Suavs Shoes Review

Product Features

• Easy to slip on
• Moisture wicking
• Machine washable
• Made from recycled materials

What Is Suavs

Suavs is a brand and company that produces lightweight, minimalist shoes that are both stylish and comfortable. They are often described as and compared to barefoot shoes because of their light construction and low profile.

Suavs markets their shoes as something you can slip on and wear day to day casually. Shoes are also made from recycled materials, particularly plastic water bottles and donates extra materials to charitable organizations such as Soles for Souls.

Suavs Zilker Unboxing

For the purposes of this review, I’ve received a gray pair of the Zilker model from Suavs. This is the model the brand is best known for and promotes the most.

The box they came in was actually pretty unique for a pair of shoes. It was much smaller than the typical wide shoebox you’d see in stores, and featured a pull away tab that made opening the package very easy. The box also featured some of the Suavs branding as well as the product featured printed on the inside flap.

Right out of the box I got the impression that these shoes were going to be extremely comfortable. The material on the uppers was very soft and stretchy and the soles were light and flexible.

The soles didn’t feel too grippy to me, but that may be the intention, being a pair of minimalist shoes and all. These seemed to me to be more fitting for walking around a paved city rather than using them to go hiking through a forest.

Overall, Suavs left me with a very positive impression of their product from the unboxing. The box itself impressed me quite a bit, especially in the fact that it was resealable in case you need to do a return or an exchange. In the end, I was very much looking forward to walking around in these shoes.

Features

Suavs shoes are made with minimalism in mind, but still pack a ton of features into each pair. These are made with comfort and flexibility in mind and are super easy to slip on and off at a moment’s notice.

They’re comfortable enough to wear all day with or without socks. The breathable and sweat wicking materials make it so that they don’t smell bad after using them for a long period of time, even if you choose to wear them without socks.

These shoes are also machine washable and dry quickly so you can get back to using them as soon as possible. These are also perfect for travel as they pack flat and can easily fit into a bag or suitcase.

Something I really like about Suavs is that they use recycled materials, particularly plastic water bottles, to make their shoes. In addition, any returned shoes or excess materials are donated to those in need.

Suavs Zilker Test

To adequately test out the Zilker shoes from Suavs, I wore them as my main pair of shoes for about a week, ending it with the ultimate test of wearing them around a local theme park all day (Cedar Point if anyone’s interested). I felt that this was an appropriate test since I typically experience some foot and knee pain after walking around the park for an entire day.

Throughout the week, I felt that the Zilkers were very well suited for day to day wear. They held up pretty well and, despite being super light weight, not once did I feel like they were going to fall apart. The shoes also stayed on very well and I never felt like they were going to slip off, even if I did some running or purposely trying to kick them off as part of my test.

For everyday casual wear, these served me very well. I tested these out in late summer when it was pretty warm, but I feel like they wouldn’t be best to wear during the winter or in colder areas. I also wouldn’t recommend wearing them in the rain as the cloth design could soak up the water. I see these as 3 season shoes.

But how well did they work at Cedar Point? Pretty good actually! At the end of the day I did feel some minor foot pain, but much less than I’d experienced with other shoes. They also stayed on my feet while riding all the roller coasters and I didn’t need to rent a locker or use those shoe and bag storage things during my time at the park.

Overall, I was very impressed with how comfortable these shoes were and how well they held up at the park. I could absolutely see myself wearing these more often.

How Can You Use Suavs? / Who Is This For?

Suavs shoes are super easy to use right out of the box. Despite having laces, I felt that you could just tie them once and then slip them on and off without messing around with the laces.

There’s also no uncomfortable break in period that you would experience with other shoes. Right out of the box these were super soft and super stretchy.

In my research, I’ve seen Suavs described as and compared to barefoot shoes, which is a name I find confusing. Really, this is used to describe a pair of shoes that are so minimal in design and tries to make it feel like you’re not wearing anything. These are used a lot by runners to get that barefoot running feel while still providing adequate foot protection.

I think that Suavs serves this market very well as they do feel very minimal and can be worn with or without socks. If you’re not into barefoot running, however, I think a pair of Suavs will still serve you well as casual everyday shoes. Though I would not recommend wearing them in the winter months or on a particularly rainy day.

Web Infrastructure / Branding

The Suavs website is simple and effective. There is an annoying popup as soon as you enter the site, but it’s the only one and there’s nothing else that intrudes on the experience.

Page layout is very nice and effective, with some interactive elements showing the construction of the shoes and animations on how they make their products. Every link I tested went where it was supposed to and everything loaded quickly and efficiently.

The branding and marketing is similarly minimal, but gets the job done. I did notice that Suavs themselves don’t really call these barefoot shoes or even advertise them solely for barefoot runners. It seems like they are trying to move away from that idea, opting instead to sell to customers who simply want a comfortable shoe to wear around day to day.

Should You Buy It

If you want a pair of minimalist yet ultra comfy shoes, I think that these are some of the best you can get. I really enjoyed my time reviewing and testing these out and I’m excited to see where the company goes in the future.

If you have diabetes or another medical condition that affects the feet, however, I would highly suggest talking to your doctor or general practitioner before buying a pair.

Where to Buy

As of now it appears that you can only get Suavs shoes from the official website since there is no store locator on the website and they are not on Amazon. The site is a great place to buy, however, as you can pay in installments. Shoes are a bit on the pricey side, but I would say well worth it.