SALE: $30 off all Merry Janes, including the NEW Custom Primal Merry Jane! Shop Now
Bullhide Leather Sole
Bullhide Leather Sole
We're very proud to offer our bullhide leather sole option for barefoot enthusiasts, currently available as on option when you customize a Dash RunAmoc. After much testing, we have finally found a leather that provides all the qualities we like to see in a shoe. If you believe barefoot is best but have a need for shoes, then you'll love what this sole has to offer:
Flexibility
Our bullhide leather sole is so pliable that it molds to the shape of your feet, giving them the freedom to flex and bend as if they were barefoot.
Durability
Designed for outdoor use, the bullhide leather can tolerate rough surfaces like pavement, gravel and rocky trails. We've thoroughly tested this sole with ultramarathon runners and found it's durability to be on par with our 2mm Vibram Street sole. The smooth, full grain nature of this leather is also naturally water resistant.
Note: this sole differs from the suede sole we use on our Roo Moccasins. Our thinner moccasin suede sole, lined with sheepskin, is intended for indoor and light outdoor use. The bullhide leather sole has much higher durability and water resistance, though not waterproof. They may become water-logged if soaked in standing water (i.e., standing in a puddle), but they should be fine when they dry out.
Connectivity
Reconnect with the Earth! Your feet relay information to your brain about what they sense when you walk and run, and your body reacts accordingly. The pliable nature of this sole provides a maximum ground feel, allowing your feet to sense the smallest nuances in the terrain beneath you. Fans of earthing footwear will also be happy to know that this sole has been tested to show high grounding conductivity.
Tired of shoes made from rubber and "pleather?" At Softstar, we're proud to use high quality US-sourced leather for our shoes. When you order a shoe with a leather sole, you're getting a shoe 99% free of synthetic materials! As an added bonus, natural leather has excellent breathability, which makes our shoes significantly more odor resistant than most. So what's on our leather-soled shoes that isn't natural? The metal lacing eyelets on Dash RunAmocs!
A word of caution: like any leather soles, this bullhide material can be very slippery on smooth, wet surfaces.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! I have purchased over 8 pair of 'minimalist' shoes in the past 3 years...none of them felt like walking barefoot to me......until now. Your leather is soft your soles are flat and my foot is relaxed!!!"
"My entire experience with Softstar has been nothing short of an amazing experience from beginning to end. Will not buy any other shoes...my feet no longer hurt at all."
"This shoe is exactly what you would hope it to be. High quality leather and workmanship in a simple, natural stance running shoes made of all natural materials. Glad I found them."
"I've never had shoes that have fit as well as these or received as many compliments… I wish I had found them sooner!"
"There are no other shoes like Softstar - strong, comfortable, pretty - the best choice of minimal shoes one can get. Thank you for making our lives easier and wonderful!"
"I am loving these shoes! They are just lovely to have on the feet. And I am not easily impressed... There's nothing on the market that I know of that allows full toe splay! To me, it's a beautiful thing to let the toes move with absolute freedom in the shoe. I cannot do that with ANY OTHER of the barefoot shoes."
"I spent SO MANY years searching for a shoe to fit my feet. At last, you have given me such a shoe! I am convinced that had I met this shoe 30 years ago, I would not have the deformed feet I have now, nor would I have had surgery done on one of them. Abundant thanks for this design that honors my feet."
"These shoes are absolute perfection… The toe box finally allows my pinky toe and big toe to splay naturally and has taken away all previous foot pain… My feet will accept nothing less now."
"Finally something I will wear to work that is truly foot shaped… I usually take my shoes off as soon as I arrive home. I was so comfortable in these that I didn't think about it, and I left them on for hours into the evening."
"These are fantastic. Softstar showed themselves as the best minimal shoe company on the market with these. Functionally, they are the best fitting shoes I own, and they are the most stylish."
"Blown away. These should be the standard. I work at a physio clinic and see multiple people come in with foot pain (bunions, flat feet, plantar fasciitis) and it's mostly because of the effects of improper footwear over time... These shoes are the perfect solution."
"These are the best shoes I've ever owned. FINALLY A TOE BOX SHAPED LIKE A HEALTHY FOOT… I can wear my toe separators in these without any squishing or pressure against the sides of the shoe. Finally, finally, finally... someone prioritized function over form in creating a shoe that feels great to wear."