The soul behind the Five Finger sole

MANILA, Philippines - When it comes to athletic shoes, it seems the bulkier the shoe is, the better. Shoe manufacturers like adding things to their product like air or springs or more air, all of which promise that the added material makes the person wearing it perform better. In terms of better performance, I’m not an athletic person so I can’t possibly tell the difference. As far as I’m concerned, although accessories do help, performance comes from the person itself. So, strip down the high-tech shoe and try to gauge real performance by going, well, barefoot. And Vibram Five Fingers knows a thing or two about that.

But let’s get real. When Vibram Five Fingers was introduced to the market in 2006, the five-toe shoe design raised a whole lot of eyebrows. But before I could question the concept itself, I realized these shoes are more than meets the eye.

Sure, not everyone can get onboard the VFF train, but its functions are pretty compelling.

Get to know more about VFF’s barefoot dedication, their testing compound, and the real deal on how it is to wear those Five Fingers.

Trust the sole

Vibram isn’t just about the toes shoe. They first got their sturdy reputation by making sturdy soles. Believe it or not, with its over 1,000 (yes, one thousand) shoe partners, odds are, there’s a Vibram sole in your shoe closet. It’s not even limited to athletic kicks (although famous sports brands like Merrell and Saucony order from these guys); Vibram also provides soles for casual shoes, high heels, and even military issued boots. “Vibram is the world-leading brand in high performance soling products,” says Matteo Crovetto, the general manager of Vibram China. They’ve been making soles for 75 years — that’s 75 years of practicing their craft.

In 2009, Vibram opened a testing center just to test their soles. Vibram Technological Center (VTC) in Guangzhou, China is a huge compound that looks more like a private resort than a fully functioning office and testing ground. But don’t be deceived by its beauty because it’s more than that. Take for example the small pond inside the compound. Aside from it being aesthetically pleasing, it also acts as a kayaking area for extreme outdoor tests. They’re making the most out of their space. Aside from testing, when clients request a sole from Vibram, people in the VTC create a full prototype in just 14 days. That’s two weeks of planning, designing, and making. That’s lightning speed.

After the prototype, all soles pass through rigorous sole testing. Rigorous, as in devoting a whole building with different environmental stations to make sure that the sole will hold. The three-story structure housing a rock climbing wall, a life-size freezer (that sometimes doubles as a drink cooler during office parties), a tiny river, and an outdoor sloping wall to check the slip factor of the soles, are all used by the testing team. Their tests for sole durability and effectivity are rigorous, but fun at the same time. It’s like a giant playground.

Ten little toes shoe

In 2006, Vibram decided to create their own line of shoes while simultaneously making soles for other clients. Thus, the Five Fingers were born, a product made with the person in mind. Vibram took away the science of adding a whole bunch of things to a shoe and instead, improved the science of running the way nature intended us to run — barefoot.

I honestly didn’t see the appeal at first. Wearing Five Fingers for the first time doesn’t feel like a dream or anything. It felt a little weird. And after a couple of hours wearing them, it hurt. But apparently, that’s part of the process of going “barefoot.” Mr. Crovatto says that VFF has a special transition. Basically, don’t throw your old kicks away yet. Try running with your new VFF’s until your feet start to ache a little bit. Then, go back to your old running shoes. Keep at it until your feet finally embrace the barefoot feel.

As inconvenient as it may seem to keep changing shoes, it seems that the change is worth it for longevity’s sake. In VTC there’s this force plate test, a silver slab of metal laid in their lab designed to measure how much impact the body experiences on a normal walk or run. Through the use of a graph, the test showed that the person who wore regular sneakers experienced more impact on their joints whereas the VFF user barely felt any impact at all. So, sure, it’ll hurt on a couple of beginner runs, but the long-term benefits seem like a fair payoff. More exercise, less pain.

Other than running, it’s also good training shoe. The grip of the sole is really something else. Each of these styles has special purposes so finding the right fit is really a matter of need. Most of their models are meant for running like the Bikila, others are for fitness training like Jaya and Classic. The point is, there’s a lot going on with Vibram Five Fingers. If you’re willing to tweak your fitness lifestyle a bit, give it a shot. Going barefoot could really be the start of having happy feet.