Softstar Shoes

Last updated
Softstar Shoes
Company typePrivate
Industry Handmade shoe manufacturer
Founded1984 Laguna Beach, California
FounderTim Oliver, Jeannie Oliver
Headquarters,
Area served
Worldwide
OwnerPatricia Salcido
Website softstarshoes.com

Softstar Shoes is an American shoe manufacturer and retailer based in Philomath, Oregon. [1] It is known for its minimalist or barefoot-style shoes and has been recognized as an early participant in the movement to encourage minimalist footwear. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

History

Softstar Shoes was founded in 1984 by husband and wife Tim and Jeannie Oliver. [5] They founded the company after being unable to find minimalist shoes for their daughter and learned to sew their own from a local artisan. They began selling the shoes to their friends and neighbors and introduced the brand Softstar Shoes at the Sawdust Art Festival in 1986. [6] Softstar Shoes relocated from Texas to Oregon in 1991. [6] The company was purchased by current owners Patricia Salcido and Larkin Holavarri in 2005. [7] Holavarri sold her interest in the company to Salcido in 2018, leaving Salcido as the sole owner of the company. [8]

Shoe styles

Softstar Shoes manufactures minimalist or barefoot-style shoes, which attempt to promote natural foot function by allowing feet to move, stretch and flex as though they were barefoot. [9] [10] In 2009 the company launched their RunAmoc line of minimalist running shoes, [11] which coincided with the release of Christopher McDougall's bestselling book Born to Run, [12] which increased interest in barefoot running and minimalist shoes. [13] Softstar also manufactures minimalist shoes for children, [14] [15] and a variety of styles of moccasins. [16] [17] Its shoe line includes minimalist athletic shoes, minimalist adult casual shoes and minimalist children's shoes. It is also the only manufacturer of children's shoes based in the United States, with all materials sourced from the United States. [7] [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoe</span> Footwear

A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function, but over time, shoes also became fashion items. Some shoes are worn as safety equipment, such as steel-toe boots, which are required footwear at industrial worksites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Footwear</span> Garments worn on feet

Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serve the purpose of protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from rough ground; stability on slippery ground; and temperature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sneakers</span> Sport and casual shoes

Sneakers (US) or trainers (UK), also known by a wide variety of other names, are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise but which are also widely used for everyday casual wear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandal</span> Type of footwear with an open upper

Sandals are an open type of shoe, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps going over the instep and around the ankle. Sandals can also have a heel. While the distinction between sandals and other types of footwear can sometimes be blurry, the common understanding is that a sandal leaves all or most of the foot exposed. People may choose to wear sandals for several reasons, among them comfort in warm weather, economy, and as a fashion choice. Usually, people wear sandals in warmer climates or during warmer parts of the year in order to keep their feet cool and dry. The risk of developing athlete's foot is lower than with enclosed shoes, and the wearing of sandals may be part of the treatment regimen for such an infection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mukluk</span> Soft boot worn by Arctic peoples

Mukluks or kamik are soft boots, traditionally made of reindeer (caribou) skin or sealskin, and worn by Indigenous Arctic peoples, including Inuit, Iñupiat, and Yup'ik.

Racing flats, or simply flats, are lightweight athletic shoes designed for "long distance" track and field, cross country, and most often, road races. They differ from normal training shoes mainly by the lack of a substantial heel to toe drop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barefoot running</span> Running with minimalist or no shoes

Barefoot running, also called "natural running", is the act of running without footwear. With the advent of modern footwear, running barefoot has become less common in most parts of the world but is still practiced in parts of Africa and Latin America. In some Western countries, barefoot running has grown in popularity due to perceived health benefits.

Merrell is an American manufacturing company of footwear products. It was founded by Clark Matis, Randy Merrell, and John Schweizer in 1981 as a maker of high-performance hiking boots. Since 1997, the company has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Wolverine World Wide. Products currently commercialized by Merrell include hiking boots, athletic shoes, sandals, jackets, knit caps, gloves, t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, and socks. Other accessories include backpacks, stuff sacks, and bags.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vibram</span> Italian company specialized in rubber outsoles for footwear

Vibram S.p.A. is an Italian company based in Albizzate, Italy, that both manufactures and licenses the production of Vibram-branded rubber outsoles for footwear. The company is named after its founder, Vitale Bramani, who is credited with inventing the first rubber lug soles. Vibram soles were first used on mountaineering boots, replacing leather soles fitted with hobnails or steel cleats which were commonly used up until then. The soles produced by Vibram are called Vibram soles, Vibram rubber or simply Vibram.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acro dance</span> A style of dance with acrobatics

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The Vibram FiveFingers are a type of minimalist shoe manufactured by Vibram, originally marketed as a more natural alternative for outdoor activities. The footwear is meant to replicate being barefoot and has thin, flexible soles that are contoured to the shape of the human foot, including visible individual sections for the toes. The company settled a lawsuit in 2014 alleging false health claims and set aside $3.75 million to pay refunds of up to $94 to anyone who had purchased the product since March 21, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivobarefoot</span> British minimalist shoe company

