2019 - The Year Of The Foot!

We are excited to inform you that SOM Footwear is making 2019 the Year Of The Foot! This year we are putting the focus on the foot, and its health, by showing you how and why you should take care of your feet.

As a current user of SOM’s shoes, you already know the incredible feeling of freedom, comfort, and versatility that our shoes provide. But did you know that our shoes are designed entirely around your foot? We want to share with you the purpose behind the design of our shoes. The core design principles of all SOM shoes are as follows:

Wide toebox: Whether standing or moving barefoot, our feet are designed to flatten out, spreading the toes to provide balance and a larger platform from which we derive our power. When a shoe constricts the ability of toes to splay out, it reduces our ability to balance, creates hotspots from toes rubbing against one another, and can cause bunions and other debilitating side effects. All of SOM’s shoes offer a generous wide toebox to allow the toes to spread out and function as intended.

Zero drop: When we stand barefoot, the elevation or lift of our heel and toes is the same. The vast majority of modern shoes elevate the heel. This provides undue stress on the toes, arch, Achilles tendon, calves and lower back. The rest of our body is not designed or conditioned for this position. As such, our bodies have to compensate which leads to unintended problems such as strained muscles, altered gait and poor posture. All of SOM’s shoes have a zero drop.

Flexibility: Our feet are designed to flex, bend and adapt. Today’s highly structured shoes prevent this from happening, which has the negative effect of weakening our feet, which in turn makes us more dependent upon the support of shoes. SOM’s shoes are highly flexible and allow the foot to build up and maintain strength, helping to prevent injuries and reduce our reliance on artificially structured support.

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 Treat Your Feet Right!

Just as there is a right and a wrong way to brush your teeth, there is a right and a wrong way to treat your feet. This year we are focusing on the health of your feet and helping people to Treat Your Feet Right.

Cramming your feet into tight, unnatural positions is definitely the wrong way to treat your feet. This will cause discomfort in the short term, followed by pain and additional problems in the long term. Most modern shoes lift, squeeze and restrict your foot’s motion. Over time this weakens your feet, causes knee, hip and muscles problems due to the body being forced out of alignment, and can even affect your gait and posture. But it doesn’t need to be this way.

SOM designs its shoes to let the foot function as nature designed it. This helps prevent long-term health problems while at the same time providing you with that barefoot feel.

    (SOM’s wide and comfortable toebox)

There really is no deep mystery or complicated science behind SOM’s designs. Let the foot function as it was designed and you will have happy and healthy feet. By following this simple rule, SOM is able to deliver a comfortable, do-everything shoe with a touch of style. So, start being good to yourself.

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We, the SOM team, were very excited before we left for the Holidays. We had a chance to finalize the making of the Urban Trekker in Vintage Steel Blue and in Sumptuous Red,  using a made-in-USA material of a specially-engineered polyester fiber matrix to maximize breath-ability, water resistance and comfort. This material does not contain any PVC or plasticizers and does not emit off-gases. We also added to the cotton canvas series a beautiful fuchsia that won't go unnoticed!

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Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to helping you make 2019 a standout year! And remember to Treat Your Feet Right!

- The Team at SOM Footwear