Vibram FiveFinger‘s Alitza Loop and V-Soul sandals suddenly feels like they’re showing up everywhere on fashion girlies, including designer Sami Miró, model musician Melissa Bon, fashion reporter Liana Satentstein, who recently wrote about the brand on her Substack with a piece titled “I Bought the Heinous-Chic Vibram FiveFingers.” Priced at $100 each, both shoes are sold out in multiple sizes on vibram.com and other sites.
Constructed as a glove for the toes, Vibram FiveFingers receive automatric bonus points among trend setters simply for being distinct/ugly (see Satenstein above), but it’s more than just that. The brand’s Alitza Loop and V-Soul specifically speak to the low-profile ballet shoe trend while also providing performance bonafides. Both silhouettes also are a commentary of Maison Margiela‘s wildly popular Tabi.
The Alitza Loop is not new to the brand. It was first launched in 2014. True to the brands emphasis on performance, it’s described as designed for “fitness classes, barre and studio sessions.” While bit for the perform, the shoe’s cross straps across the upper add a feminine touch and call to mind the same construction of Mary Jane silhouettes. The V-Soul is even more minimalist than the Alitza Loop and is touted as having crossover lifestyle performance appeal.
First launched in 2006, Vibram FiveFinger’s popularity exploded thanks to Born to Run, a nonfiction book published in 2009 that encourages runners to run barefoot to avoid foot problems. Demand for the brand’s running silhouettes was explosive and its most popular styles were carried everywhere and frequently sold out.
The pendulum always swings back, however, and growing criticism on the merits of running barefoot proved to be fertile grounds for cushioned running shoes. The push back ushered in the rise of Hoka, whose extremely cushioned sneaker have spawned endless take downs by competing brands.
Virbram FiveFingers’s sale shrunk precipitously as a result, but the brand retained a core following and maintained some fashion credibility over the years by dabbling in the fashion space through a collaboration with Balenciaga as well as a combined effort with Japanese brands Suicoke and Midorikawa. While both generated buzz, the Suicoke and Midorikwa shoe were especially humorous because they honed in on the famed FiveFingers by adding on colorful, painted toenails.
Fast forward to the here and now and the sudden lust for Vibram FiveFingers’ most fashionable styles appear to be fueled solely by vibes. On Instagram, the page is entirely themed on fitness, which is understandable for a performance brand, however, the most recent post showing the V-soul was posted seven months ago, while the Alitza Loop hasn’t been highlighted for at least a year.
It’s not clear whether Vibram FiveFingers plans to pivot into the fashion moment it’s happening. We reached out to the brand, but didn’t hear back by the time we hit publish. That said, as much as the trend is based on the shock of the unseen and ugly, an anti-marketing effort themed on ignoring the fashion trend altogether might actually make the most sense of all.
Check out fashion lovers take on the shoe below.
