Loving attention to detail: That's the key to creating Groundies barefoot shoes
Light, flexible, long-lasting: the Groundies barefoot sole
The barefoot outer sole is the key component of your Groundies shoe. From the first concept to the final design, development took roughly six months. The Groundies sole fits the shape of the foot and is only 6.3mm thick. Unlike other manufacturers, we don't use Lifolit (soft PVC) in our soles, but rather light TPU. This material is particularly light and flexible, while remaining extremely resistant to slipping and abrasion. We carried out rigourous bending and abrasion tests in advance, which confirmed the toughness of the Groundies sole.
Creation of the upper
Depending on the model, your Groundies barefoot shoe is created using European leather or premium vegan upper material. First of all, the inner and outer material are punched out at the production site. The Groundies logo is added to the tongue and strobel sole. For the next step, the punched-out shapes are sewn together by hand using a special sewing machine. This is how the upper of your Groundies shoe is created from the various individual pieces.
The 'strobel' sole is sewn on...
'Strobel' construction means that the inner sole is sewn to the upper of the shoe. This process is perfect for our flexible barefoot shoes. While other manufacturers might just glue their shoes, 'strobel' construction avoids stiffening of the sole. This allows us to ensure that the shoe offers your foot complete freedom of movement. In addition, there are no uneven areas or hard edges on the inside of the shoe. This provides greater comfort and a better fit. Once the strobel sole and the upper are fastened to each other, the eyelets for the laces are inserted and the shoe is then pulled onto the shoe last.
This step demonstrates the premium quality of your Groundies: while modern adhesives are certainly able to attach a sole to an upper, the possibility remains that the adhesive bond will gradually come undone in areas placed under particular strain. We deliberately opted for the more complex and cost-intensive approach: a hand-stitched sole makes your Groundies shoes highly robust and durable!
Now all that remains is packaging, and your Groundies barefoot shoes are ready for shipping.
...and the barefoot outer sole is added - done!
For the next step, the Groundies outer sole is attached to the shoe using adhesive. The right amount of adhesive is crucial at this stage. If too much is applied, then it will be squeezed out of the sides. If too little is used, then the sole will not have proper grip. The Groundies outer sole is then sewn to the shoe with a frame seam.
