Defining Our Terms:

How we Talk About Barefoot Shoes at Cool East Market

You may have noticed that our product pages are more uniform recently. Starting with new models in 2026, we aim to provide consistent descriptions of every model. We had a think about what customers want to know, and realized that in order for all of our descriptions to be consistent we would need to define our terms. 

We have been working with these definitions internally for a few months now and they’re really helping us compare barefoot shoes from different brands on a level playing field.

Some terms are still hard to define in black and white, and require more of a judgement call, but we feel our customers will still benefit from knowing how we’re defining terms like “waterproof” vs “water resistant,” or “running tread” vs “gym tread.”

Below is our list of definitions. We talk about these shoes every day trying to pin down the best way to communicate about them, so it might be a lot if you’re just getting started.

Feel free to scan around for two or three useful terms or goals for your next pair of barefoot shoes, and go from there!

Glossary

Water Resistance Levels

• Fully waterproof - the shoe is labelled “waterproof” and/or it has a layer of waterproof material in between the uppers and the lining as well as sealed seams

• High water resistance - the material of the uppers is waterproof but there is no waterproof lining

• Low water resistance - the material has a little natural water resistance, like leather

• No, focused on Breathability - cannot be waterproofed, like an open mesh

Appropriateness for Vegan Customers

• This model is fully vegan - the brand has guaranteed that this model is vegan

• This model is not specified as vegan - as far as we can tell the main materials are vegan, but the brand has not guaranteed (or cannot guarantee) that all aspects of the manufacturing chain followed vegan practices

• Due to the use of [material] this model is not vegan - this model is definitely not vegan because of the specified material used

Outsole Tread Types

• Running tread - the outsole has a mild tread designed for running in a straight line in a city or on a treadmill, and is durable for runners.

• Gym tread - designed for studio athletes, functional workouts, and/or weight lifting with a thin and flexible sole and a very mild tread. Will wear down faster for runners.

• Urban tread - casual daily wear outsole designed for indoor and urban use.

• All terrain tread for mixed use - hiking or athletic outsole design that can do mild trails, hard ground, park, etc. May have a chunky tread or mild lugs with lots of surface area.

• Lugged tread for soft terrain - hiking outsole designed for muddy or soft ground, with longer and spaced apart lugs that dig into soft terrain. Will wear down faster on concrete.

• Rated Non-slip - the shoe is labelled “non slip” or similar by the brand. Recommended for service industry workers who are on hard flat surfaces which may be wet. The type of rubber compound used as well as the tread design contribute to a great grip on such surfaces.

Drop

• Zero Drop - The heel and toe are elevated the same amount off the ground.

• Transitional (<5mm drop) - The heel is elevated above the toes by less than 5mm, which could be a useful transitional tool for folks new to barefoot shoes.

• Insole has drop (<5mm) - The shoe itself is zero drop but the optional insole elevates the heel less than 5mm. Usually expected to compress over time, which could be a helpful transition tool for those new to barefoot shoes.

Comparative Sizing Phrases

• Fits true to size for most customers - most customers who try this on or order online get the size right the first time.

• Most customers take their regular size, some go half a size up - people with wider feet or more square shaped forefeet might go up in length to accommodate their foot shapes, but if that doesn’t apply to you choose your regular size.

• Most customers go half a size up- most customers who try this on instore or order online end up needing a larger size than originally thought.

• Most customers go a half a size up, some go a full size up - these shoes fit really small compared to the industry standards. People with wider feet or more square shaped forefeet might go a full size up in length to accommodate their foot shapes, but if that doesn’t apply to you choose half a size up.

• Most customers go a size up - most customers go to the next size up (in European sizing or sandals where half sizes are not offered we may use this phrase).

• Most customers go a size down - this model fits unusually long compared to the industry standard, most customers go to the next size down (in European sizing or sandals where half sizes are not offered we may use this phrase).

Sizing systems include

We describe which type of sizing each model is made in, and what that means for the fit. 

• US gendered sizing: men’s and women’s sizes are offered, and we’ll let you know how to translate from one to the other. There may be a difference in the volume; men’s sizes are usually larger in width and height compared to a women’s shoe of the same length. Usually offered in half size increments, but not always. 

• US unisex: only one run of sizes is made for everyone, and each pair is labelled with a men’s and women’s size. Usually offered in half size increments, but not always. 

• EU gendered sizing: men’s and women’s sizes are offered, and we’ll let you know how to translate from one to the other. There may be a difference in the volume; men’s sizes are usually larger in width and height compared to a women’s shoe of the same length. Usually no half sizes are available.

• EU unisex: only one run of sizes is made for everyone, and each pair is labelled with a unisex EU size. Usually no half sizes are available.

• Japanese sizing system: shoe sizes are offered that correspond to the length in centimeters.

