Playday 2.0 – Vote for Your Favorite New Shoes!
As some of you may recall, the Soft Star elves held our first playday back in March. We liked it so much we decided to try it again! Last week, we closed our shop for half a day and encouraged everyone to work on a new shoe design.
Once again, we were both surprised and pleased with what our staff could invent in a mere 4 hours. There are a lot of great ideas floating around in our heads, but having the space, time and joy to focus on them made for an energizing afternoon. While the real intent of playday is to inject more fun into our work, we ended up with some wonderful ideas to share.
Now we are curious to know what YOU think! Listed below is an overview of our playday projects. We would love for you to look them over and vote for your favorites at the bottom of this post. We would also like to hear any comments or opinions you have to offer about your dream shoe.
1. The Merry Moc
Elves Jodi and Tesla teamed up together to combine our existing Merry Jane pattern with our moccasin sole. The result was a "Merry-Moc" with a cozy sheepskin innersole and soft suede outersole. They could be used as a very fancy indoor-shoe/slipper or classroom shoe that feels heavenly on your feet. They even made a second pair with a street sole barged onto on the bottom to be more durable for outdoor use (this is the green pair).
2. The Marache
Elf Martin, with no experience in sewing or shoe design, decided to try his hand at a pair of homemade huaraches following online instructions and made his very first shoe! Using a 5mm Vibram trail sole coated with green suede, a simple nylon cord ties the shoe around the foot. If Soft Star took on a huarache-style sandal, we would work to develop it into our own unique design.
3. Leah's Layers
Elf Leah created a simple slip-on sandal by sewing a layer of suede onto a Rambler sole, then weaving strips of leather across the top to keep the foot in place (and to look awesome).
4. The Moc-erina
Many of our customers ask if we make ballet flat shoes, which inspired elves Gwen and Karen to team up together and give it a shot. They created four different styles, each featuring our thin and minimalist Moc3 sole with different aesthetic designs for a slip-on upper. Please note that these would be for casual wear, not for dancing en pointe!
5. The Kasual Keita
Not to be confused with the cozy Keita winter shoe, Elf Keita’s latest sandal design uses a unique pattern of leather straps to hold feet onto a suede-lined rubber sole. Note the small piece of elastic sewn onto the rear strap to keep the foot snug! Keita experimented with both shiny platinum and shiny pewter leather for this dressy, minimal sandal.
6. The Hava
Elf Hava took the time to cut several long tassel-like strips of suede leather to give the back of her sandal both style and versatility for lacing. Wider strips of smooth leather cover the top of the foot, which can be adjusted for tightness. She used our Rambler sole with brown suede leather.
7. The Sarandal
The first design by Elf Sarah! She used our new and very pliable Vibram Newflex sole with her own pattern for uppers that resemble a stripped-down Merry Jane. A Velcro strap holds the sandal securely around the ankle.
So there you have it! That’s our lineup for our second successful playday (Note to guys: we realize that most of these shoes are women's styles, but fear not—we'll have a future playday focusing on manly shoes). Remember to cast your vote for the shoe you like best, and feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below. You can vote for more than one.
Which shoes most interest you?
Click here to see more of our Playday projects
Martin is a lifelong runner who began wearing minimalist shoes over 10 years ago when he found they alleviated his chronic foot pain, which eventually disappeared completely. He further studied proper running form through a series of workshops taught by Correct Toes inventor, Dr. Ray McClanahan DPM. Martin has collaborated with several health care professionals to collect and share peer-reviewed studies that show the benefits of minimalist footwear. In his personal life, Martin loves living in the Pacific Northwest because it allows him to enjoy a variety of outdoor activities year-round, including hiking, cycling, rock climbing, surfing and snowboarding.
--Leyda
Only, please please make sure that any new styles are offered in wide widths. Lots of barefoot places seem to ignore the fact that minimalist shoes often cause feet to spread naturally and therefore require wider shoes. Soft Star has done pretty well with this, and I hope you keep it up.
I like the Kasual Keita the best, with the Sarandal as a close second. Maybe the Sarandal could also have a bit of elastic in the back, for the most secure/customized fit?
If I want something like a flipflop, I can get those anywhere.
Please, please, pretty please, if we only get one or two new styles, make them ones that stay on feet easily!!
I vote for the Sarandal!