Episode 26: Muki Cloud

Introduction:

I've had my Muki cloud for a little while now. In fact you could say I wear them 3/5 days. They are up there with being a must have in my wardrobe and I can't live without them. They are the perfect clean white sneaker that I was waiting so long to find. Working in a fashion design office, it's hard sometimes to not want to follow trends and wear non-barefoot shoes, so finding the right barefoot shoes for me, that suited my wardrobe was really important.

For our Vegan readers it's important to note that this particular Muki style is 100% Vegan, yay!

Muki are a Portuguese based brand, you can read more about their company below. Their website can be accessed here. The Cloud is 95 Euro, also available in Leather, and Muki ship internationally!

*Use the Code 'THEBAREFOOTSHOEREVIEWS' for 10% off all Muki products.

(Disclaimer: These shoes were given to me to review, however my opinion is my own - This is also an affiliate code).

Company Overview:

"We are Madlen & Marta, the founders and designers of Mukishoes.

When we conceived our brand in 2018, our goal was to create a healthy and minimalist shoe, that looked great and was entirely made of natural materials.

The combination of our knowledge as designer, dancer, yogi, nature lover and traveller was the start of an enriching journey, which brought us finally to our comfortable, versatile and stylish barefoot shoes.

We launched our brand through a crowdfunding campaign which was successfully funded in the beginning of 2019. Since then we keep working hard for finding the best materials and designs for our shoes, for the environment and for you!

Read more about our concept of barefoot shoes and about Mukishoes sustainability policy."

Initial Impressions:

• Wide toe box

• Stiff but flexible sole

• Stiff shoe opening

• Strongly reinforced collar

• Clean design

Sizing and Fit:

My foot is approximately 235mm and is relatively slim. I got a size 38 which according to Muki is also 25.2 cm. These are perfect for me, I feel that they are the right size and wouldn't change the size. The width is also perfect. I've spoken before about how I have a larger big toe than most, which means I need not only width but volume in the toe box and these certainly allow room for that which I like. You can also refer to their sizing chart Here.

Performance:

The first time I wore these I was unsure of how they would go. I had come from wearing a very soft, mesh barefoot sneaker with cushioned sole. Muki are the most barefoot sneaker I have where you can feel the floor directly under you. I found the sole to be stiff initially compared to other sneakers. I persisted with 2 wears to make a real judgement as to how they would feel and after 2 wears all day at work I had well and truly broken these shoes They currently fit like a charm. It's interesting how the sole feel so thing when you are wearing them but in actual fact they are quite tough protect your feet well. The inside of them feel roomy, they hug the middle part of my foot for support which I like and then provide ample room in the toe box to allow my foot to move around all day and not feel irritated by being boxed up in a pair of shoes.

They are very comfortable and definitely passed the test of all day wear. The collar which I was initially concerned about being stiff also soften up quite quickly to hug your achilles.

Technical Specifications:

Upper: Organic cotton

Inner lining: 70% recycled cotton 30% organic cotton

Sole: Recycled rubber

Laces: Cotton

Additional information: 100% vegan

Stack Height: 3.5mm

Drop: 0mm

Conclusion:

As I have said, these are my go to everyday since summer ended here in Australia. I put off wearing them for a while because I didn't want to get them dirty, but I find them so easy to slip on and go. I can dress these up with just about anything I own or wear them casually. I wear them to work most days and swap in a few other barefoot options I have. Overall, I just love the easy design of these, they are so trendy as a barefoot shoe and after a couple wears, I can assure you they will mould well to your foot.

Just note that this particular style "Cloud" is a cotton canvas and will feel stiff initially, this is the nature of the fabric. But once they soften it feels great. As a shoe, they are very light weight but still feel sturdy. Some of my softer sneaker don't feel particularly sturdy and feel more like a marshmallow, whilst I like that these sneakers feel like I can run errands, get around all day and my feet stay well protected.

- The Barefoot Shoe Review, Jade