Meet Addis – handmade, retro looking sneaker from VIVOBAREFOOT. To their neutral colour palette of shoes, a new cement colour featuring neutral off-white upper and a gum sole for a timeless look has joined this year.
Did you know that Addis is named by Ethiopian capital city Addis Ababa? And this is no coincidence. VIVOBAREFOOT Addis are handmade in Ethiopia in collaboration with Soul of Africa social enterprise and there are a lot of good causes hidden in this shoe. For example, a ‘portion of VIVOBAREFOOT profits from the sale of the shoes is reinvested into the local community’.
Also, these shoes were ‘designed to be remade and reworn’. So, when you don’t want to wear them anymore, VIVOBAREFOOT encourages you to send them to revivo.com, where they will repair them and find a new pair of feet to wear them.
Use BUVIVO25 for 25% discount
1. General
- Brand: VIVOBAREFOOT
- Model: Addis
- Colour: cement
- Tested on: woman, medium-wide feet, 26.3 cm long and 10 cm wide (10.3 cm between metatarsal heads), low instep, skinny ankles with narrow heel, fin-shaped foot (see my how to measure guide and foot type) – wearing size 42
| Made in Ethiopia | Adult, kids | Leather | Ship worldwide |
2. Material characteristics
2.1 Upper
Addis is a sneaker for those who love neutrals. You can choose between 5 different colours like botanical green, black, navy, brown and cement, which I review here.
I think the word “cement” describes the colour well. The colour is offwhite with a slight grey undertone in it.
The leather used is Addis is a wildhide natural cow leather, which means that the shoes are made from ‘naturally scarred leather from free-roaming cattle sourced from small scale farmers’.
This leather is perfectly imperfect and you can expect small imperfections like this line on the photo below.
Flat cotton laces are matching with the colour of upper and they are beige/light grey colour.
At the side of the shoe you can find a distinctive V logo from VIVOBAREFOOT.
The collar is padded and it gives you a very pleasurable feeling around your ankles. It also has a very interesting design. The padding is inserted between the outer and inner leather.
The outsole is curved up at the heel and has the added outline of the African continent.
2.2 Lining
Shoes are lined with leather and they are great to wear with or without socks. The insole is not removable.
2.3 Sole
In Addis is used 4 mm Ababa sole which features according to VIVOBAREFOOT ‘signature footprint design inspired by the Laetoli found in Tanzania, the oldest recorded persevered human footprints dating back to around 3.7 million years ago.
The sole is very flexible in both directions. While having them on feet, the sole feels soft and squishy. Very pleasant to wear, with a good ground feeling.
Also check my video for the close-up and to see how they look on my feet.
3. Sizing information
3.1 Length
VIVOBAREFOOT Addis shoes are available in women’s sizes 35-42 and in men’s sizes 40-47. The colours are the same for both sexes, but there is a difference in width and shape of the toebox.
My feet are 26.3 cm long and 10 cm wide and I’m wearing women’s size 42, which has an internal length 27.5 cm according to their size chart. With Plus12 I measure them slightly less (around 27.3 cm).
Shoes are 10 mm longer than my feet, which is around 12 mm which I usually choose for myself.
See my post How much space do we need in shoes if you want to know more about that.
3.2. Toebox shape & width
VIVOBAREFOOT Addis shoes don’t have such a strong slope towards the little toe as some other VIVO models I have (e.g. Geo Court, Gobi HI III or Geo Racer). As they slope less, this makes them more suitable to other foot shapes as well and not just for feet with the longest big toe.
They will fit well to the feet with the longest first or second toe, but still they won’t be the best fit for those with very square-feet.
More about different foot types you can read in my post What is my Foot Type?
Addis is available in women’s and men’s sizes. Women’s shoes, which I’m reviewing here, are suitable for narrow and medium wide feet. I find them just slightly too narrow for my feet and my pinky toe doesn’t have enough space.
Men sizes are wider and they also have a slightly different toebox shape (more square-shaped). You can see a comparison on the photo below. If you are a woman and are wearing bigger sizes, you can try men’s size as well, but take in mind that those shoes are also wider around the ankles.
Regarding the space above the toes, they are just somewhere in the middle. Not very shallow, but also not super spacious either.
3.3. Fit around the instep, heel and ankle
Over the instep area they are best suited for low and medium high instep. I can secure them well on my shallow feet.
I noticed some gapping around my skinny ankles, but it was just visually disturbing and it didn’t affect my gait or make them feel insecure around my heel.
4. Comfort
The leather is very soft, shoes are breathable and the collar is padded for added comfort. I don’t have any complaints at all here.
5. How and when to wear them?
VIVOBAREFOOT Addis sneakers are available in a very neutral colour palette and they will be easy to match with any many different outfits. Keep your shoes simple and they will allow you to stay versatile with clothes.
This light cement colour is great for spring and summer and it will give your outfit a bright pop. You can look stylish and chic if you wear them with jeans, trousers, shorts or even a dress.
6. Price & where to buy
VIVOBAREFOOT Addis shoes can be bought at VIVOBAREFOOT official website. The price is 110€.
You can buy them with 10% discount with using my affiliate code BUVIVO25.
7. Shipping info
VIVOBAREFOOT ships worldwide. The shipping costs depend on the shipping country and the amount you order. They offer free returns.
8. To sum up
I often see people complaining that VIVOBAREFOOT are narrow. But wait! There are also people with narrower feet and those struggle to find foot-shaped healthy shoes for their feet too. Shoe that is too wide is also not good for you and I’m glad that there is an option for those feet too. VIVOBAREFOOT Addis.
Even though men and women Addis shoes are very similar from outside, there is a difference between them in the width and toebox shape. Women Addis is a great sneakers for narrow and medium-wide feet while men Addis model will make happy even slightly wider feet.
VIVOBAREFOOT shoes have different fit. And yes, not all VIVO shoes fit my medium-wide feet ideally. But Addis is a great shoe and I can only recommend them. They are well-made and the materials look and feel good. I’m sure there are plenty of narrower feet than mine are that will fit in them really well.
Use BUVIVO25 for 25% discount
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