(Because it all started with Tikki shoes.)
Unlike most of the barefoot enthusiasts I've been following for the past couple of years, my story was backwards - my kid got me into minimalist shoes. I was a proud owner of a serious collection of boots, stilettos and sneakers and all types of conventional shoes that you can think of, ranging from Dr. Martens to Officine Creative. I even designed my own Nike iD's while I was pregnant :D Little did I know that soon I would start packing and donating (almost) all of them. I still have a hard time letting go some of my old shoes, and even though I don't wear them anymore, I still have them.
After giving birth and dealing with all the initial new-mom-things, I started researching first walkers. There's a group/ forum for everything on the world wide web so it wasn't hard to find the info that led me to choosing barefoot shoes for my kid. And, as I live in Bucharest (Romania), Tikki was the best choice for us - hand crafted in Romania, easy to order, easy to ship, easy to return if necessary. And they have been our go to brand for all-things-shoes. I wasn't planning on having a blog so these are some of the photos I have in my phone. She actually had a few more pairs but no photos with those (they are required to wear at kindergarten and they even suggest Tikki sandals). Needless to say she loves them. And, it's the only way she knows shoes should feel. What I am now discovering she already views as normal. Whenever possible, she's barefoot. Besides Tikki, she's been wearing Baby Bogs and she had one pair of Ecco boots which she loved but are no longer available.
After two years of Tikki love for small feet, I bought the first pair of sandals for me - and boy, oh boy, what a great decision that was!
Light and wide and flexile (zero-drop, as all their shoes), these sandals make my feet happy and my body healthier. It took so long to buy a pair because I used to avoid sandals that have a strap right over my bunions but little did I know that these sandals (and, as I was about to find out, all barefoot shoes) are friendly and work for your feet not against them. My pinky toe is quite comfortable, even though there is a deep love there between it and its neighbour.
They are affordable and ship in 2-3 days in Romania. Simples!
Dacă ar face și pentru bărbați niște ghete ar fi super. Am găsit o pereche unisex care mi-au plăcut, dar nu fac numere peste 38. Păcat.