It’s hard to believe, but toe shoes are now considered stylish

The boundaries between ugly and beautiful are becoming increasingly blurred in the footwear world. Birkenstocks, Crocs and Uggs have long been cult, trainers are being shamelessly crossed with loafers and sandals, oversized red boots that look as if they’ve come straight out of a comic are going viral. What surprises are left? Well, the most radical ugly shoe of all time: the toe shoe. Long the target of ridicule, it’s become a fashionista favourite.

Vibram and Fivefingers

The current hype is down to Italian company Vibram, which has been producing high-performance rubber soles for over 80 years. It supplies outdoor brands such as Merrell and Scarpa, as well as luxury brands including Jil Sander and Rick Owens. In 2005, Vibram launched its first in-house shoe – Fivefingers – doing pioneering work in the development of barefoot shoes.

Hiking boots

Vibram Alitza Loop

38

Hiking boots

Vibram V-Trek

43

6

Ballet flats

Vibram Vi-B Eco

38

1

Hiking boots

Vibram Alitza Loop

38

Hiking boots

Vibram V-Trek

43

6

Ballet flats

Vibram Vi-B Eco

38

1

Unfortunately, these products are currently only available in our Swiss shop.

Today, Fivefingers are available in various designs, such as trainers, boots and ballet flats. Editorial colleague and outdoor enthusiast Siri Schubert bought her first pair 15 years ago for jogging and has been a fan ever since: «I wear them for sport, walking and sometimes in the city – although I do get the odd strange look.»

The shoes with toe chambers – which take some getting used to – were originally designed for sports and outdoor activities, but even then they’re polarising. They seem even stranger in supermarkets and offices and on public transport, but that could soon change.

Gorpcore, thin soles and Japanese toe socks

The Gorpcore boom has normalised functional footwear in everyday life and paved the way for Fivefingers to enter the mainstream. At the same time, the popularity of ugly shoes in recent years has shown us that fashion can turn the bizarre into something desirable. Pretty much anything can be considered stylish as long as it’s paired well and worn with confidence.

Until recently, the ugly shoe genre was dominated by chunky shoes with thick soles. Brands tried to outdo each other in terms of bulk – with sometimes caricature-like results. But now, this trend seems to have been exhausted, almost overdone. Instead of continuing to focus on volume, the fashion world took a completely new direction, increasingly focusing on thin-soled, delicate shoes. Fivefingers’ barefoot design is the next logical step in this development.

They’re not the first toe shoes to attract attention from fashion aficionados. The Tabi boots by Maison Margiela – first introduced in 1988 – are among the most iconic shoe models ever. The split-toe design – inspired by traditional Japanese socks – has had a loyal fan base for years. For a long time, this was considered avant-garde, but now cow-foot Tabis are mainstream. If you want to stand out with your choice of shoes in 2025, you’ll have to go the extra mile and put your best (bare)foot forward.

Products with beneficial properties

Trend research company WGSN has stressed that, according to the Global Risks Report 2023, deteriorating mental health is one of the biggest risks of the coming years. This means that products have to offer beneficial properties to reach their target group. With their nature-oriented, grounding philosophy, Fivefingers do exactly that. Outdoor editor Siri explains: «I like the direct contact with the ground and the space they give my toes. The feeling is very immediate, as if I were walking barefoot. The only difference is that I don’t have to worry about broken glass and other sharp objects.»

Although Fivefingers are still a rare sight on the streets, social media’s already showing that they could become one of the most relevant shoe trends in the coming year. Trendsetters are increasingly placing what was once considered an idiosyncratic outdoor shoe in an urban, stylised context. Collaborations with hip labels such as Suicoke from Tokyo are driving this change of image further. Knowing that the shoe is part of several current trends, this no longer seems so far-fetched.

In a highly digitalised, fast-moving world, toe shoes miraculously combine the opposing desire for deceleration and novelty. But sooner or later, even their appearance will start to bore us. The only question that remains is which model can top the quirkiness of Fivefingers – or whether they mark the crowning glory of the ugly shoe era.