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A Sneaker That Shoos the Fat?
(Thames & Hudson - Thames & Hudson)
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Muller was in South Korea this week and not available to explain in more detail. Conrad Casser, who runs Swiss Masai US from Sun Valley, Idaho, said that Muller wanted to simulate walking on sand. My toes were not transported to the Caribbean, much less East Africa, where the Masai live. The shoe is hard, not cushy inside.
If anything is soft, it's the Masai connection. Casser says Muller worked out the shoe mechanics while watching farmers in South Korea, rather than Africa. It's not clear who figured out that the Masai image would be more marketable. But company brochures feature a youth standing tall and dressed in brilliant garb. The photo is cropped at the boy's knees, so there's no way to tell what modern Masais wear on their feet. Casser says Swiss Masai is contributing money to development in the region.
The shoe's aesthetics won't turn too many heads. MBTs are only beginning to work design into the shoe tops. There's nothing to rate inclusion in "Sneakers: The Complete Collectors' Guide." Casser says the company has hired three designers, from Italy, Germany and the United States, to improve the styling for spring. But shoppers will not mistake the boldest MBT for the blandest Nike or Reebok.
More than a million pairs of MBTs are out there somewhere, according to Casser. An estimated 200,000 were sold in this country last year, largely through the Foot Solutions chain, which has an outlet in Bethesda. Allen says he sold 30 pairs in the first two weeks at Dupont Circle, more to women than men.
About those benefits: Casser doesn't make cellulite claims. But the Swiss Web site does. The company has paid for biomechanical studies, but Ravick says the research isn't solid enough to move beyond neutral. He's not positive on roll walking.
"It looks like you've lost your mind when you're wearing these things," he says.
MBTs could be the next Post-it, a great unexpected design that changes the way millions behave. Or a workout shoe that could easily become too much of a good thing.
In 2002, a three-wheeled scooter called the Trikke scored a hit as the quirky invention of the year. It promised to provide a full-body workout through "angular momentum," which looked like tough love for torsos. Jennifer Aniston, Timothy Hutton and David Spade were said to be riding them. Somebody called them a "gym on wheels." Trikke is still out there, but designers got real and created Bikke. It has a seat.
