Designer's Diary #005 Why I Started Looking At Feet Differently

Why I Started Looking At Feet Differently

Looking back, I sometimes laugh at the irony of it all. I'd spent more than twenty-five years designing footwear, yet I'd never really stopped to appreciate the incredible piece of engineering sitting inside every pair of shoes I made. I'd always been fascinated by the shoes themselves. The leather, the fit, the construction, the materials and the manufacturing process were what excited me. I could happily spend hours discussing why one sole compound performed better than another, or why moving a seam by just a few millimetres could completely change the way a shoe felt on your foot. That's the world I'd lived in for most of my career, and I genuinely loved it. But after my calf injury, and later after my cancer diagnosis, my attention slowly shifted. I found myself reading more about health, movement and longevity. I wanted to understand how the body worked, not just how to recover from injury, but how to stay stronger and healthier for as long as possible. That curiosity led me down a path I hadn't expected. The more I learnt, the more I realised that almost everything starts with our feet. They are our only point of contact with the ground. Every step we take, every walk with the dog, every run, every climb up a hill or stroll along the beach begins there. Our feet constantly adapt, absorb impact, help us balance and provide the foundation for the rest of the body to move. Yet despite all of that, most of us hardly give them a second thought until something starts to hurt. That fascinated me.

I started reading research papers, listening to podcasts and speaking to physiotherapists, podiatrists, chiropractors, strength coaches and anyone else who spent their career helping people move better. What I found interesting wasn't that they all agreed on everything—they didn't—but they all kept coming back to one simple idea. Healthy movement starts from the ground up. It made me realise that I'd spent years thinking about footwear without really thinking deeply enough about the foot itself. As a footwear designer, that was quite a humbling realisation.

I started asking different questions during development. Instead of wondering how much support, cushioning or technology I could build into a shoe, I became much more interested in how a shoe could work with the body instead of trying to do the body's job for it. How could we allow the foot to move naturally? How could we protect it without restricting it? How could we design footwear that respected the way the human body had evolved to move? Those questions completely changed the way I looked at footwear. They also led me somewhere I never expected. They led me to barefoot principles.

Why We Chose Barefoot Principles

The more I learnt about foot health and biomechanics, the more I found myself coming back to the same question. If our feet are designed to move, why are so many modern shoes designed to stop them? That wasn't a criticism of the footwear industry I'd spent my career in. Every shoe is designed with a purpose. Running shoes are built for running. Safety boots protect people in demanding environments. Smart shoes have to look a certain way. Fashion shoes often prioritise style because that's exactly what people are buying them for. But when I looked at the shoes most of us wear every single day, I started to wonder whether we'd drifted a little too far from what our feet were naturally designed to do.

The principles behind barefoot footwear immediately made sense to me. A wider toe box allows your toes to spread naturally instead of squeezing them into a pointed shape. A level heel-to-toe platform encourages a more natural standing position. A flexible sole allows your foot to bend and move rather than asking the shoe to do all the work. None of those ideas felt particularly revolutionary. If anything, they felt refreshingly logical. What surprised me wasn't the principles themselves, but how difficult it was to find footwear that combined those principles with great design. After twenty-five years in the footwear industry, I knew that most people buy with their eyes first. It doesn't matter how healthy a shoe might be if people don't enjoy wearing it. I found myself looking at many barefoot brands and thinking, the function is brilliant... but I just wouldn't choose to wear them every day. That was the moment Wingate Studio really began to take shape.

I didn't want to create another technical-looking barefoot shoe. I wanted to build something that people would happily wear to work, out for dinner, on holiday, or for a long walk with the dog. Something that looked refined, felt comfortable and quietly respected the way the foot was designed to move. I should also say that I don't believe barefoot shoes are the right answer for everyone, and I certainly don't think people should throw away every pair of shoes they own overnight. Like strength training, running or any other change we make for our health, adaptation takes time. Stronger feet are built gradually, and everyone's starting point is different.

I also think it's important to keep a sense of perspective. Most of us try to eat a healthy, balanced diet, but that doesn't mean the occasional slice of cake or glass of wine undoes all the good choices we make the rest of the week. I feel exactly the same way about footwear. Wearing your favourite heels, smart shoes or boots for a special occasion isn't going to undo the benefits of spending most of your time in shoes that allow your feet to move more naturally. That's why I'm much more interested in encouraging curiosity than making bold claims. If people simply start asking questions about how their shoes feel, how their feet move and whether they're still comfortable after a full day's walking, then I think that's a really positive step in itself. Ultimately, that's what Wingate Studio has become.

Yes, we design barefoot footwear, but what we're really trying to do is encourage people to think differently about movement, walking and the incredible foundations they're standing on every day. If our shoes become part of that journey, that's wonderful, but they're only one piece of a much bigger picture. We're not trying to convince everyone to wear barefoot shoes. We're trying to encourage people to think more carefully about how they move, how they look after their feet and how the small decisions they make every day influence their long-term health. If that inspires someone to walk a little further, spend more time outdoors or simply become more curious about the foundations of their own movement, then I think we've achieved something far more meaningful than simply creating another footwear brand. That's what Stronger Every Step means to me. It isn't just the strapline beneath our logo; it's a reminder that healthier lives are rarely transformed by one dramatic decision. They're shaped by hundreds of small choices, made consistently over time, each one taking us a little closer to where we want to be.

Jo Martinez
Founder | Wingate Studio

Stronger Every Step.