2024 is the year of the FiveFingers

This summer, the fashion industry is taking the concept of “foot pics” to a whole new level, but not as you might think. Thanks to TikTok, where thousands of videos depict influencers and fashion enthusiasts pairing anatomically shaped shoes with baggy jeans, tailored pants, and lace tops, Vibram's FiveFingers are establishing themselves on the international street style scene as the preferred sneaker of the new generations. Currently, the hashtag #fivefingers gathers just over seven thousand posts on the platform, but specific data shows that the trend is marching - pardon the pun, it won't be the last - at an exorbitant speed: globally, Google searches for FiveFingers have seen a 70% increase in the last five months, with an average of over 23,000 clicks per month. Despite this new wave of popularity attracting the attention of many brands looking for ten-toed collaborations (the most recent ones being Balenciaga and Suicoke), Vibram states that the primary goal of FiveFingers remains unchanged: «to continue offering a technical product for those who love contact with the earth and the primal feeling of walking barefoot». In short, the brand will keep its feet on the ground - even though rumours suggest we'll see it active at Fashion Week in September. 

The reasons for the success of FiveFingers on social media have more to do with aesthetics than with function, a concept that goes almost completely against what initially made them famous. From an idea by former lumberjack and product designer Robert Fliri, the first prototype of «a flexible glove, capable of protecting the foot while allowing full sensitivity» was launched on the market twenty years ago, in 2004, thanks to Marco Bramani, nephew of the founder of Vibram. «People no longer give importance to feet, they take them for granted», says Carmen Marani, General Manager of Vibram FiveFingers. The shoes invented by Fliri, equipped with a lightweight and breathable sole, free the foot and allow the wearer to walk barefoot even in places where it would be dangerous or unhygienic. «The feet have the highest concentration of nerve endings in the human body, there is a very important correlation between the foot and the brain», adds Marani. While the effects of barefoot walking on the mind have yet to be scientifically proven, it is certain that simply walking short and long distances without shoes can transform physical fitness and tackle some physical issues at the root - literally. By managing to use the entire foot, including the toes, walking barefoot or wearing FiveFingers activates all the foot muscles, with immediate results. «Many influencers started using FiveFingers because they were attracted to the aesthetics, but after wearing them, they realised how incredible it feels», says Marani. Currently, Vibram is developing further modifications to the FiveFingers, to improve its athletic performance. «The most extreme use them for running, but it takes great preparation to do so. In London, people often wear them during their commute, before and after wearing heels or uncomfortable shoes», confirms the GM. 

FiveFingers x Suicoke

Balenciaga x Vibram

Charles Jeffrey Loverboy SS24

JW Anderson SS24

JW Anderson SS24

Louis Vuitton Men SS24

Part of the credit for the rise of FiveFingers in the street style world seems to belong to Tabi, Margiela's "split-toe" shoes inspired by animal hooves, which last fall topped the Top 10 Hottest Products on Lyst. In conversation with various content creators who wear (and therefore post) the FiveFingers, Marani's team discovered that many of them had worn Tabi for many years: having already dipped their toe - again, sorry - in the world of unconventional shoewear, it didn't take much to convince them to slip into a pair of FiveFingers. «They wanted to be even more extravagant», reports Marani. Born for purely stylistic reasons, the trend has significantly influenced the demographic of Vibram consumers, which until a few months ago was predominantly male, encouraging a whole new generation of girls to try the primal walk on city streets. Besides the Tabi phenomenon - which actually took over the world of fashion over fourty years ago - other factors may have contributed to establishing "anatomical shoes" in the street style world. During last summer's Fashion Weeks (so long before the interest in Margiela's cloven-hoofed shoes peaked to record levels), brands like JW Anderson, Charles Jeffrey Loverboy, and even Louis Vuitton Men presented shoes with "beastly" shapes: webbed lace-ups, loafers with silver claws, and bear paw soles are just some examples of out-of-the-ordinary shoes that could be found on the catwalk. While designers had fun taking inspiration from the animal world, on the other side of the ocean Kanye had just started getting papped on the streets of Los Angeles wearing Yeezy's Sock Sneakers, water-repellent shoes quite similar to the socks surfers wear during wintertime. At first, Ye's "coastal grunge" look faced criticism and puzzled looks, both online and from his own fanbase, but soon everyone succumbed to its charm. 

For now, the FiveFingers-mania is spreading mostly in creative cities like New York, Los Angeles, and London, as Marani reports, but Paris is also proving to be attracted to the trend. On the other hand, Milan, with its obsession for traditional elegance, represents a challenge for Vibram, which is actually an Italian brand that built its creative hub in the Lombard capital. Marani tells us that the shoe currently most appreciated by young Milanese is the Ballerina, but lately «more and more young people are visiting our store», an observation that prompts us to ask the General Manager if we can expect surprises on the catwalk next September. Marani cannot go into details but reveals that the FiveFingers are indeed receiving a lot of attention from the high ranks of the Fashion Industry. «We are receiving several collaboration requests», says Marani. «I am sure we will find the right partners with whom we can tell true stories and with whom we share values». In short, we still don't know if in September we will see the FiveFingers in Bottega Veneta woven version if we will see them worn by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons at the end of their show, or if more simply Vibram will launch a barefoot-only afterparty. What is certain is that fashion can't get FiveFingers out of its head. And feet.