• Width options are not standardized for barefoot shoes in the way that they can be in the greater shoe industry, such as the alphabet system. However some companies offer sizing in Regular and Wide. 

Footprint Shape

• Rectangular footprint shape: it has a similar width from heel to toe.

• Triangular footprint shape: it is wide at the forefoot and tapers to a narrower heel.

• Bean footprint shape: the midline of the shoes is noticeable curved like a kidney bean

Toebox Shape

As suiting the following forefoot shapes:

• Slope: from the big toe to the pinky toe, each is shorter than the last

• Mountain: similar to a slope but with a long second toe

• Plateau: Big toe, second, and third toes are roughly the same length, then fourth and pinky slope down from there

• Square: toes are roughly the same length

It’s not an exact science, and often a toebox will suit two foot types. Plateau and square forefeet are often accommodated by taking a larger size in models that look more like slope and mountain feet.

Shoe Volume

Shoe height and width in relation to their length:

• Low volume - narrow width throughout, low height over foot, sleek fit

• Low volume, Average volume - adjustable fit or in between fit

• Average volume - volume works for most people

• Average volume, High volume - adjustable fit or in between fit

• High volume - wide width throughout, tall height over foot, roomy fit

Fit Adjustment 

• There is no fit adjustment possible

• The fit can be adjusted over the midfoot

• The fit can be adjusted over the midfoot and around the heel

• The fit can be adjusted over the forefoot and midfoot

• The fit can be adjusted over the forefoot and midfoot

For example, a slip on usually cannot be adjusted, and a sandal might be adjustable everywhere, but only laces that go down far enough and have heel lock tie eyelets or heel anchoring can be adjusted everywhere.

Forefoot Width

• Narrow width - suits naturally narrow and slender feet

• Narrow width, Average width - only just on the narrow side, some fit adjustability

• Narrow width, Wide width - there are two versions of this shoe eg Shapen

• Average width - suits most people

• Average width, Wide width - just on the wider side or fit adjustability

• Wide width - only suits actually wide feet

For overall width, see volume description.

Location of Forefoot Width

• Centered width- the forefoot widens evenly with room to splay via clean lines

• Extra big toe room- the big toe area juts out noticeably

• Extra pinky toe room- the pinky toe area is considerably roomier

See image for a comparison of how these compare to footprint shapes and each other.

Sole Thickness (or Stack Height)

The stack is the name for all the layers of a shoe between you and the ground, including the sole. For simplicity's sake we often use the terms stack and sole interchangeably.

• Next to barefoot - very thin soles with stack heights around 3-5mm

• Thin sole - thin sole with thin cushion, around 6-10mm

• Cushioned sole - medium sole with cushioning, around 11-15mm

• Thicker sole - thick stack with high cushioning, around 16-20mm
  
  

Ground Feel

How well can you feel the ground?

• Next to barefoot - with a thin sole lacking in cushion, sensory info is transmitted nearly directly to your nerve endings

• High sensory feedback - feel small changes in the ground texture and elevation

• Medium sensory feedback - you will have a comfortable experience with a mixture of cushioning and groundfeel

• Low sensory feedback - these are focused on support and cushioning, which dampen sensory info transmission, so there is low sensory feedback from how your feet interact with the ground

Sole Flexibility

• Easily rolled into a ball- These follow the movements of your foot and conform over obstacles.

• Bends and twists easily- These shoes allow for less movement than you get in bare feet, but allow for a decent range of motion and have some give over obstacles.

• Bends and twists with some effort - These shoes have a firm sole that bends less than most barefoot shoes.

Design Impact on Ground Feel

How materials and design contribute to a different stack height/groundfeel than you might expect, eg. a shoe may have medium stack height but use a material or design that results in very high flexibility or groundfeel. We’ll only add this info on models where they are surprising in this regard.

As a Transition Shoe

• Caution needed- these shoes have very thin and flexible soles so it’s the biggest possible change from thick, stiff conventional footwear

• Good for most- most of our customers find these comfortable for day to day use right away

• Extra Gradual/Running- these are our more supportive shoes that provide you with a gradual transition, where you can get used to room for your toes and zero drop before trying something more barefoot feeling

• Wedding shoes- these shoes have very thin and flexible soles, but they’re designed for use cases that are not overly strenuous like sit down dinners, weddings, galas, etc. so even if you’re not ready to wear them all day everyday, you might find them alright for event wear.

• Kids shoes - kids haven’t spent decades in stiff, overly cushioned, overly supportive, and restrictive footwear, so they often take to barefoot shoes like a fish to water even if it’s very thin and flexible.

And that’s it! 

You don’t need to know all of this to find your perfect barefoot shoe, but if there are any terms that stand out to you, try using our product filtering system to look up which models would suit you.

For example, if the Mountain forefoot shape sounds like what you’ve got, you can filter our product collections to see only models with that forefoot shape! 

Let us know if there are any other terms for which you'd like to know our definition!