Vivobarefoot is a minimalist running shoe company. Their technology, invented by Tim Brennan and developed by British shoe company Terra Plana, is aimed at offering the optimum biomechanics and posture commonly associated with walking barefoot and barefoot running, and advocated within the barefoot movement and barefoot running community. Their marketing describes the walking experience as "as close to going barefoot in the city as you can get." In 2019, the most prominent shoe using this technology was their Evo running shoe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huarache (running shoe)</span> Type of running sandal

Huaraches are an open type of outdoor footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps passing over the instep and around the ankle. The common understanding is that these sandals were a variant of traditional Mexican huaraches, the difference being in design and construction.

Altra Running, commonly known as Altra, is an American manufacturing company engaged in the design, development, marketing, and sales of athletic shoes for road running, trail running, and general footwear. Since 2018 Altra is owned by VF Corporation, an American global apparel and footwear company with other brands like Icebreaker, The North Face, Vans, JanSport, Eastpak and Timberland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minimalist shoe</span> Shoes that approximate barefoot running

Minimalist or barefoot shoes are intended to closely approximate barefoot running or walking conditions in comparison to traditional shoes. Minimalist shoes are defined as providing "minimal interference with the natural movement of the foot, because of its high flexibility, low heel to toe drop, weight and stack height, and the absence of motion control and stability devices." Minimalist shoes provide more sensory contact for the foot on the ground while simultaneously providing the feet with some protection from ground hazards and conditions. Research shows that wearing a minimalist shoe can help improve running economy, foot strength and arch function.

Xero Shoes is a brand of lightweight minimalist footwear manufactured by Feel the World Inc. Founded in 2009 by Steven Sashen and Lena Phoenix, the company's initial product was DIY sandals made only of a rubber sole and laces, but the company later introduced ready-made sandals and closed-toed shoes. Xero Shoes was featured on ABC's Shark Tank and gained success after the appearance in February 2013.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allbirds</span> Footwear company

Allbirds, Inc. is a New Zealand and American public benefit company that sells footwear and apparel, co-founded in 2014 by Tim Brown and Joey Zwillinger. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Its business model has historically relied on direct-to-consumer commerce, though it has some brick and mortar commerce.

References

  1. Fugua, Brad (15 February 2017). "Soft Star Shoes completes move into historic, eco-friendly building". Gazette-Times. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  2. Katovsky, Bill and Larson, Peter (2009). Tread Lightly: Form, Footwear, and the Quest for Injury-Free Running, Skyhorse Publishing, New York. ISBN   1616083743.
  3. Glassman, Adam (November 2010). "On My Radar: Barefoot Running". O, The Oprah Magazine , p. 90.
  4. Adam Brix (2012). Barefoot Running - The Movie: How to Run Light and Free by Getting in Touch with the Earth (2012) (DVD). Runbare Productions.
  5. Richards, Craig and Hollowell, Thomas (2011). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Barefoot Running, Penguin Group, London. ISBN   1615640622.
  6. 1 2 3 Filipovic, Nedim; Berry, Olivia (29 June 2012). "Corvallis small business makes footprint in worldwide running trend". Oregon Live. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  7. 1 2 Hatch, Cheryl (15 May 2010). "Local footwear company finds runaway success". Gazette-Times. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  8. Fuqua, Brad (14 March 2018). "Softstar's eco-friendly parking lot attracts attention". Gazette Times. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  9. "Soft Star RunAmoc Dash Review " Archived 2014-10-14 at the Wayback Machine . College Tri.
  10. "Review: Soft Star (Leather Mocs)". Barefoot Runner.
  11. "Soft Star DASH RunAmoc Review". Technically Running.
  12. McDougall, Christopher (2009). Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen, Vintage Books, New York. ISBN   0307279189.
  13. "Minimal Shoes, Maximum Comfort: Soft Star Takes Barefoot Shoes from the Running Trail to the Boardroom" Archived 2015-04-28 at the Wayback Machine . The Los Angeles Fashion Magazine, November 20, 2012
  14. Bowman, Katy (2011). Every Woman's Guide to Foot Pain Relief: The New Science of Healthy Feet, p. 153. Benbella Books, Dallas. ISBN   1936661071.
  15. Sandler, Michael and Lee, Jessica (2013). Barefoot Walking: Free Your Feet to Minimize Impact, Maximize Efficiency, and Discover the Pleasure of Getting in Touch with the Earth, Three Rivers Press, New York. ISBN   0307985911.
  16. "Roo and Rambler Soft Star Shoes Review". Birthday shoes. Dec 13, 2011
  17. "Soft Star Moc3 RunAmoc Review". Technically Running.