What are Furoshiki Shoes?

Is that an alien on your foot or a shoe?? No, it’s a Furoshiki shoe, perhaps the strangest but perhaps hottest trend in casual active shoes right now, according to Google Trends. These look like something from another planet, tho.

What are Furoshiki shoes, and where (or when?) did they arrive on the fashion radar? The name is Japanese. Furoshiki is a type of traditional Japanese wrapping cloth used to transport food boxes, clothes, gifts, or other goods.  So it stands to reason why Vibram chose this name for it’s new shoe design.

For starters, it’s the first shoe of its kind designed to be a multi-sized casual walking and yoga shoe. It’s designed to wrap-around the sole and adapts perfectly to your foot. I’m definitely curious, and I’d love to try a pair on to see how they feel! Here’s a closer look:

Vibram Furoshiki Walking-Yoga-Fitness Shoe  Amazon.com

The pairs I have found online are all made by Vibram in a variety of colors, and they are kind of the next-gen design from the barefoot 5-finger toes-training shoe.

Based on a lot of customer reviews, they are loved by a lot of people who prefer the feel of the ground beneath their feet. I can relate to this as I am the same. In fact, I find low profile shoes such as Nike Free or Merrell barefoot running shoes to be better for my feet than styles with tons of padding. I was quite the flip-flop wearer growing up, though, so that may be one reason why.

Many people love these for travel, due to their compact size, and others love the Furoshiki shoe for yoga and pilates, or even to wear around the house as slippers.

While some aren’t able to walk in them all day, many love the minimal design better than a traditional shoe. In fact, some people say these shoes are almost like wearing socks! I guess if you like that kind of fit, they’ll be perfect. Maybe aqua socks.

And while they are comfy for casual use, most people don’t recommend them for long periods of wear throughout the day. Some have said these are also awesome for diabetics whose feet swell. Although they have very limited sizes, you’ll want to make sure you order the size that’s best for your feet. As you can see from the photo above, if they are too big, the toe is a little square and duck-ish.

I don’t know. I am not sure how I feel about this design yet. What do you think? Will these be the next ‘it’ shoe to replace the Crocs craze? Would you wear these?

Sources: You Might Find Yourself, Amazon.com, coolthings.com