Luxury Brands Run Toward Barefoot Shoes

An increasing, albeit still small, number of collaborations—especially in the luxury space—are focused on barefoot shoes, a type of footwear that took off with runners in the 1970s and is making a comeback of sorts today. With thin, even soles and no elevation at the heel; a lightweight and flexible construction throughout; no padding or cushioning; and a wide toe box that doesn’t squeeze the foot, they are meant to replicate the experience of running barefoot, allowing the user to feel the ground beneath their feet. Minimalist shoes are a related form, similar but with a small heel and a slightly narrower toe box. 

Proponents argue that both are superior to traditional running shoes in many ways, saying they strengthen the feet and ankles, spur better posture, lead to fewer injuries, allow for better balance, and improve spatial awareness. 

Some of the collaborations that have come up in this space over the past five years—mostly but not all in the form of sneakers, albeit leaning more toward fashion than performance—include the following: 

• In December 2024, Balenciaga announced a barefoot sandal called the Zero, with a very thin 3D-printed in-sole and a lace top. The shoe, which was in-house designed and sourced, followed a 2020 collaboration with Vibram for a heeled version of the latter’s FiveFingers barefoot shoe model featuring separated toes. 

• Issey Miyake paired with New Balance for the first time in 2024 for a version of the latter’s MT10 model, from its 15-year-old Minimus series. The shoe was part of the Miyake label’s spring/summer 2025 collection and debuted first in Japan before expanding globally. 

• Music producer Timbaland teamed with Vivobarefoot for a limited-edition shoe in July 2024. The minimalist sneaker, a version of the marketer’s Motus Strength model, was inspired by the personal wellness journey of Timbaland, who signed each pair. A documentary and a new music track supported the initiative. 

• Junya Watanabe partnered with New Balance as part of his spring/summer 2025 MAN collection, presented in June 2024. Like the Issey Miyake example, this is a version of a New Balance Minimus, in this case the UX200L.

• Back in 2021, Japanese menswear label TakahiroMiyashitaTheSoloist worked with Suicoke, a footwear brand that has an ongoing partnership with Vibram for a five-toed shoe. The new collaborative version featured suede panels and breathable mesh, along with the separated toes. This was one of several partnerships Suicoke has forged to keep its five-toed sneaker line fresh. 

• Another 2021 example occurred as part of Pharrell Williams’ long-term partnership with Adidas. This shoe was different from the other examples here in that it looked like a traditional sneaker, but had a barefoot feel when worn. It was called the Humanrace Sičhona, with the latter word meaning “connecting to the earth” in the Dakota language. 

• In 2020, the estate of the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat partnered with Vivobarefoot for a limited-edition collection of two minimalist slip-on shoes covered in all-over patterns of Basquiat’s imagery. The shoes were hand-painted and hand-stitched in Ethiopia and a portion of proceeds went to the Livebarefoot Foundation, which supports African communities through social enterprise. 

As these examples suggest, there was a bump in popularity in barefoot/minimalist shoe collaborations in 2020-2021, and now again in 2024-2025. Many observers believe this second burst may continue for a while, as the category is set for growth. Allied Market Research estimates the barefoot shoe market overall will reach almost $788.7 million globally by 2031, up from $471.1 million in 2021, translating to a compound annual growth rate of 5.3% from 2022 to 2031 and about a 40% total increase over that period. While the sector is likely to remain a relatively small slice of the footwear industry, it is growing fast enough that it could attract more collaborative examples, both in the luxury world and perhaps beyond.