More and more retailers are jumping on the band wagon and establishing a barefoot shoe line. It is incredibly encouraging to see Zara finally move into the adults barefoot shoe market, after their foray into children’s and youth size shoes. But can Zara barefoot shoes compete with those from established barefoot brands?
Quick Summary:
- Brand: Zara (UK)
- Price: £59.99 as of Apr 2026
- Website: Zara UK
- Style: Leather trainer, casual
- Materials: Outer is mostly leather, interior is plastic.
- Barefoot Rating: 4/5
- Zero Drop: Yes
- Wide toe area: Moderate. Not as wide as some established brands, be wary if you have wide splay.
- Thin, flexible sole: Yes, particularly if insole is removed. Ground feel is there, but again many barefoot brands have thinner soles.
Zara Barefoot Leather Trainer Review Verdict: For the price point, an excellent and stylish option. Absolutely ideal for beginners or even established barefooters – a very aesthetically pleasing trainer that is ideal for spring and may only be let down slightly in the toe box width and interior materials.
There is no catchy model name here. The trainers are simply listed as “LEATHER BAREFOOT TRAINERS” on the Zara website, and are not the easiest to find when navigating. They get somewhat lost among their huge conventional shoe offering, so using the search box is the safest bet.
Models are divided into men’s and women’s, with women having various options in mesh and suede. I tried the men’s leather option, as this was the only one in stock in my size (UK 9). The marketing for this model had more specifically barefoot wording. Some models mentioned “minimal height difference between heel and toe”, rather than outright saying zero drop, which knocked my confidence in them. The white leather is appealing going into spring/summer, too.
I was very impressed with the shoes as soon as they arrived. These were obviously tried on before, judging by the toe imprints on the insoles and very slight toe creasing on the leather. Either way, the soles had obviously not been worn outside and they were in new condition otherwise.
The leather upper has a lot of nice detail, considering they are monochrome. The pale gum coloured soles give the appearance of being a bit chunkier than they actually are – they are very much as flexibile as many established barefoot branded shoes.
The toe box is relatively spacious – the inner corner could ideally be less inwardly sloped in order to accommodate (…my) Egyptian shaped feet, but they are comfortable despite not being able to fully splay. The shape would be better suited to those with narrower toes or Greek shaped feed, with a shorter big toe.
Without the cushioned insole, there is great ground feel and the stack height is comparable to most other barefoot trainers. The insole is an excellent option for those that prefer more cushioning and those with lower volume feet.
The interior of the shoe is synthetic, which is less ideal for those wanting to forego socks. At this price point (~£60) I wouldn’t be expecting a fully leather/natural interior.
With the insole removed, the stitching of the sole is exposed and there is a foam interior sole. While not uncomfortable, I do hope that removing the insole won’t shorten the life of this foam sole too much, as it doesn’t appear to be the most robust. I am concerned enough that I think I will only wear these with socks going forward.
Personal Fit
It was a quick decision to keep these for me! After a short walk around the house, I decided the toe box width was acceptable, if not absolutely ideal. The UK Size 9 is a perfect fit for my 27cm long feet. I removed the insole immediately in order to get more splay room for my toes and better ground feel.
Having worn them around for several days, these are a really solid and well made budget option. These Zara barefoot trainers reflect their fashion credentials; they are gorgeous in their design details and have held up well so far. Comparable options that are slightly cheaper (e.g., Hobibear or other direct from China brands) will be made from plastic imitation leather, while other barefoot brands will be a much higher price point (e.g., the leather Freestyle from Splay at ~£90).
If you are fortunate enough to fit into youth sizes (UK 6 or smaller), there is another excellent cheap option that are also leather for only £35.99! I am very impressed with this offering and hope that Zara do a better job of advertising their barefoot line to the general public. I would highly recommend these as a first foray into barefoot shoes, but also for those more established and not requiring a particularly wide toe box.