(Originally posted on 18/02/21)

All my life I have been a lover of shoes, before and after discovering minimalism. As a preteen I would own shoes of every colour and brand, ones to match almost every outfit I owned. Usually ones made in a mass production, that were trendy as an attempt to fit in with my peers.

Then after discovering minimalism, shoes were one of the hardest things for me to cull. But ironically, they were the things that would get in my way the most. They’re somewhat hard to store and would take up a lot of floor or shelf space, leading me to a lot of stress.

I would watch influencers on YouTube decluttering all there shoes and I was filled with so much inspiration, but then upon looking at the two or three pairs of shoes I had left, my inspiration quickly deflated. I just couldn’t settle on one shoe to become…

The shoe.

We all have a pair. No matter who you are, or how many shoes you own, you always have that one pair of shoes that fit amazing, go with every outfit, can be dressed up or dressed down, can be worn to a party, but also playing sports or on a casual day trip.

We have all had the pair of shoes that we choose first, even when there’s brand new ones looking directly at us in our cupboards or hallways. The shoes that are so comfy, and we feel so at home wearing them, we can go back after a long day and not take them off, simply because we forgot we were wearing them.

I long outgrew any shoes that I have had in that realm of comfort. They were shoes I had as a kid- but since then, I’ve had to have multiple shoes to have the same reliability as one pair of shoes use to have for me. Until now, I have usually owned a completely black boot, and a completely white sneaker. Can be seen pictured in my blog: My reasons for becoming a minimalist.

I have a very monotone wardrobe. Mainly blacks and greys, and maybe the occasional white tee. I tried grey sneakers, they were comfy, but I didn’t like the style or the colour, and as a minimalist, I don’t keep things in my life- or my wardrobe- that I don’t love. Then I bought the white sneakers in the picture on the blog I mentioned above- they were again, very comfy shoes, and this time, they fit my style and my aesthetic well.

But everything about them was white. And white shoes are hard to stay white- and because of this, they started to look very old, very fast. Usually I like the worn-out look on clothing, but in this particular pair of shoes, it stuck out. I felt like I couldn’t have fun outside in fear of causing the gleaming whiteness of my sneaker any imperfections. I wouldn’t go to the park with my friends, and heavens forbid, I wouldn’t step foot outside of it was raining.

This was no way to live. This goes against everything I believed in. I wanted so badly for this to be… the shoe. But it wasn’t. I knew I was going to have to invest in a second pair of shoes, to fill all the duties that my white sneakers lacked it. Thus, welcoming the black boots I mentioned earlier into the equation.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s probably really rare for anyone, even someone who lives as intentionally as me or other minimalists do, to only want to own one pair of shoes. Most people need other shoes- whether it be for work, school, running etc. I don’t want people thinking that I am under some illusion that as a minimalist I MUST ONLY own one pair, I don’t think like that at all, it’s just a principle I have always saw peace in and wanted to follow for my personal lifestyle.

This pair of black boots I invested in, well, they cost a lot of money, and again, I wanted so bad for them to be… the shoe. Or at the very least, the shoe is fall back on when my other shoe didn’t fit the bill. These black boots were stylish, trendy, weather resistant, and wouldn’t show every last bit of mud on them. PERFECT! Not exactly.

They were so uncomfortable. They’re advertised as walking shoes, and I don’t know if I just have weird feet, but they were almost impossible to walk in. They were heavy, clunky, and the inside sole was made from some glossy material which would make any sock-wearing-feet slip and slide around in them. Even still when I double checked my sizing was correct.

The material was so… hard… it seemed almost impossible to break-in. That may be the whole point, but it lead with there being some very tough and uncomfortable heal stitches on the inside of the shoe that was gripping the material so tight, it felt like a dozen little needles rubbing my upper heal when I was just walking to the corner-shop and back.

By this point, my YouTube recommendation feed had accumulated to become video after video of shoe reviews after the amount of videos I had watched about these dreaded boots to see how other people liked them or if other people had the same problem as me.

And it seemed to only be me, but besides the point.

