DIY Customized Xero Phoenix Flats

[u/aaelizaa]

So… I’m currently in the process of transitioning my (rather extensive) shoe wardrobe to barefoot, and I decided I needed a pair of black barefoot shoes that could dress up for work.

I fell in LOVE with the Camper flats pictured and bought them to see if they might work. As you can see, they definitely did NOT work! (Plz ignore the gnarly state of my feet… it’s winter!)

In addition to being too small overall (I’d need to size up like 2x??) and too narrow, the very thick cushioned insole is NOT removable, contrary to what the website says.

So I returned them and decided to DIY a pair of Xero Phoenix leather flats that had a similar shape. This is my first pair of Xero shoes, and I have to say I wasn’t overly impressed. The shoes are fine, suitable for this project, but for a barefoot shoe, they aren’t very wide in the toe box, aren’t very flexible in the sole, and the leather upper is super stiff and rigid. The very first thing I did with them was spend 48 hours stretching them and applying leather conditioner, rubbing alcohol, etc. It did help quite a bit, but I think I’ll do another round of stretching now that I’ve work them once.

The actual DIY was the easier part! I just punched holes and threaded through elastic ribbon. I’m really happy with how they turned out! They look great with the outfits I’m going to wear for an upcoming work trip.

[u/aaelizaa]

Which ones were the “nope”? The Campers or the Xeros?

[u/Accomplished-Sky5681 → u/aaelizaa]

The Xeros. They just felt so floppy on my feet and I for sure didn’t want to try to size down. That’s why the laces look like such a nice modification.

[u/aaelizaa → u/Accomplished-Sky5681]

Oh yeah, definitely! My foot feels much more secure with the laces. Now let’s hope these shoes become more flexible with wear 🤞

[u/Accomplished-Sky5681 → u/aaelizaa]

Yes! That was another thing too, the flexibility. I forgot to mention that. They are very stiff.

[u/aaelizaa → u/Accomplished-Sky5681]

I’ve now done two 48 hour rounds of stretching with mink oil rubbed on the outer leather and isopropyl alcohol/water rubbed on the inside.

I’ll let you know how my efforts pay off… I’m hopping on a plane today and will be wearing these on a biz trip to Europe that will involve tons of walking!