Features of these sandals:
Made with sustainably sourced eco leather, dyed with chrome-free, water-based and non-toxic vegetable dyes; natural clay glue instead of synthetic glues and cotton thread soaked in beeswax that binds everything together. Respectful of the environment and the health of the wearer.
Suitable for dances such as swing, lindy hop, blues and many other dances where you need maximum functionality and the right steo and slide. you can also use them for normal ude durren the summer time..
- Upper in natural vegetable tanned calfskin.
- Internal lining in natural vegetable tanned leather.
- Soft buffalo leather insole.
- Buffalo leather sole.
- Leather reinforcement on the inside of the heel.
- Supplied with shoe bag.
- Total thickness 8 mm between midsole (internal insole) and outsole.
Production methods
All production is 100% handmade, a craftsman can make twenty pairs a day. Each pair of shoes took 4 days from the start of production to the end:
- The cutting of the skins is performed with special hand-made cutting molds and each size has its own molds.
- The leather is stitched to create the edges and to connect it to the different layers.
- The sandals are then placed in the oven for 15 minutes at 80°.
- The leather sole is inserted and sewn together with the midsole (internal insole).
Warnings
These sandals are natural and not chemically treated, they guarantee better breathability and softness as they are used, slowly taking on the shape of the foot. It will be normal to feel stiff immediately, but it is only a matter of a few days before they soften. Wetting the leather, it absorbs water (which is normal for untreated leather which guarantees breathability) but it will be easy to dry. It is recommended not to stand in the wet for too long to make the product last longer. They must wear at least 0.5/0.8cm more than their foot size since physiologically the foot lengthens in movement with each step. Clean the sandals with water and polish them (nubuck leather brush) with water-based products so as not to compromise their breathability. Using fats will make the leather more waterproof, but less breathable (the choice is yours). They last over time if the foot resumes its natural movement and will not put too much stress on the shoe. Keep the sole checked for any wear so that it can be resoled with new rubber or leather which can be easily glued by any specialized craftsman.
You can use them everyday in the summer time or all the year if you want use them to dancing.
It is possible to purchase the new sole to glue directly on this site.
Brand
Scalzature
The shoes of our production created manually by craftsmen and tested to ensure the maximum functional benefits that these shoes must have.
Natural materials selected for a lower environmental impact and greater eco-sustainability
Sizing & Fitting
Barefoot shoes must have space for the foot to move.
We have been too used to constricting, closed shoes and obviously the foot inside could not move and was forced to make wrong movements. This is why we always bought shoes that fit the right way to avoid the risk of blisters.
On the other hand, when the foot is no longer blocked, it can finally open and adapt to different demands and conditions of movement. Physiologically, the toes must be widened, so the use of wide non-elastic socks is recommended.
they can also be used without socks thanks to the natural materials they are made of and the fact that the feet have freedom of movement.
To choose the correct number, make sure you measure your foot (the longest one if they are different) by placing your heel against the wall and marking with a pen on the ground where the longest toe arrives. Now with a ruler measure the length in cm from the wall to the mark. This is your static foot length.
This model has no laces, you can also buy it not too wide and therefore with less abundance than we recommend in normal barefoot shoes.
From your foot measurement we estimate the next measurement to be at least 3-4mm.
OUTSOLE CHOICE
We have chosen to produce the Scalzature with different types of outsoles. In fact, for some models you can choose between 2 types; buff sole plus rubber or buffalo leather outsole only.
Why buffalo leather outsole??
Buffalo leather is the most natural material we can put under our feet because it is flexible (compared to leather which is rigid) and conductive (something that plastics cannot have) . After all, we are born to be grounded and not insulated by plastics. Untreated buffalo leather with its similar characteristics to ours can provide us with connective and functional functions that no other material can ever give us. A continuation of our skin that unfortunately can never be thickened as it should be by nature.
This material allows the sole to wrap around your foot, following its movements without altering its functionality. Rubber soles have a more elastic response sometimes inhibiting our perceptive and functional functions.
The sole breathes and connects to the ground and never makes your feet sweat, creating an ideal microclimate free of odour and bacteria. Obviously, if sweat has to pass from the inside to the outside, water in the opposite phase also seeps in, moistening the sole with ease. This penetration, however, does not occur immediately, given the consistent thickness of the sole, which is why we can use it during leisure time and in all weather conditions, but it is not one suitable for being immersed in water for a long time..
In situations of unnatural smooth surfaces you might slip more than with other soles but its softness and large working surface makes it definitely better than normal 8-rigid leather, very smooth and water-repellent. When used on different surfaces, the sole gets scratched, and for those who want to, they can scratch it further with a scraper to make it rougher and obviously with more grip. For hundreds of years our predecessors used this technique precisely because the only material was leather to be put under the shoes.
For those who like to dance, this sole is the absolute best, in fact it is used by many top international dancers. In case of too much slipping, just wet it with a little water underneath to get a little more grip. Once worn out, this sole can be easily restored by attaching 1 mm of buffalo to it by your trusted shoemaker.
Additional natural rubber..
2 mm of additional natural rubber (no plastic) in addition to the buffalo outsole itself. This choice certainly guarantees more grip in different situations, but slightly diminishes the perceptive, functional, and breathability characteristics.. As far as durability is concerned, we have found that the outsole in buffalo has a longer lifespan than the outsole with the additional rubber, because the minimal slipping and less grip prevents wear. In the case of excessive wear and tear in a short time of both types of outsole, the cause will surely be found in your movements that have not yet been corrected or need to be restored. The naturalness and adaptability of these materials respect our movements and if these are not correct, obviously wear and tear will be inevitable and greater also because the materials are more natural and respectful… . We are of the opinion that looking for stiffer or more durable materials when we wear a lot is a wrong solution that will only lead us away from listening to our correct movements that instead warn us with wear that we are doing it wrong.
If you ask us whether a rubber outsole or a buffalo outsole lasts longer, we can’t answer you, it all depends on how you lean, your movements and your usage. We have people who have been using leather outsoles for 3 years without a problem without wearing them out, and those who use rubber outsoles wear them out in a few months…
The outsoles can be replaced once worn out (you can find them for sale on our portal) you can decide whether to replace it with leather or rubber…
In this table we have highlighted the characteristics and differences of the two outsoles.
