O Sole mio: Seven days on Skinners
18.9.2018
Translation: machine translated
Shoes off, Skinners on. I wore nothing else on my feet for a week. Fewer shoes were rare, but neither were more socks. This concept doesn't fit into any mental box. Can it stand up to the endurance test?
The big revolution comes in a small package. At least if you believe the promises on it. The Skinners are praised as the "swiss army knife of footwear", honoured with the Red Dot Design Award, garnished with a quote:
And then I hold a pair of socks in my hand that look like a construction worker has trampled through damp tarmac with them. Is this what the ultimate solution for fitness, sport and leisure looks like? Do aspiration and reality go together?
Optics, haptics, slapstick
Wearing the Skinners feels like having a piece of tartan track glued to my feet. On the heels, sides and over the toes is the material that makes them more than a pair of thick seamless socks and looks familiar from athletics. In fact, the sole is made of non-slip and abrasion-resistant polymer. Since I'm not a chemist, I'll accept that. Whatever the stuff is made of - what matters to me is that it fulfils its purpose and doesn't fall apart after a week of constant use.
The manufacturer points out that the skinners are intended for temporary use in non-extreme conditions and not as a fully-fledged shoe replacement. On the other hand, they promise that they can take pretty much anything, don't disintegrate and the sole only crumbles a little at the beginning. I can confirm the crumbling, everything else remains to be seen. The sock part of the Skinners makes a high-quality impression and contains antibacterial silver threads, which should prevent them from stinking to high heaven. I hope so for my neighbour Patrick Bardelli, who has recently started greeting me like this.
Fresh out of the packaging, the Skinners have an olfactory appeal with a slight rubbery note. Let's see how long that lasts. To start with, I slip them on barefoot, feeling rubber underneath and a comfortable sock on top. It fits. But as I take my first steps, I feel like I'm stomping around the room like a slapstick protagonist in a silent film. After all, I'm used to the cushioning soles of trainers.
My everyday life on Skinners
The fact that life on Skinners feels pretty strange at first is less due to the direct contact with the ground and more due to the fact that I'm not wearing any shoes. Is that why everyone stares at my feet? Am I being ridiculed as a freak? No. Nobody reacts. Even the bank advisor in the suit doesn't make a face. What a pity. "Perfection is achieved when there is nothing left to take away," I would have liked to explain to him. Wouldn't that be a nice motto for the bank? I soon stop thinking about the fact that I'm not travelling "normally" and put my feet down more carefully as if by magic. The grip is good. But a sharp stone, which is cushioned by the sole of every shoe, is now: a sharp stone. My foot reliably reports this to the pain centre. This makes the chosen route more relevant and in the evening I feel more clearly than usual what I have done to my feet during the day.
Sports with the Skinners
While wearing the Skinners in everyday life falls more into the category of endurance testing, I am very curious to see how they perform as a replacement for sports shoes. After all, they are certainly more likely to be the first choice for the gym or outdoor activities than for the office or the bank. Until now, I've always had a pair of classic trainers in my rucksack for spontaneous sporting occasions, but these have now been replaced by the Skinners. They are proving to be much more slip-resistant and I have nothing to complain about when using them indoors - except perhaps that they still leave a few black crumbs on the sports mat. They also impressed me as water shoes, in the sand and when climbing. They fit well, don't slip and dry quickly. Fine sand does penetrate through the socks, but nothing rubbed on me. For me, the Skinners are least suitable as running shoes. Or rather, only where you would run barefoot - on tracks and predictable surfaces.
Does the material hold up?
I really didn't go easy on the Skinners, they were in constant use for seven days. Even my jagged bike pedals would have been capable of tearing a hole in the polymer. I also walked over ceramic shards, ran along forest paths and sports fields, climbed, waded through water, stomped in the sand and danced at a wedding. All for nothing. Or rather: all without consequences. You can see where I've strained the soles, but there's no sign of a crack and the material has become noticeably thinner. The sock is also still in shape, nothing is coming loose or coming off. Thumbs up for quality and workmanship!
Sweat, wash, dry
I wore the Skinners barefoot for the first few days and initially thought I would be standing in a pool of sweat after a few hours. It didn't turn out that bad. I quickly got used to the feeling of wearing them and didn't sweat excessively. Nevertheless, the rubbery odour gradually gave way to a more recent aroma. Every two to three days, the Skinners were a case for the washing machine. The manufacturer recommends a washing bag and a maximum of 35 degrees, I threw them in with the rest of the washing at 40 degrees without a bag and didn't regret it. No damage to the skinners. I did have to pick off a few other items of clothing that had got caught in their soles. After washing them in the evening, they were dry again the next morning and ready for use. I also wore thin socks for the second half of the week. This made the Skinners even more comfortable and at some point I actually forgot that I was travelling without shoes.
Conclusion
For me, the Skinners delivered what they promised and proved to be a high-quality alternative shoe for barefoot enthusiasts. With a shoe size 44 and rather narrow feet, the "Black" model for the 43-45 size range fitted me very well. They will certainly be with me in the gym, when travelling and during outdoor activities in the future. I'm also okay with the price, which is quite high, as they are not made by a sports multinational somewhere in Asia but are handmade in the Czech Republic - and I would pay just as much for any sports shoe without hesitation.
Michael Restin
Senior Editor
Michael.Restin@digitecgalaxus.chSimple writer and dad of two who likes to be on the move, wading through everyday family life. Juggling several balls, I'll occasionally drop one. It could be a ball, or a remark. Or both.
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