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Vivobarefoot’ s major projects for 2026, while in Europe, Germany and the broader DACH region have driven solid growth. However, Galahad recognizes that the explosion of lower-priced barefoot brands is reshaping the competitive landscape globally, with a reported 30 new entrants in the Czech Republic and Slovakia alone.“ The question is no longer why barefoot,” he acknowledges.“ It’ s why Vivobarefoot.”
Alongside Biome, Vivobarefoot is building out what is essentially a foot health platform. The brand’ s scanning technology is being used to develop an AI diagnostic tool that tracks how customers’ feet change over time, which Galahad highlights is an important proposition as feet measurably strengthen and reshape when freed from conventional footwear. A range of foot health accessories including massage balls, sensory wobble boards, toe spacers and strengthening bands are expanding the company’ s offer beyond shoes. Other product highlights include the Sensus lifestyle range, which is fully grounded and conductive, allowing the body to exchange electrical charge with the earth; the Motus Tabi, a split-toe training shoe developed with calisthenics experts; and the Ecological Survival Collection( ESC) – a range of specialist outdoor boots for environments from the Arctic to the desert. In accessories, the Made in Mongolia project continues to grow, encompassing a social enterprise working with a women’ s collective to produce felt slippers and socks from natural Mongolian wools.
Vivobarefoot’ s priorities for the next five years converge on two ideas: how shoes are made, and how they are sold. On production, the brand has an extremely clear-cut direction, comprising of local additive manufacturing, with Biome as the proof of concept. Regarding retail, the goal is a joined-up customer journey that begins with a foot scan and health diagnostic and unfolds across multiple touchpoints.“ Whether your first interaction is in a store in Tokyo or online in America, you have a multi-year, multi-touch-point reconnection to nature and to your body through your feet,” Galahad reveals.
For retailers considering the brand, that vision carries practical implications. Vivobarefoot is not positioning itself as a volume footwear company. It is building a premium, health-led, experience-driven proposition, where the store is a gateway to a longer relationship – not simply a point of transaction. As Biome moves from Europe to global markets, and the scanning network expands, the in-store experience is likely to become an increasingly important part of that story.“ We’ re ultimately a challenger brand and we’ re trying to do things differently to the way most key businesses are doing it, under the moniker of free your feet,” concludes Galahad.“ A big part of Vivobarefoot is bringing people’ s feet back to life.” ■
www. vivobarefoot. com / uk
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