VIVOBAREFOOT Dharma, Oak, or Kali Work Shoe Giveaway and Coupon Code

Before today’s post, a somewhat befuddling administrative note: apparently I’ve been writing the name of the company in question incorrectly all this time. I used to write it as Vivo Barefoot, and then it was pointed out to me that Terra Plana (the London-based company who makes the VB line of footwear) preferred for it to be written VivoBarefoot (no space in between) … and now I recently learned that the official presentation is VIVOBAREFOOT - in all caps, like it’s being shouted or something.

You know, the British often make fun of us Americans for butchering the Queen’s English with our ignorance of proper grammar and our willingness to turn conventional linguistics on its head to suit our every passing whim … so I have to say that the ongoing wordplay at Terra Plana is more than a little bit amusing. But since I’d pretty much walk through fire for this company, I’ll take my orders from London without complaint. And my caps lock key could probably use the extra attention anyway.

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Considering how much praise I’ve given the company for their outstanding minimalist running footwear, it bears reminding that my first contact with Viv – whoops, hang on a sec – VIVOBAREFOOT came in the form of a dress shoe review, for the Dharma. It represented a unique niche within the minimalist footwear community: a truly minimalist shoe that could pass for conventional footwear in an office or casual setting. (There was also this cool Lost-related angle to wearing a shoe called the Dharma, but since that show has now concluded, the humor of one-liners about the name has diminished somewhat. Alas. And Namaste.)

VIVOBAREFOOT Dharma

In my mind, even in light of their remarkable progress on the running side, it's the everyday functionality of work and casual lines that remains VIVOBAREFOOT’s strength. Despite the explosion of minimalist footwear makers rushing to market, there really isn’t a comparable product yet today; nobody else combines formal fashion and natural biomechanics nearly as well as VIVOBAREFOOT does.

This was an especially attractive point for me as I made my transition to minimalist footwear, because the way I saw it, there wasn’t any point in running for one or two hours per day in minimalist footwear only to stuff your feet into traditional “foot coffins” (a term popularized by Terra Plana owner Galahad Clark) for 12 or more hours afterward. Once I made the decision to walk naturally, I wanted to do it all the time, no matter what the circumstances.

VIVOBAREFOOT Oak

That’s why I was thrilled to discover VIVOBAREFOOT. My Dharmas were comfortable, durable, and allowed purely natural foot movement with a stylish design. The diversity of the VIVOBAREFOOT product line made it possible to wear true minimalist shoes at work, church, or to casual outings. After that initial Dharma review, I was so impressed that I immediately bought and reviewed a pair of Oaks, which quickly became my favorite dual purpose work/casual shoe, and later on grabbed a pair of Lesothos, which are formal enough for me to wear to weddings and professional interviews (and yes, I’ve done both).

The company takes care of female professionals as well, with the Kali, a sharp-looking Mary Jane-style shoe that is ideal for the office or formal settings. The strap can also be removed or laid flat so that the shoe becomes a ballet-style slipper - cool, huh? For obvious reasons, I haven’t reviewed these (nor, unfortunately, has my wife), but I found a nice review here at Living Barefoot if you're interested. Since they have all the features that make the men’s models so impressive, I’m reasonably certain that the Kali would be perfect for some girl out there with a regular job who is brave enough to fight the tragic high-heel mentality of so many career women.

VIVOBAREFOOT Kali

Perhaps that girl is one of my readers – and perhaps I’ll be able to help her out. This week’s VIVOBAREFOOT giveaway is for a pair of work shoes: the Kali for a female winner, or a choice of Dharma or Oak for a male (the Lesotho is now categorized in the spring/summer line and is not available for this giveaway). Today also starts a new coupon code offer for these work styles; if you purchase any of those three models between now and December 13th, enter RRWORK at checkout to receive 20% off your purchase. The banner ad at the top of the page will run through this week, and will take you to the VIVOBAREFOOT home page.

Contest rules will be very similar to what we did for the Evo II giveaway. Enter the contest by 5PM PST Friday, December 10th, and I’ll announce the winner shortly thereafter, which will give you enough time to use the coupon code if you don’t win. I’ll give one entry for a comment, one for Twitter or Facebook (but not both), and one for a blog link - but it has to be to this contest page; just saying “You’re on my blogroll!" doesn’t count.

As before, when you comment below, let me know how many entries you’ve earned, and I’ll put them in a spreadsheet to determine a random winner. Finally, just to have a little more fun with the London edict that opened this post, I’ll give you an extra entry if your comment is written in all capital letters. GOOD LUCK!

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