For a barefoot shoe brand that prioritizes thin, flexible soles and sustainable materials, check out Wildling barefoot shoes. Find everything you need to know in this Wildling Shoes review.
There are barefoot shoes, and then there are Wildling barefoot shoes. Wildling has created a brand that extends beyond the basics of a wide toe box and a thin, flat and flexible sole. They’re trying to embody something more than the freedom of movement their shoes offer. It’s also about the care, consideration, and connection to your surroundings. Wildling is doing this, yes, with the design of the shoe, but also with sustainable, natural materials and processes.
According to Wildling, their company is about “finding new trails to create a positive impact while bringing RE:GENERATION closer together – one minimal step at a time.”
Let’s dive right into this Wildling shoes review and learn all about this innovative barefoot shoe brand.
About the Brand: Wildling Shoes
Back in 2013, Anna and Ran were making a big move—from Israel to Germany. As they settled into the colder climate, their 3 children were no longer as comfortable running around barefoot for most of the year. And when the couple couldn’t find shoes for their kids that met their requirements for freedom of movement, sustainable materials, and fair production, they decided to create their own shoe brand.
It’s been almost a decade since those first discussions on what a healthy, sustainable barefoot shoe brand would look like, and Wildling is now one of the most popular barefoot shoe brands. It was also one of my first experiences with barefoot shoes, so I’ve had the privilege of enjoying Wildling shoes for a number of years and watching the company grow.
Wildling continues to design and manufacture its barefoot shoes for both children and adults with those 3 requirements in mind.
Brand Basics
Wildling has two separate websites: the original international website, and the USA website.
If you’re based in the US, shop at Wildling Shoes USA. Prices are listed in USD and use US sizing. If you’re based in any other country, head to the international Wildling website.
- Pricing: Adults: $100 – $150 | Kids: $80 – $100 | Toddlers: $70 – $90
- Free Shipping Codes for first-time customers: WN_KellyUS on Wildling US | WN_Kelly on Wildling International
- Delivery fees: Free over 200 USD/EUR | Starting at $9.90 for deliver to US for orders under $200
- Sizes: Toddler through Adult (EU18 – EU48; US Toddler 3 – US Men’s 13.5)
- Shoe styles: casual lace up/sneakers, high-tops, boots, sandals, slip-ons, slippers
Are Wildlings barefoot shoes?
100% Yes. If I put Wildling on a barefoot shoes scale of 1 being a pointed high heel and 10 being a barefoot shoes with a foot-shaped toe box and a thin, flat and flexible sole, Wildlings would most definitely be a 10.
As one of the three founding requirements of Wildling is freedom of movement, Wildling shoes are likely the lightest and most flexible shoes you’ll find. They protect your feet to keep them clean, warm and comfortable, but interfere with your movement as little as possible.
Wildling shoes are based on the anatomical shape of the foot, which means the toe box is wide, giving feet plenty of room to naturally move. The soles are thin and flat, with most shoes featuring a 2.5mm to 3.5mm sole made from recycled rubber and cork. You can easily feel the ground beneath your feet, creating a greater sensory connection to the world around you.
Wildling Shoes Pros and Cons
What I love:
- As close to barefoot as possible with flexible sole and uppers
- Sustainable, innovative materials
- Unique style
What I don’t:
- Winter shoes can be hard to waterproof and keep the inside clean
- Edges of sole can separate
Who should buy Wildling Shoes?
Wildling shoes are best for those that are looking for an extremely minimal shoe, almost working as a second skin.
It aligns with those that prioritize sustainability and ethical manufacturing in their purchasing decision. Wildling is a certified B Corp. Their goal is to be a regenerative company. To them that means making a positive impact in all levels of their business, including their production partners, the innovative materials used that focus on regenerative cultivation, and supporting renaturation projects.
Materials, Design and Production
Upper Materials: Natural, sustainable materials including wool, cotton, hemp. Most materials are vegan (no leather), but many of the winter models do include wool
Model Designs: Laces or Elastic Laces, slip-ons, or velcro for Feather sandals only
Most of the Wildling designs are laced up, except a slip on style, a slipper, and the Feather sandal. The kid’s sizes use elastic laces that cinch tight. This makes it easy for a child to get on and off, even if they’re not comfortable tying their own shoes yet. It’s also great for older kids who don’t love the velcro look.
The shoes are designed in Germany and handmade in Portugal. Wildling sets itself apart from most other shoe retailers with the materials it uses and commitment to ethical and sustainable practices.
By manufacturing close by, Wildling not only reduces its environmental impact, but has more transparency into the process and can ensure that its shoes are being sustainably and ethically made.
In another effort to create incredibly comfortable shoes that also have a minimal impact on the environment, the uppers are made from soft and flexible natural materials. I’ve included a basic list of some of the materials for the uppers, but what that doesn’t capture is how thoughtful and innovative they are with those specific materials. For example, the Nebula is a single piece of a knitted merino blend textile, so there are no seams. The summer Tanukis are made from a super strong and lightweight Japanese Washi paper blend. Many of the materials are organic or recycled and created in a way to save resources or make a better product.
You can find the product and material information for each Wildling Shoes style on their respective page on the website.
Wildling Sole Design
Wildling features two sole designs. The original Wildling sole is a unique design with a gap in the middle. This is part of what makes the sole so flexible. The sole is about 2.5mm thick (or thin would be more accurate), and is made from mostly rubber and recycled cork. There is a waterproof material to fill the gap so water doesn’t soak through. The toddler outsole does not have a gap as shown below.
In October 2023, Wildling introduced “Resouled,” a new full coverage outsole. It was made for damp, wet and harsh weather conditions, as the gaps in the original sole aren’t ideal for these situations. Any shoe with “Resouled” in the name will feature this new design.
Durability and Longevity
My son has been consistently wearing Wildlings for about four years, and they’ve been one of his favorite shoes. Last year, he wore his winter pair most days for about 5 months. They were showing their wear at the end, mostly with the front toe portion of the sole starting to separate from the uppers. For us, they lasted a full season of active wear from a kid, which I feel is pretty reasonable for a shoe that is as minimal and as flexible as Wildings are.
I’ve talked with others that have also experienced the sole separating from the uppers, especially at the big toe. For us, this hasn’t impacted functionality. Some people choose to re-glue it; it was not so much of an issue for us that we’ve usually just left as is.
Most of my son’s Wildling shoes are in decent enough play condition after he’s grown out of them that I’m holding onto them for my second child.
With all of that said, Wildlings are more on the delicate end of the spectrum when it comes to shoes. If you (or your child) are rougher on shoes, then they may not last as long for you.
Wildlings do tend to have good resale value, so this is something to consider when you’re calculating affordability. Overall, I’d say Wildlings do well for regular, everyday use.
Wildling Shoes Review
Now that you’ve gotten to know Wildling as a brand, let’s talk about some of the specific shoe styles in this Wildling Shoes review! Wildling has an Essentials collection that is available year-round. This features many of their most popular models. The Essentials include both warm weather styles for spring and summer and cold weather styles for fall and winter.
In addition to the Essentials collection, Wildling releases two seasonal collections per year. Each collection typically has two drop dates. For example, in the fall, a handful of cold weather models are released in September, with a second drop in October.
While all these shoes are in Wildling’s signature style and design, there will be changes in fabrics, colors and details. They do sometimes bring back previous models (find them as Refoxed models). Often they’ll make updates and improvements to the model, so it’s slightly different from prior years.
Wildling Essentials Collection
Let’s start off with the Wildling Essentials Collection. These are sustainably made, minimalist shoes you can order from the Wildling website year-round. Some of my favorites are included in this collection, which means you don’t have to wait for a special launch date! As these are meant to be Essentials, they come in neutral colors of white, black, blue, grey and brown. For all the really fun, bold colors, look to Wildling’s seasonal collections.
Nebula
These may be one of my favorite Wildling shoes! The stretchy, merino blend knit fabric is made to have a tighter fit, to feel like a second skin. These shoes are super breathable, super lightweight, and easy to wear without socks. Comes in kids – adult sizes. The Nebula now also comes in black.
Tanuki
These are a super lightweight, breathable summer shoe made from Japanese Washi Paper. The material is so cool! The essentials come in white, black and blue, but they have new colors every summer. I find these to a smaller, tighter fit.
Feather Sandals
The Feather sandal comes in toddler through adult sizes. Like all Wildling shoes, these sandals feature a super flexible 2.5mm sole. The uppers are soft microfiber and secure with velcro. These run small, so it may be best to first consult the Wildling size chart, and then size up from there.
Arni
This cotton high-top has a denim look and water-resistant weave that make these shoes perfect for transition weather (or even year-round).
Chestnut
We loved this winter style from last year, so I was glad to see stay. The uppers are a rich brown-blue weave made from wool and hemp. It’s neutral, but not boring. The Chestnut style also has a membrane plus felted wool lining. Comes in toddler – adult sizes.
North Wolf
This is Wildling’s warmest model, with a 100% wool upper with a high cut, polyester membrane, and felted wool lining. Comes in toddler – adult sizes.
Spring and Summer Wildling Shoes
The new spring and summer Wildling styles are starting to drop in February 2024. We have some new styles along with someremixes of old favorites.
Pegasus Resouled
As this is one of the earlier releases for the new spring and summer 2024 collection, it’s meant for those cooler and often wetter months when winter is over, but the warm weather of summer isn’t quite here. The Pegasus is a mid-cut barefoot shoe featuring a tightly woven cotton canvas in a beautiful sky blue color, and an integrated polyester membrane. If you do plan on wearing these in wet weather, I also recommend adding a water-repellant treatment to the canvas.
This is the second shoe to feature Wildling’s new full coverage sole, again making it better to wear during rainy or cold weather. Due to the sole, I do find this style one of the roomiest around the toes, both in width and volume. I previously tried the Tann Resouled (with the same sole design) in winter, but it didn’t have quite as much space available due to the thicker wool lining.
Dormouse Refoxed
The Dormouse is another midcut style with a linen and hemp canvas upper. The “Refoxed” in the title means that Wildling previously released a style in the same material. I have a low-cut version of the Dormouse from several years ago–they were my first pair of Wildlings. I love the subtle texture of these shoes and the soft gray color.
Nebula black
The popular Nebula has finally been released in a new color — all black.
Fall and Winter Wildling Shoes
The 2023 Winter lineup of Wildling shoes uses warm, natural materials like wool or tightly woven cotton canvas for the uppers. All winter models feature an integrated polyester membrane that helps protect against moisture. The transitional weather models typically have a cotton lining, while the warmest models have a felted wool lining.
Wool is a natural insulator and water repellent, which makes it ideal for both an outer material on a winter shoe and as an inner lining.
Some Wildling shoes have a waterproofing treatement pre-applied, while others do not. This information is included in the Care section for each style. To make your Wildling shoes more winter-proof and water-repellant, you can apply a waterproofing product. Wildling provides product recommendations in the same Care section for each of its styles. It can also be a good idea to regularly reapply a waterproofing treatment throughout the season.
This “Pearl Moisture Protection product is recommended for shoes with Wool uppers, while this Waterproofing spray is recommended for the cotton uppers. Note that these Wildling products are only available on the International Wildling website.
We’ve found our Wildlings great for moderate winter weather, including occasional light rain or snow. We typically opt for something heavier duty if we’re going to be outdoors in very wet or snowy weather.
Tejo: The Tejo comes in blue and caramel, and is probably my favorite of the new 2023 Wildling Winter Shoes. It’s made from extra-densely woven recycled cotton, has an integrated membrane, and lined with wool. It’s a great combo to keep your feet warm and dry. Plus, the extra hardware on the eyelets and the contrasting colors on the tongue and heel give these a nice pop. Comes in toddler – adult sizes.
Serra Black: When you want an all black combat boot, but Wildling’s verison. The twill uppers on the Serra black are water-resistant, coupled with a polyester membrane. The lining and insole are a hemp flax fleece, which adds some warmth, but doesn’t make them too warm to wear in spring and fall.
Atmo/Vigor: These brightly colored mid-cut styles use an organic cotton or cotton-blend upper, integrated membrane and cotton lining. These styles are great for the transitional weather in fall and spring, or if you have very mild winters. The Atmo come in Paprika (red featured below) and black. Vigor is available in golden yellow.
Douro: The Douro is a wool-on-wool style. The uppers 100% felted wool with a wool lining.
Ciclo: This is a low-top style, made with wool uppers and lining. If you’re feet are always getting cold but you don’t necessarily need a high-top, these Ciclo could be a great option.
Fit and Sizing
Wildlings are best fit for:
- narrow to medium width
- medium to high volume
Wildling shoes have more of a square toe box shape with a slope towards the pinky toe. Fit and sizing will vary depending on the model and on personal preference, but they are generally best for narrow to medium width feet. I have medium width feet, and Wildlings are one of the narrower shoes that I own.
If you have wider feet, you can try sizing up to accommodate your width. Many people who classify their feet as wide or extra wide find they do not have enough space in these shoes.
If you have lower volume feet, you can add an extra insole to take up more space (they sell insoles on their website). The Nebulas are one of the narrower, lower volume options. I find the cotton canvas models to be the wider, higher volume options.
To determine the best size for you, check out the printable FitKits or the size chart. Like I mentioned above, sizing is highly personal and depends on a number of things, like foot length, shape and volume.
For reference:
- My foot measurement is 23.3cm, and the size chart recommends an EU37. I prefer a little bit more room in my shoes (about 12mm), so typically opt for an EU38 in Wildling shoes and most other barefoot shoes.
- Aaron’s foot measurement is 26.8cm, and typically wears an EU44, including his Wildling shoes.
If you plan to wear thick socks with your shoes, make sure to wear those socks while measuring. Read more tips on how to measure your feet for barefoot shoes here.
Sizing Option A: Printable FitKit
The easiest way to determine your correct Wildling size is to use the printable FitKits. There are four options—for toddlers, kids, growing feet, and adult feet. Ensure your scale is set to 100% to get an accurate printing. By place your foot on the printable guide, mark the longest point to determine your size. These guides already include the extra space.
Sizing Option B: Measure Feet and Compare to Size Chart
Wildling also has a size chart. Note that the size chart does NOT list the actual insole sizes, but a recommendation based on your foot size. This recommendation includes about 8mm of rolling room.
As a reference, my foot measurement is 23.3cm, and the size chart recommends an EU37. I prefer a little bit more room in my shoes (about 12mm), so typically opt for an EU38.
If you plan to wear thick socks with your shoes, make sure to wear those socks while measuring. Read more tips on how to measure your feet for barefoot shoes here.
Ordering, Shipping and Returns
Wildling has two separate websites: the original international website, and the USA website.
If you’re based in the US, shop at Wildling Shoes USA. Prices are listed in USD and use US sizing. If you’re based in any other country, head to the international Wildling website.
Wilding offers worldwide shipping. Shipping is free on orders over $200. If you’re a first-time customer, you can use the following codes for free shipping on any order:
Returns for first-time customers are free.
If you’re a return customer or your order is under $200, express shipping to the US starts at $9.90.
Third-party Retailers
Wildling Shoes can currently only be purchased on the two Wildling websites. As of 2023, they do not sell through any third-party online retailers.
Physical Stores
Wildling has several physical showrooms located in Germany where you can try on their shoes. They currently have showrooms in Berlin, Cologne and Engelskirchen. You can find up-to-date hours and info here.
If you’re looking for Wildling Shoes in the USA, keep an eye out for pop-ups. So far, they’ve held several pop-ups in the San Francisco Bay Area over summer 2023. The dates/locations were announced on the Wildling Shoes Instagram. During these pop-ups, they had models to test and try-on, as well as stock available for purchase (isn’t that a barefoot shoe lovers dream—being able to try before you buy and not pay a fortune in shipping?!?)
Wildling Accessories
Wildling sells extra insoles (including wool insoles for additional warmth), laces, and shoe care products, like waterproofing spray and cleaning kits.
Sales for Wildling Shoes
As sustainability is one of the brand’s three main pillars, they try to keep overstock at a minimum. This means styles can sell out before the season is over. So, if there is a color you love, it’s best to get it early! This also means sales are rare for Wildling. They do not hold any holiday-related sales, like a Black Friday sale (see here if you want a list of brands that do offer Black Friday sales).
Wildling goes on occasion offer sales at the end of the season if they have remaining stock leftover. These sales are typically around 20%, though they did offer a 30% discount for a single weekend at the end of this summer. For up-to-date sales, check out the barefoot shoe sale page.
Do you have a Wildling coupon code or discount code?
Wildling does not offer additional percentage discounts through personalized coupon codes or discount codes.
I do have the following codes for free shipping on any order:
Wildling does offer a group discount of 20% whenever 5 or more pairs of Wildling shoes are purchased as part of the same order. No code is necessary for this group discount; it will be automatically applied at checkout on the Wildling website. So gather your friends and get a group order together!
If you want to get a better deal on Wildling Shoes, resell groups of Facebook are a great place to check. Wildling Shoes have a strong following and seem to retain their value well. The pro for this is that you can resell a gently used pair for close to retail value (say you got a pair and realized it just didn’t fit your style or wardrobe). The con is that these used options aren’t usually super discounted, though it does depend on the condition.
Find the Wildling B/S/T Facebook group here.
Have any other questions that weren’t answered in this Wildling Shoes review? Drop it below! Or check out my Facebook group to chat with others and get answers.
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