Vivobarefoot review: My thoughts on the vegan Gobi Sneakers

For most of my life, I’ve struggled with shin splints, bad posture, squished toes, and a real lack of balance and stability, both in everyday life and at the gym.

It wasn’t until last year that I realised the culprit was my shoes. I’d bought myself a pair of Crocs after being brainwashed into thinking they looked quite cool (I still think they do) and found the wider toe box incredibly comfy.

I began researching feet (as you do) and discovered the concept of barefoot walking and all the incredible benefits it can have throughout your body. Not being fully prepared to ditch shoes, I decided to try out barefoot shoes instead, which typically have wider toe boxes and thin, flexible soles. And just like that, most of my problems disappeared (well, the ones mentioned above).

The biggest downside? The choice of barefoot shoes. I could only find suitable vegan-friendly barefoot shoes for working out in or for doing outdoorsy stuff. That was until I discovered Vivobarefoot and their growing range of barefoot shoes, including their vegan-certified Gobi Sneaker. A replacement for your everyday pair of white trainers!

For this Vivobarefoot review, I have been testing out their vegan-certified Gobi Sneaker in women’s size 41 (UK 8). I will be sharing my thoughts on their appearance, sizing, comfort, durability, and cost. Both my Sister and my Brother have been wearing Vivobarefoot shoes for the past year or so, so I have also fed their opinions into this review.

What is Vivobarefoot?

Vivobarefoot is a barefoot footwear brand selling running trainers, walking boots, sandals, and leisure trainers. Their shoes are designed to encourage natural foot movement, which supports healthy foot function.

All Vivobarefoot shoes feature thin, flexible soles and a wide toe box, allowing your feet to move freely and feel more connected to the ground.

Are their shoes vegan-friendly?

Vivobarefoot is not a vegan shoe brand but they do offer a selection of vegan-friendly shoes, made out of recycled plastics and textiles. As with most shoe brands, they don’t have full transparency over the production of all the items used to make all their shoes (such as glue), but they do have one official vegan-certified shoe – The Gobi Sneaker Premium Canvas.

They are certified by The Vegan Society. This means all the materials and processes have been checked by a reputable source. Hopefully, they follow this process with the remaining vegan-friendly shoes in their range. Here is more information about their certification:

“This product has been registered with The Vegan Society. This means we’ve checked with our value chain partners and can guarantee the manufacturing process and all materials, including adhesives and dyes, meet vegan best practice standards.“

You may also be interested in: My favourite vegan bags

My experience

I have been wearing my Gobi Sneakers over the past month and will be sharing my experience with you below. Overall, I have been wearing barefoot and wide toe box shoes for over a year, so when it comes to appearance, fit, comfort, durability, and cost, I know what to look for!

Appearance

One of my biggest gripes with barefoot shoes is how they look. For the sake of my feet, I want to be able to wear barefoot shoes more regularly, but most options don’t suit everyday casual wear. You’ll mostly find barefoot walking boots or running shoes, but few leisure trainers or boots.

However, Vivobarefoot has a great variety of options to suit leisurewear – yay! The Gobi Sneakers that I’ve been testing out are the perfect replacement for my everyday trainers and they can be worn with most outfits. They match well with my jeans and cargo trousers, but also go well with smart trousers.

I personally really enjoy the gum rubber sole look. It really suits the off-white canvas on the rest of the shoe. The combination makes these shoes quite stylish. The only real difference between these and most popular everyday trainers is the barefoot sole, which makes the shoes look a lot flatter when viewed side-on.

Sizing and fit

Vivobarefoot has a handy shoe fit guide that shows you how to measure your feet to find the correct size. I followed this and ended up buying a shoe size bigger than normal, which upon delivery, I knew was the right decision for me.

So, I would recommend measuring your feet before buying yours!* Make sure you get the sizing right by using these instructions: Vivobarefoot size guide

With the Gobi Sneakers, I do find the toe box to be a little bit slimmer than Vivobarefoot’s other shoes (I compared them against both of my sibling’s Vivobarefoot walking boots) and having worn wide toe box shoes and toe spacers for the last year or so, I could personally get away with having a wider toe box in these shoes. That being said, there is still just enough space for my toes to sit comfortably within there.

