Why Are Barefoot Shoes Expensive

Barefoot shoes are known to be slightly more expensive than a comparable shoe brand. 
If you've been in the market for good barefoot shoes, there are only two options - either you get cheap water shoes disguising themselves as barefoot shoes, or you get imported shoes which will run your pockets dry.

There is a very simple reason why barefoot shoe brands are usually expensive -

1. Research - Given barefoot designs are not the norm, it takes a lot of research to get the shape of the shoe last right, so that it fits well, especially in the Indian context, where barefoot shoes are very new.
2. Development - Most machinery used to manufacture shoes is specific to symmetrical shoes, which makes any deviation much harder and time taking for the manufacturers to get used to. Specialized dies have to be made to ensure product quality.
3. Materials Used - The kind of materials used to make barefoot shoes are specially chosen to make them more robust and safe. Given a thin sole, it is super important that the materials are stronger than regular shoes, and yet flexible enough to feel barefoot.
4. Scale - Given the market for these shoes is still in its nascent stages, a higher cost helps us to reinvest in more research and development to make products that you would enjoy.
   

At Zen Barefoot we've tried to optimize the price to give you an opportunity to try out and get used to this lifestyle without breaking the bank and get a product that is worth the buck spent.

That said, we plan to continually improve the quality and the pricing of our shoes.

Zen Origins are India's first barefoot shoes that are made in India, and designed for Indian feet. 
If you've been buying one size too big all these years, it's time we take a break from that.