootbrit.co.uk/collaboration-magic/
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