In conversation with our CFO Nathalie the other day, she said that she had been talking with a customer who told her, “SOMs are like buying your toes a first class ticket.” Now, if you know how traveling in coach feels, then you know how difficult it is to lean back or kick your feet up while sitting shoulder to shoulder. But in first class you have the room to do both of those things - and more - if you choose (while sipping wine!) with no one within arm’s reach. That’s how SOMs feel and I will agree with that customer: I got my first pair and I was amazed at how much freedom my toes had. I’ve never felt this before, my toes were so thankful; I could tell as they wiggled with excitement when I walked. Everything just felt better, and the way it should.
Let’s think about our feet and toes for a minute. Why would your toes be so important, and why would they need a first class ticket? Your feet have 52 bones in them - over a quarter of the total number of bones in your body. Fourteen of those bones are some of the smallest you have, and they are all just in your toes. When your feet are ‘off’ and not performing like they should, you can bet the rest of you is off too!
The main job of your feet is to help bear the weight of your body when you walk. First, your toes help provide the balance and support needed to do all of that with your feet. Second, they help propel you forward while you are running or walking (if you have ever walked in ski boots then you know how difficult it is to walk at speed when you can’t bend your toes). They simply work better in their natural state than when they are all squished into each other. Maybe it’s just about putting your feet in the right shoes, the right space and position, maybe it’s about being closer to the way nature intended them to be. Now, I am no medical expert nor a foot doctor, I am simply telling of my experience and my thoughts.
An interesting thing I have learned on this new journey is about plantar fasciosis/fasciitis. I hear so many people talk about the pain in their heel and the arch of their foot. This is essentially when your big toe is compressed or elevated in modern footwear and causes additional stress and impact on the plantar fascia, when really it just needs to relax, like sitting in first class. Dr. Ray with Correct Toes has so many helpful and educational articles, I could spend hours reading them all. Before I started working here at SOM Footwear, none of the above made any sense to me. I knew nothing about zero drop or what a wide/roomy toe-box meant. Boy, do I now: after getting my first pair I know exactly what Nathalie’s customer meant by that statement. It was like my toes could breathe again, they feel so happy - at least that’s what it makes me think of when they wiggle while I walk. So far it’s been an eye-opening, yet relaxing journey for myself and my toes. These shoes are definitely like giving your toes a first class ticket.
Not only are they made of great quality materials, but the time and thought that goes into each one personally is amazing and really shows. I get to see the ‘behind the scenes’ things happen, and hear a lot of customer feedback. This truly is a great company to work for and support; they love their customers and their customers love them and their SOM shoes. If you are looking to treat your feet right, then you have come to the right spot. Maybe after all of these years, we, as people, will see that sometimes things just need to be changed. SOM shoes really do help you regain your sense of motion, and let your feet be the way they were intended to be.
Christmas is around the corner, so think about that first class ticket for your toes this year!