And one of these recommended videos was for a skate shoe. I scrolled past it at first, I don’t skate, and I never have. But I kept seeing these shoes pop up everywhere. So I gave in and watched a 21 minute long video of some skater dude talking a lot of skating jargon as I sat on my bed with a tub of ice cream, with the dreaded black boots staring sinfully at me from the corner of my bedroom.

Then, halfway through the video, after skater-dude showed us his heel flicks or whatever-they’re-called for 10 minutes, he started talking words I actually knew.

“Minimalist design”

“Sustainable”

“Durable”

“Flexible”

Oh my. They were everything I wanted. I went onto their website, to see what the deal actually was. But everything seemed legit. Cariuma is a shoe company in Rio Brazil, founded by two guys who didn’t like the ethics of larger shoe corporations. They said they all those corporations thought about was the “bottom line”.

They’re made from almost 50% vegan materials, organic cotton, recycled rubber, with plant based oils and insoles made from vegan mamona oil and cork. These shoes produce a zero carbon footprint as the company plant two trees for every pair of shoes sold. And for every company they work with, they make them sign a contract to ensure their employees get paid fare wages.

They had so many shoes, in so many different colours. Then I found some I loved. The skater dude was right, they were a very minimalist design. I found my size and added them to my cart.

I don’t just buy things on a whim. I left them in my cart for weeks- in the mean time selling my evil black boots, and only wearing my no-longer-glistening-white sneakers. Then I decided it had been enough time. I had an inclination those shoes sitting patiently in my pixelated cart were going to be… you guessed it…

The shoe.

So I clicked purchase. Then finding out they ship with a totally free climate-neutral shipping method with DHP Go-Green. This really is splendid. I waited patiently over the weekend for the day they were going to arrive. I never usually get this excited about anything, especially anything physical. But for an eco-conscious minimalist to find that perfect eco friendly shoe, it’s a game changer.

And I got so excited when it arrived that I wanted to share the entire unboxing experience with the world. The way it was packaged in and of itself was so well thought out and intentional it made me so happy. This was the box it came in:

It was shipped in just the shoe box. No extra pointless boxes, no waste. The box itself it recycled and recyclable. Upon opening the box I was greeted with this piece of paper. It seems to be some kind of diagram about the shoe.

Now, you would never get this with your typical high-street bought shoe!This is the true definition of quality over quantity, and it aligns so well with my values. It even came with a note, with my name hand written on it… you really would never dream of getting that with any Adidas or Nike shoe!

They have many certifications listed on their website, such as: Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Global Recycled Standard, I’m Green Plastic, FCS, OCIA International, OEKO-TEX Confidence In Textiles & Leather Working Group. Though I do with they were a B Corp or a part of 1% for the planet. That would of been the cherry on the cake.

They have this label on the side and there is no plastic anywhere. The shoes are so well made and you can tell they have been made with a lot of intention to be durable and last a long time. These are great as a minimalist shoe, at least for my style, as they do everything I need them to do, so I can declutter my other shoes so I can focus my attentions to other parts of my life and not have to worry about my shoes. Plus they’re black, so they go with everything!

They also came with spare laces, which is a huge plus! There has been so much care and intentionality put into these laces, they do not have plastic aglets- but metal ones with the company name engraved on them. Seems a bit boastful from my minimalist mind, but still. As I’m wiring this, I have been been wearing them for a little while; I was a bit hesitant at first because every single canvas shoe I have ever owned, has caused severe blisters on me feet, but it’s true, these shoes are like walking on clouds.

I understand this is a box opening and might not be what everyone wants to see, or people way argue this is not at all on the topic of minimalism, but I would disagree. We are all minimalists, or enjoy minimalism to some extent, but that doesn’t mean that purchases should become a taboo topic, or an unmentionable thing we can’t discuss. My aim is to help and to aid, if there is someone else wanted to live an intentional life and can’t find… “the shoe”… then maybe I can help.

Overall, I think these shoes are top quality! I really loved the care, attention and love that went into the shoes and even the packaging. I love the minimalist design of them. I would give them a 4/5 stars, for a sustainable standpoint, I really look for the 1% for the planet and the B Corp certification, if they had them, I’d rate them 5 stars, everything else about them is perfect!

★★★★☆