Women's Vibram FiveFingers Sprint Footwear (W-11)

The Origins of an Idea

Fivefingers® footwear was the brainchild of industrial designer Robert Fliri. He proposed the idea to Marco Bramani, grandson of Vibram founder Vitale Bramani, who invented the first rubber soles used on mountaineering boots in 1936.

An avid sailor, Bramani was intrigued by footwear that felt like a glove and worked like a second skin. Fivefingers® protected Bramani's feet from dangerous rigging and obstacles on board his boat whilst delivering a surefooted grip. The FiveFingers' patent-pending design provided greater dexterity, improving agility, balance and control.

Drawing on his experience as a sailor and a veteran of the footwear industry, Bramani worked with Fliri to refine Fivefingers® into what it is today - the first footwear to offer the sensation of going barefoot with the protection and security of a Vibram® sole.