Global natural health lifestyle brand Vivobarefoot
has launched a new scan-to-print, circular bare-foot-wear system that reimagines
how footwear is designed and made (and remade).
While the world has changed, our feet haven't. Over-designed and over-produced,
conventional shoes are now mass-consumed, damaging to our
body,
and creating massive waste. In short, shoes are trashing our feet and our
planet. They make our feet weak; are made through off-shore, often
less-than-ethical supply
chains;
and 12 billion pairs end up in
landfill every year.
The world doesn’t need new shoes, but rather a new system — one that starts from
the ground up, starting with our feet.
Founded in 2012 by two seventh-generation cobblers, cousins
Galahad and Asher
Clark — of the
Clarks footwear dynasty — Vivobarefoot was created
as an antithesis of modern-day, wasteful models of mass shoe production; based
on the belief that barefoot footwear is regenerative to human health. All
Vivobarefoot footwear is designed to be wide, thin and flexible to promote your
foot's natural strength and movement and allow you to feel the ground beneath
your feet. Combining indigenous wisdom with modern innovation, the company’s
product range consists of natural, biosynthetic and recycled material products
of minimalist design.
Now, with the new VivoBiome
platform and its overhauled approach to footwear manufacturing, the company
provides opportunities to produce items economically in smaller quantities; and
has the potential to transform what was once a highly labor-intensive process to
one that is highly automated, which will allow for supply chain simplification
and a shift back to local production. VivoBiome also gives manufacturers the
ability to use new types of material that improve comfort and performance. The
brand is targeting consumers whose priorities are to purchase sustainably while
offering shoes that speak to the intricacies of someone’s individual foot shape,
gait and improved health by choosing barefoot.
Be a part of the pilot
Vivobarefoot is calling for 200 UK pioneers to test pilot the first
generation of VivoBiome products before a wider global launch next year. The
pioneer program is run on an application basis. Each successful applicant will
be able to scan their feet; configure their footwear; and receive three pairs of
bespoke, first-generation products to test. Participants will also be asked to
provide feedback that will inform adjustments or developments for later models,
and be able to vote on future design releases and try them on in augmented
reality. They will also be first in line for any new releases, gain access to
exclusive foot health and movement masterclasses, be invited to events hosted
with other participants and have lifetime access to the VivoHealth hub which
hosts courses from natural health experts across the world. The whole bundle is
priced at £260 and limited to 200 participants.
“VivoBiome is not just a new product, it’s a radical vision for a circular
system — enabled by technology to reimagine manufacturing that takes it back to
its roots,” Asher Clark says. “Indigenous footwear has been made for millennia
person-by-person, foot-by-foot and out of local materials — a far cry from the
mass-marketed products that are destined for landfills — and we want to get back
to this heart of community-driven innovation and production.
“VivoBiome is a de-growth evolution in the face of an unsustainable human and
planetary health trajectory. The future is at our feet; and we want to be part
of the solution that empowers communities to be the feet on the ground that can
change it for the better.”
Following the pioneer program, the first generation of footwear to purchase will
be available early 2024.
The global community can register for VivoBiome to get regular updates on the
project and notifications when the project comes close to their region. Find out
more about the project here.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Jul 21, 2023 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST