Virtually indistinguishable, right? While the comical slippers are styled like two fluffy loaves of bread that just came out of the oven, they actually sport a cotton interior, velvet exterior and foam base for optimal padding. Wear-resistant and easy to wash, the creation hit it off almost instantly on the internet as it evolved into the perfect choice for gag gifting and comfort cravers. For your average recreational runner who isn't bothered about running as fast as they possibly can, I don't think it's worth spending more to get up to the carbon fibre plate type technologies," advises Mike. "But is that innovation genuine? Yes, it is. Athletes were complaining that it just simply wasn't fair, that they weren't competing on an even playing field. And that tells you all you need to know."

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Blue further noted how sawdust was incorporated into bread dough to make it more ‘nutritious’ during the war. “I find that this reflects their needs and way of living perfectly—just as the fresh bread shoes’ videos trending today reflects our contemporary ways, where humble sustenance is less connected to food and closer to entertainment and social display or acceptance,” she added. A professor of biomechanics from the Norwegian School of Sports Science, Dr Hannah Rice looks at how people walk and run with a view to understanding injury risk. She tells Greg that the preoccupation with cushioning and measures to prevent pronation (how much your foot moves inwards when you run) could be misleading. Blue also pointed out a particular element in her work that confronts what’s expected from her as a multifaceted woman and, consequently, releases socially-repressed desires—challenging what being a ‘capable’ mother and a dedicated artist actually means. Daily updates on the latest design and architecture vacancies advertised on Dezeen Jobs. Plus occasional news. Dezeen Jobs Weekly It’s not just runners who got in touch either; Jon is a dog walker and is interested in wearing barefoot shoes on a more casual basis. Is there any benefit to that?

The designer also mentioned that her sandwich slippers were made out of at least 70 per cent upcycled leather pieces she sourced from a factory based in the UK. Weekly updates on the latest design and architecture vacancies advertised on Dezeen Jobs. Plus occasional news. Dezeen Awards Had to pull up with the loafers to prom 🍞 #breadshoes #foryou #prom #bread #party ♬ Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jet News about our Dezeen Awards China programme, including entry deadlines and announcements. Plus occasional updates.She also explains that recent research under the banner of the 'preferred movement path paradigm' suggests that "whatever shoe you put a person in, the skeleton will follow a particular path during running and you're not really able to change it with footwear or with insoles". 4. Improved performance doesn't mean improved fitness As a mother, I tell my child to not play with his food. [But] when he’s sleeping, I play with food in a defying gesture of what entails to be a responsible or perfect parent or artist,” she explained. “I grew up watching my mum challenging the traditional gender stereotype that a woman belongs in the kitchen. I follow these memories with my take on creating works that seem like they are domestic (yet deliberate) accidents with subtle humour: ‘Oops! Look what happened in the kitchen…’.” Though bread shoes are comfortable and soft, they aren’t practical if it starts to rain!” Melegh enlightened. “But seriously, I think we won’t use actual bread as shoes not only because food prices are increasing, but also because I hope we are going towards a more sustainable fashion industry and wasting food can’t fit into this.” The designer personally visualises a more “look-alike” approach to the trend with the juxtaposition and assemblages of ordinary objects rather than using actual food in fashion. “Using factory waste and making food-looking pieces from it is a better route,” she explained.

Paying more to prevent injury may be a grey area, but performance is another matter. Sports technologist Professor Mike Caine explains that in the shoes worn by the likes of Kenyan long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge, the heel strike – the point at which the runner first hits the ground – is losing the wearer less energy. From my grandparents and parents’ generations, I recall their stories of going to bed with hunger as their company after long and exhausting days of working in the fields. Whenever there was any stale bread, they would use it with warm milk (fresh from the goat or cow) and peppermint leaves to create a kind of soup. Nothing was disposable.” The Alphafly shoes have a carbon fibre plate or stiffening plate that changes the dynamic at the next stage of the running motion – rolling the foot forward and over the big toe joint and pushing off from the toes. These plates maximise the amount of energy that’s pushing the foot forward. The combination of this propulsion and the saved energy are "significant enough to add a small benefit to athletes that are looking to run faster, particularly at high speeds".This is one of your most-requested topics and as a keen runner myself I couldn’t wait to get into it. Barefoot shoes claim to encourage you to run in a more ‘natural’ way, landing on your mid or forefoot rather than on your heel. Some brands say they’ll increase your speed and reduce the likelihood of injury. But will they?