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WE LISTENED TO YOU!
Want a barefoot shoe without the individual toes? We looked far and wide and discovered this brand based on a customer's recommendation. All the the benefits of zero drop and barefoot but fits like a regular shoe.
men's styles
Primal 3 $ 130
Black
Slate
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ENHANCED OUTSOLE
With its newly redesigned outsole, the Primal 3 features a wider footprint, offering improved weight distribution and stability.
WIDE TOE BOX
Unlike traditional footwear that squeeze the toes together, our foot-shaped toe box allows for maximum room giving the toes ultimate freedom to wiggle and spread.
ZERO-DROP
Places the forefoot and heel flat to the ground correcting posture, aligning your spine, and encouraging mid-foot strike.
FLEXIBLE
Made from our signature IBR outsole, the Primal 3 is an ultra lightweight and flexible option compared to traditional footwear.
The Primal 3 is a great versatile shoe built for all-day wear. It features an updated outsole designed for added stability and ground contact, with a wider heel and midfoot to help distribute weight more evenly. The signature zero-drop platform, wide toe box, and lightweight IBR outsole maintain a flexible, natural feel.
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With its low stack height, flexible construction, grounded design and breathable materials, the Primal 3 is a solid choice for weightlifting, cross-training, and everyday activity. Built for comfort and versatility, it moves easily from workouts to daily wear.
women's styles
Primal Zen $ 135
White/Sand
Mint
VEGAN MATERIALS
Comprised of microfiber and breathable air mesh, we made sure that all materials, down to the laces and glue, are 100% vegan.
ULTRA LIGHTWEIGHT
Our proprietary IBR outsole is what makes Lems incredibly lightweight and flexible - giving your foot the sense of weightlessness.
ZERO-DROP
Places the forefoot and heel flat to the ground correcting posture, aligning your spine, and encouraging mid-foot strike.
WIDE TOE BOX
Unlike traditional footwear that squeeze the toes together, our foot-shaped toe box allows for maximum room giving the toes ultimate freedom to wiggle and spread.
zero drop
New to zero-drop shoes? You’ve likely heard the term before, but may not really understand what it means.
Zero-drop refers to the angle between your heel and your toes. Traditional footwear elevates the heel an average of 14-24mm (0.5″-1.0″), which throws off the alignment of the spine and forces an unnatural heel strike.
In a zero-drop shoe, your heel and toes are level, which mimics your natural barefoot position on a flat surface. We consider a zero-drop shoe to be anything under 3mm. For reference, two pennies stacked are approximately 3mm tall.
There are many benefits of wearing zero-drop shoes including:
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Improved ankle mobility
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More natural running gait
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Better posture
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Improved balance
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Better alignment
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The transition from traditional shoes to zero-drop will take a bit of time and we recommend easing into your new shoes. The muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your feet will also likely be weak after long term use of conventional shoes, so strengthening the muscles will help facilitate the transition.
It’s not uncommon for persistent injuries to disappear after switching to zero-drop shoes. With your heels and toes in a straight line, the foot stays flat to the ground, which corrects posture and aligns your spine - encouraging a mid-foot strike.
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This means that Lems shoes can help alleviate strain on the lower back, and allows you to walk with a much healthier mid-foot to forefoot strike.
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natural shape
Lems shoes are specifically designed with the natural shape of the foot in mind.
Why?
By mirroring the foot’s natural shape, the entire body benefits in a multitude of ways, such as:
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Improved posture
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Reduced injuries
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Increased foot strength
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Quicker recovery times
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Natural foot strike landing
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Traditional shoes on the market feature a tapered toe box and high heel rise. This causes deformities in the feet, like bunions and hammer toes. It also weakens the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the feet, which affects balance and efficiency, leading to more injuries.
Natural foot-shaped shoes like Lems promote a different foot strike than traditional outdoor shoes. A minimal or zero-drop heel promotes a more natural forefoot strike, that reduces the pressure and force with which the foot lands.
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The wide toe boxes in Lems shoes provide enough room for the toes to relax and splay organically within the shoe. In this position, the big toe can remain straight, which allows for better stability and power.
If you’ve never worn a natural, or foot-shaped shoe before they might initially look and feel different. As with anything new, it’s important to give your body time to adjust to exercising, or just generally wearing them.
We’re pretty confident that once you go natural, you’ll never want anything else on your feet again.
At Lems, you can find some of the best anatomically correct shoes to suit most of your outdoors activities, including hiking, running, and casual wear.
origin story
LESS = MORE
To us, it’s simple – shoes should be designed using the bare minimum. They should fit the foot’s anatomy, while allowing your feet to move like you’re wearing nothing at all.
In 2008, Lems’ creator, Andrew Rademacher, reached his end point searching for shoes that fit the natural shape of the foot. Starting out by dissecting his favorite running shoes and cutting out the extra, unnecessary material, Andrew decided to learn the art and science of shoemaking in his own way. He studied shoe fitting, last construction, and pattern making so that he would be able to design his shoes to fit like no other on the market.
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Andrew began to realize that the big shoe brands had it all wrong. Shoes should be built around the natural shape of the human foot, and not the other way around. This meant that a shoe should be widest at the forefoot and toes, while allowing for full flexibility and unrestricted movement.
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After three years of research, countless hours of design and dozens of prototypes, Andrew’s unwavering focus finally paid off. In September 2011, Lems released its first product – the Primal. Though the company has come a long way since that original design, Andrew continues to study his art while staying true to his mission of making naturally fitting footwear that allows your feet the freedom to be just as nature intended.
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"If you can't find it on the market and no one's doing it, then you have to do it yourself."
- Andrew Rademacher