The founder of Lonnie is Christina, a natural and barefoot running coach who designed vegan barefoot sandals in order to offer women a more stylish barefoot footwear. The sandals are handmade in a small factory in Germany using high-quality materials.
Disclaimer: Please note that Barefoot Universe is reader supported. We may receive commissions on products purchased through affiliate links or affiliate codes in our content. This in no way affects our reviews or comparisons, which are based on objective analysis and our honest opinion. We appreciate your support! Learn more here.
Use BU10 for 10% discount
1. General
2. Material characteristics
2.1 Upper
Lonnie sandals are made from durable microfibre, which is also good at regulating heat. At first I was a little worried about how the microfibre would behave in the heat in contact with my feet, but so far I haven’t noticed any disadvantages compared to sandals made of leather. Microfibre is easy to care for (just wipe dirty sandals with a damp cloth), but sandals should not be washed in the washing machine.
Sandals available in 4 different colours – Midnight Blue, Sunset Gold, Little Black and Purple Passion. The colour in the photo is Midnight Blue.
In some of the photos in the review you can see darker spots, but these are not grease marks, the sandals just got a bit wet because I took the photos in the early morning when there was still morning dew on the grass.
The sandals consist of a system of extremely minimalist straps, where the main strap runs between the toes and the foot is then adequately secured by flexible straps across the instep and around the ankle.
The strap that runs between the toes is made in two ways. The model with the wider leaf-shaped band is called Sol and can also be seen in my review, while the model with the narrow band is called Lux. The width of this band does not affect the fixation of the model.
The sole also features a silver Lonnie logo in the shape of a flower.
2.2 Sole
The sole is made of flexible rubber with a microfibre footbed. The total thickness of the sole is 6 mm and a minimal tread is added to the sole, which is perfectly sufficient for the intended use of the sandals.
The flexibility of the sole is good, but it’s harder to bend it longitudinally (I could have bent it for the photo, but I didn’t want to squash my pair too much). The sole also gives you some softness when walking, but it’s a bit more compact than the Vibram soles used by e.g. Tikki and Zeazoo. The feel is e.g. comparable to Feelgrounds sandals.
The sole becomes even more comfortable to walk on after you have used the sandals for a few days.
See also the video for a close-up.
3. Sizing information
3.1 Length
The sandals are available in women’s sizes 36-43, and I recommend using the printable templates on their website to choose the right size. Please make sure that you print it out in corrcet scale and that your foot is positioned correctly on the template (note the position of the marked dot).
At my foot size of 26.3 cm I wear a size 41 and, based on the length of my feet and the length of my toes, the size fits me perfectly. Realistically, I end up with a little less room in front of my toes in the sandals than shown in the template.
3.2. Toebox shape & width
Lonnie sandals have a gentler slope towards the pinky toe, so they suit many different foot types. The hardest is to get a good fit for feet with a stronger slope towards the pinky toe and for feet with a more pronounced square shape. Of course, you can always check the fit on the printable template.
More about different foot types you can read in my post What is my Foot Type?
The width of the Lonnie sandal is best suited to medium wide feet. My feet are 10 cm wide and all the toes are still on the sole, but the sandals would not be suitable for even wider feet than mine (I’m borderline).
3.3. Fit around the instep, heel and ankle
The sandals can be fixed extremely well to different heights of the instep with the help of an adjustable strap that runs across the instep. The strap around the heel can be used to adjust different foot lengths and ankle widths. The adjustable straps are also great for hot summer days when your foot swells up during the day and you want to loosen the straps a little.
The design of the Lonnie sandal is one of my favourites because the toes are completely free, lateral stability is ensured and the straps across the instep grip the foot very well.
4. Comfort
The strap of the Lonnie sandal runs straight back between the toes, so the pressure between the toes may be slightly higher than with diagonally placed straps. However, the strap is very thin and soft so I have never felt any discomfort when walking.
Sandals take a little longer to put on because of the straps. If you are in a hurry, you can easily put on the sandals without unbuckling them by pushing your foot far forward and pulling the strap over the heel (I show you how to do this in the video). However, Lonnie advises against this, as the straps can get ruined more quickly.
5. How and when to wear them?
The Lonnie sandals have a very versatile design that combines perfectly with both ‘casual’ clothes and more elegant dresses. If you want to add an even more elegant look to your sandals, Lonnie also offers the option of buying crystal flower-shaped clips to attach to your sandals.
6. Price & where to buy
You can buy Lonnie sandals on the official website. The price of the sandals is 129€ and until 26.6.2022 you can buy them with a 10% discount with code KATJA10 (non-affiliate code).
7. Shipping info
Lonnie currently only ships to the EU and the shipping cost is 6.90€ (free postage for Germany for orders over 100€).
8. To sum up
The Lonnies are definitely one of my favourites in terms of design, as they perfectly combine a simple and elegant look with extremely good fixation and comfort. Although the blue colour in the photo is quite to my liking, I would love to see a wider range of colours in the future too. Let’s be surprised 🙂