Mother Nature had it right;  bare feet are best when little feet are growing.  But, in today’s society that proves to not always be that practical, Bobux is the next best thing.

Launched by New Zealand based designers Chris and Colleen Bennett in January 1991 as a completely new footwear category, Bobux offers today a vast range of original and innovative soft-soled leather shoes for babies and toddlers up to four years. The couple experienced first hand the frustration of shoes that kept on coming undone and falling off their daughters’ feet. The only alternative at the time however was stiff hard sole shoes, which their daughter simply didn’t like to wear.

Both Chris and Colleen knew there had to be a better solution, and after some research they came across a Danish study about the potential health benefits of flexible soft sole shoes for babies and toddlers. At the same time they noticed how much their own daughter loved wearing her cotton pre walkers with the soft pliable sole, and put one and one together. Cotton uppers and soles were replaced by leather and suede, and laces had to make way for elastic. After some trial and error, and adding some clever design changes to the model such as the original Bobux elastic ankle device, the ‘soft soled leather shoes that stay on’ had become a fact.

Being new parents themselves, they wanted to make sure that the shoes they were putting on the feet of their daughter were not only comfortable, but also healthy for her developing feet. They also had to be made of the safest natural but at the same time durable products that they could source. Other mothers in the Bennetts’ coffee groups soon fell in love with the cool funky shoes their daughter was wearing. Before they knew what had hit them- they could hardly keep up with national and international demand from the workshop set up in their garage.

Today, Bobux shoes for babies are still made in New Zealand by mums that work from home while caring for their children. Bobux products are sold in over 30 countries worldwide, but the business is still very much a quintessential family owned business. A strong family value drives the vision and philosophy of this niche business: to be able to preserve a world and environment as pure and pristine as possible in which the children can have a future.

Bobux truly took its first baby steps in New Zealand.