MAZ store in Barcelona
I was in Spain this past week touring Barcelona, Sevilla, and Madrid for one of my last vacations before our daughter arrives in February. It was an amazing trip, and I got to eat new types of food, see some amazing architecture, and discover a new brand of minimalist shoes. Whaaaa?
Yes folks, there are a handful of alternatives to Vibram Five Fingers out on the market, with new brands popping up every week. New Balance and Merrell are just two of the major shoe companies coming out with minimalist shoes in the new few months. The pair that I found, similar to the Brazilian Jinga shoes, was the Brazilian-made Maz sneaker. When I saw them in the store in Barcelona, I got all excited because there was a pair on display rolled up in a ball, just like a sock. Sweet!
After finding my size, I bought a pair of the green ones for 39 Euro, and went for my first outing in them later that evening. They fit great, and felt like a pair of slippers while walking around. The toe box is regular size, which means my pinky toe was a tad bit smushed into the other toes, but that's expected from all shoe brands (save for Vivo Barefoot shoes.) The flat, thin sole allowed me to feel the ground even better than with VFF's, so I was able to get a real "feel" for Spain (punny, but true!)
Because they are light and not as robust as most shoes, they probably should not be used for running or anything too strenuous. I basically wore my new pair nonstop for the whole trip, and the front toe of my right shoe is starting to separate from the sole. Am I disappointed? A little bit. Am I surprised? No. I'd love to figure out a way to make them a little more robust so I could use them for all sorts of different activities, but for now I'll stick to just roaming the streets of Spain and NYC in them.
My wife really wanted a pair, but they didn't have the right size/color combo in the Barcelona store. When we went to Sevilla, we tracked down the Maz store there, but unfortunately they didn't have the right size either. Then on our last full day in Spain, this time in Madrid, we went to the location of Calle Fuencarall (awesome street for clothes shopping, by the way) and she found an awesome pair of Maz's that she really liked. That night we roamed Madrid's streets in matching shoes (awww, how cute). She also really likes her new kicks, we both highly recommend Maz sneakers for the minimalist enthusiast.
Yes folks, there are a handful of alternatives to Vibram Five Fingers out on the market, with new brands popping up every week. New Balance and Merrell are just two of the major shoe companies coming out with minimalist shoes in the new few months. The pair that I found, similar to the Brazilian Jinga shoes, was the Brazilian-made Maz sneaker. When I saw them in the store in Barcelona, I got all excited because there was a pair on display rolled up in a ball, just like a sock. Sweet!
After finding my size, I bought a pair of the green ones for 39 Euro, and went for my first outing in them later that evening. They fit great, and felt like a pair of slippers while walking around. The toe box is regular size, which means my pinky toe was a tad bit smushed into the other toes, but that's expected from all shoe brands (save for Vivo Barefoot shoes.) The flat, thin sole allowed me to feel the ground even better than with VFF's, so I was able to get a real "feel" for Spain (punny, but true!)
Because they are light and not as robust as most shoes, they probably should not be used for running or anything too strenuous. I basically wore my new pair nonstop for the whole trip, and the front toe of my right shoe is starting to separate from the sole. Am I disappointed? A little bit. Am I surprised? No. I'd love to figure out a way to make them a little more robust so I could use them for all sorts of different activities, but for now I'll stick to just roaming the streets of Spain and NYC in them.
My wife really wanted a pair, but they didn't have the right size/color combo in the Barcelona store. When we went to Sevilla, we tracked down the Maz store there, but unfortunately they didn't have the right size either. Then on our last full day in Spain, this time in Madrid, we went to the location of Calle Fuencarall (awesome street for clothes shopping, by the way) and she found an awesome pair of Maz's that she really liked. That night we roamed Madrid's streets in matching shoes (awww, how cute). She also really likes her new kicks, we both highly recommend Maz sneakers for the minimalist enthusiast.
Which way?
Wrong end of an elephant
My green Maz's
Maz's are flexible!
RSS Feed
