Xero Shoes EU

Our Story 

“There is no reason to start another shoe company, unless your shoes change people’s lives!”– LENA PHOENIX

In 2007, at age 45, Steven Sashen decided to get back into sprinting after a thirty-year break and, for the next two years, was regularly sidelined by injuries. A friend gave him a copy of Born To Run and suggested he try running barefoot. Inspired, Steven took off his padded shoes and discovered the feedback he got from putting his bare feet on the ground revealed the cause of his problems and inspired the natural gait change that solved his issues. His injuries abated and Steven went on to become a Masters All-American sprinter. Wanting to feel the comfort and benefits of natural movement all the time, he made minimalist sandals for himself and his wife, Lena. When Lena wore her walking and hiking, she also felt her gait change, her stride lighten, and her body relax more. Others immediately took notice of the couple’s unique sandals and asked how to get their own. Steven and Lena loved the idea of sharing the fun and benefits of natural movement, and soon were making them for friends. Of course, those friends shared them with their network of friends, and soon this movement spread the same way it started: naturally. Steven and Lena then uttered the five dangerous entrepreneurial words,“How hard could this be?” and launched Xero Shoes in November of 2009. Headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, Xero Shoes has evolved into the top barefoot-style shoe brand in the U.S., with customers in over 97 countries. Xero Shoes offers styles in over a dozen footwear categories, including over 30 styles of casual and performance boots, shoes, and sandals so our customers can enjoy life-changing comfort and performance wherever they go.

Mission Statement 

Revolutionizing Health and Wellness by incorporating Natural Movement into everything we do.

Vision

Enhancing the foundation for everything your body does.

Core Values

Tell The Truth

Xero Shoes is committed to transparency. Other than details about future products, we don’t keep secrets. If you have a question, we’re happy to answer it. We want to ensure that both our customers and employees know who they’re getting involved with and what we stand for. On the same note, while it would be much easier to sell our shoes if we made promises that aren’t backed by science, we don’t. But we’re happy to share the increasing amount of evidence regarding the problems modern footwear creates and the benefits of letting feet function the way they were designed to... which they can do in Xero Shoes!

Continuous Improvement

Everyone in our company is an actual human (plus some unpaid canine companions). Making footwear is more difficult than most people can imagine. Put those two together and that means things don’t always go as expected. Since we can’t be perfect, we address those non-perfect situations honestly and as quickly as we can, and as best as we can. We apply today’s lessons to tomorrow’s goals. This idea permeates our entire company — from leadership to Customer Happiness, to Design. We improve how we do things every day, and from there, the shoe industry itself.

Equitability

Every member of the Xero Family is vital to attaining our vision. We demonstrate this value through our profit-sharing-inspired bonus plan and Long Term Incentive Program, both of which share the company's financial success equally among all employees at all levels. As an equally important part of the XeroFamily, over 1,000 customers were invited to invest in the future of the company through a Regulation A+Equity Crowdfunding raise, becoming Xerowners.