So, for those of you who have been letting your toes spread freely for longer, I’d recommend checking out some of their other shoes with wider toe boxes, like their Tracker Textile boots for walking or their Primus Lite for training.

The general fit around the rest of the foot is snug with a good amount of space for your feet to breathe inside the shoe.

*Other Vivobarefoot reviews on Trustpilot also mention that some Vivobarefoot shoes fit differently than others, but thankfully Vivobarefoot has a 100-day returns policy if something isn’t right!

Comfort

These shoes felt comfortable the moment I put them on. They didn’t need to be broken in and worn for short stints to avoid blisters. I was able to wear them out straight away and walked in them for a few solid hours outside with zero issues.

I find the texture canvas material to be slightly rigid, but it folds easily when you move your feet around. It feels nice against my socks, but I’m not sure I would want to wear the shoes without them. That being said, I never really enjoy wearing shoes without socks anyway.

They are probably some of the most natural barefoot shoes I’ve tested and I am a convert. There is just the right amount of thickness in the sole that gives you contact with the ground whilst maintaining protection for your feet. It feels comfortable on the soles of my feet and allows my feet to move naturally.

Durability

Having worn my Vivobarefoot shoes for about a month I can tell they are quite durable. They don’t feel at all flimsy or cheap. I’ve had many trainers that start breaking apart after just a few wears, but these are going strong.

Obviously, I need to put them through the test of time so I will be back here updating this Vivobarefoot review with plenty of images and information about how they get on.

When your Vivobarefoot shoes do start to wear away you can get them refreshed and/or resoled by their repair team at Revivo. This is a very unique service and I love it! So often trainers go to waste after being used for just a short period of time, but Vivobarefoot are committed to keeping them going. You can either keep on wearing them or send them back to be repaired and resold to others.

Cost

If I could I would have a pair of Vivobarefoots for every occasion, including walking boots, training shoes, and everyday trainers. But they do cost around £200 per pair, so each is an investment.

This does make them one of the priciest barefoot shoes you can buy and understandably, does mean that some people may not be able to afford this particular brand.

That being said, if you can afford them, I do believe they are worth it. Most of all, because they will last. Plus if they do happen to break, or simply need a refresh, you can get them serviced by the Vivobarefoot team! My brother has held on to his Vivobarefoot walking boots for a few years now with a quick refresh recently.

If you are concerned about spending the money then you may find comfort in knowing they offer a 100-day trial. If for whatever reason you change your mind during the first 100 days, you can send them back.

Although, if you buy them in-store, they will need to go back to the store you bought them from. My sister encountered this issue after buying in-store and trying to return them online.

Vivobarefoot review verdict

I’m very happy to finally have a pair of good looking trainers that are both vegan and barefoot. They suit most of my casual outfits and can just about get away with being worn with smarter clothing.

They are extremely comfortable and make walking a dream. If you haven’t worn barefoot shoes before it may take some getting used to, as you will feel a lot more in contact with the ground than before, but the sole is sturdy and will keep your feet safe from rough or sharp surfaces.

They allow me to walk for hours without any shin splints (something I suffered from greatly before going barefoot). I didn’t even have to break them in during the first few uses, meaning no nasty blisters! Other Vivobarefoot reviews on Trustpilot and Reddit suggest the same. I imagine it is because there is less unnecessary padding being put into the shoes, to make your feet conform to a certain shape.

The material is sturdy and hard-wearing. I particularly like knowing I can wear them to the max and fall back on their repair and resole service should I need to. It gives me peace of mind!

I wish the toe box on the Gobi Sneaker was just a tad wider and that their shoes were all a little bit more affordable, so I could stock up my shoe cupboard with all their (vegan-friendly) models. However, I do think these shoes are worth the money since they are really versatile, hold up well, and feel so good to walk in!