"I can finally walk in comfort again."

Those words are where everything began.

Back in 2020, my grandmother said something I will always remember:

"No shoe fits my feet these days."

By afternoon her feet were swollen. Bunions made every pair pinch, and her toes wanted space to breathe. She was far from the only one — millions of women her age were voicing this very complaint, and no one paid attention.

She had not given up on living. She was being let down by a whole shoe industry that had lost sight of what a real human foot looks like.

I set out to find her something better, assuming it would be simple.

It was not.

Orthopedic shoes turned out to be rigid plastic shells that made her feel 90 when she was 65 — heavy, clinical, and still cramped in the places that counted.

Regular sneakers — Nike, Skechers, the supposedly "comfortable" brands — were shaped like a tapered box. Her toes were squeezed and her feet had no space to swell. The thick raised heel left her feeling wobbly instead of supported.

Traditional "barefoot" shoes had the right shape — roomy toes, flat base — but the stiff canvas uppers gave her sensitive, swollen feet blisters inside of an hour.

No one had made a shoe that was formed like a real foot AND gentle enough for feet that change size during the day.

So I chose to make one myself.

Two years went into working alongside artisans who understood how to weave footwear rather than assemble it.

The upper uses a soft Japanese knit — made like your best-loved sweater, knitted rather than glued or sewn together.

• If your feet swell, the knit stretches.
• If your toes fan out, it gives them space.
• As your foot moves, the shoe follows.

Nothing pinches. Nothing rubs. No pressure spots that become blisters.

Below it, a flat, flexible sole keeps you near the ground, just as your feet were meant to stand. Anti-slip rubber pods hold on wet tile, wood floors, and trails outside. The wide toe box lets your toes rest in their natural position. The collapsible heel means you can slip them on one-handed — without bending, laces, or fuss.

The name is Oobend.

Let me be upfront about what Oobend is not.

This is no runway shoe. It will never pass for a designer sneaker. If you are after something fashionable for the gym, other options suit you better.

Here is something I did not see coming:

Customers say strangers approach them at the supermarket to ask where their shoes came from. It seems that walking in comfort makes you look younger. You hold yourself taller and go about your day feeling like you again.

My grandmother is walking once more.

Her morning strolls have resumed. The blisters have healed and the swelling is under control. Last month she covered three miles beside my mother — a thing we assumed she would never manage again.

She came first.

More than 50,000 women have followed her since then. They have sent 2,500+ five-star reviews echoing what she told me:

"I can finally walk in comfort again."

There is more to do.

Each day I work to make Oobend softer, tougher, and more soothing — for every woman the shoe industry has led to believe her feet are at fault.

They are not.

The shoes are at fault.

If you have gone years without finding a pair that simply lets your feet be, free of pain — Oobend was made for you.

Warmly,

Jess
Founder of Oobend