Leguano

Leguano is a German barefoot-shoe brand and manufacturer. The company says it was founded in 2009 and developed from distance runner Helmuth Ohlhoff’s wish to run in footwear that would let him move as if barefoot. The brand’s range has expanded beyond running shoes to footwear for different people and occasions, including styles for women, men and children, as well as shoes presented for everyday wear and sport. The brand’s central product idea is to pair a close-to-barefoot feel with a protective sole. Leguano describes its barefoot shoes as having a particularly thin, flexible sole, no footbed, heel or drop, and a wide forefoot intended to follow the natural shape of the foot. Its own sole uses a specific arrangement of hemispherical elements that, according to the company, allows the sole to flex in different directions and adapt to the ground. Leguano also highlights light weight, toe freedom, grip and ground feel as product characteristics. The company says the shoes are made in Germany and describes its work in Buchholz, Rhineland-Palatinate, as combining functional design with traditional shoemaking. Leguano sells through its European-language website and promotes in-person fitting and advice at its stores. The supplied material identifies Germany as its home market but does not specify the full geographic scope of its sales, its ownership structure, or a parent company. The brand’s homepage features models including nightstep, inspiro sport, advice black and stream. The company presents its products as barefoot shoes for everyday life and a variety of activities; its range is continually expanded.

Leguano’s history, as described by the company, begins with distance runner Helmuth Ohlhoff’s interest in running in a way that felt closer to being barefoot. The company recounts that physician Walter Packi, described as a doctor and Germany’s first biokinematician, challenged Ohlhoff’s understanding of how runners move and introduced him to natural movement patterns. Ohlhoff then wanted to run barefoot, but with footwear that could protect his feet. The company says the resulting shoe took five years to develop. The aim was to preserve freedom of movement while protecting the foot with a durable, slip-resistant sole that could follow the movement of the foot and its muscles. Leguano identifies its specially developed sole material as “lifolit®-lg” and says it was developed for the brand by Hexpol, with flexibility and abrasion resistance among its properties. Leguano says the company was founded in 2009. It describes its footwear as made in Germany and its work in Buchholz, Rhineland-Palatinate, as focused on functional design and traditional shoemaking. Since its founding, the company says, it has continually expanded its product range and grown its workforce. Its current assortment includes footwear for women, men and children, and models presented for everyday use and sport. The supplied materials do not provide a more detailed chronology of individual product launches, ownership changes, or international expansions.

• 2009

  Company founded

Barefoot-style footwear combining a thin, flexible sole and room for natural foot movement with grip and protection; made in Germany according to the company.

• Barefoot shoes

  The brand’s core footwear category, described as having a thin, flexible sole, no footbed, heel or drop, and a wide forefoot.

• Homepage-featured models: nightstep, inspiro sport, advice black and stream

  The homepage presents these models in casual, sports, all-rounder or other shoe categories; it describes inspiro sport and stream as washable.

1. 1leguano Barfußschuhe - Barfuß zu mehr Gesundheitleguano.eu
2. 2Über uns | leguano Barfußschuhe Manufakturleguano.eu
3. 3Leguanowikidata.org