Is that a trick question?
I’m tempted to say you should wear your Sloafers everywhere. We made shoes that were perfect for every occasion. Clearly don't wear Sloafers in the snow; though you’ll be pleased to know we are working on a boot for those cold winter months so you always have us in your life and on your feet.
One eagle eyed follower on Instagram DM’d me to ask why I wasn’t wearing Sloafers in a holiday photo I posted a few weeks ago. I was about to toboggan down a mountain with my three year old. Rather than taking brand representation to the extreme and plummet to my death while walking up a mountain to the toboggan station, I thought I'd wear appropriate shoes.
But for work, the commute, the school run, the dog walk, a city break, a holiday, a party, a wedding, or your grandmother’s 100th birthday celebration - wear Sloafers. Why?
Your feet need comfort and support. And you - not so much your feet - are allowed to want to look good. It’s not vain; it’s alright to want comfort but to fear the ugly orthopaedic shoes of old. Life can be a bit rubbish sometimes; it's ok to want the joy a frivolous thing like a gorgeous pair of shoes can bring.
But with 26 bones, 30 joints and more than one hundred muscles, tendons and ligaments all working together to provide support, balance and mobility, you need more than frivolity and prettiness. You won’t notice comfy shoes. But you’ll notice uncomfy shoes.
We made the Sloafer with a 1cm EVA sole and a rubber outer sole. This means you can feel the comfy insole, and you can’t feel the ground through it.
I remember the cheap ballerinas I used to wear as a student, with nothing more than a 5mm piece of cardboard separating my feet from the ground. I could see the shape of my toes forcing their way through the thin leather at the end. They were even worse if they’d been more expensive ballerinas on sale in a size smaller than I knew I should take. Women have punished themselves since the dawn of time - ok, the dawn of shoe shops - to wear a gorgeous (and heavily reduced) pair of shoes.
But this discomfort extends to the expensive brands too. I have tried on ballet flats that retail for double the price of ours - for research purposes because, unsurprisingly, I don’t wear any other brand of ballerina. They’re not as comfy. They have the same stiff, new school year feel, that I used to hate when the summer holidays ended and my mum took me to Clarks.
Let’s address the elephant in the room. They’re expensive - because they’re hand made and the team that make them need to eat. That’s the top and bottom line. We understand they’re not for everyone because of the price point, but if you can invest - it’s well worth it. Labour makes up half our cost. It doesn’t matter how many shoes we produce; they are never going to be cheaper, we are never going to make a saving, and we are never going to be able to pass that non existent saving onto you. But for our customers who come back to us, time and time again they say “it’s because they’re worth it.”
To have a pair of shoes by the door that age as well as ours do, to still be your favourite flats in great condition two years after buying them. To support your feet as you go about your busy life - it’s worth it. To have a pair of shoes you love. To feel confident in. To feel dressed up in. And to avoid wearing heels! We all know how bad heels are for you and we all know that women the world over are rejecting the notion that they need to wear them to be seen as professional.
There is pretty much no place in the world where you shouldn't be wearing Sloafers, except maybe up a mountain in Austria. We would love you to try our Sloafers and see this for yourself!
Give us a try at www.sloafer.com. From a UK 2.5 to a UK 11, we have an inclusive range of shoes you will love.