Anna Yona

At Wildling Shoes we have been making minimal shoes for children and adults since 2015 - and at the same time we see ourselves as part of a great Re:generation. We aim to play a part in confronting the elementary challenges of our generation – climate change and global injustice – with a new way of working and doing business. Fair manufacturing conditions, sustainably produced raw materials, renaturation, climate protection, the circular economy, and New Work are the cornerstones on which we intend to work regeneratively at all levels. Some 200 co-workers work in line with remote-first principles throughout Germany in pursuit of this goal.

I lived in Israel for 12 years, met my husband Ran there and our children were born there. They grew up barefoot and always impressed us - with their agile, confident and strong movements.

In 2013 we moved back to Germany. In the fall we had to buy their first shoes, but we couldn't find any pair they wanted to wear with their freedom accustomed feet. There seemed to be something fundamentally wrong with conventional children's shoes. A look at the statistics confirmed our fears - 98% of all children are born with healthy feet, but few adults still have all-around healthy feet. This is mostly due to poorly fitting and incorrectly designed shoes. Time for a new concept and a new generation of children's shoes!

At first it seemd a crazy idea at the kitchen table: "Come on, let's make shoes now." We had no idea how to do it, but we knew where we wanted to go and kept at it. Together with last builders, shoe designers and modelers, we developed a shoe that offers a completely new concept regarding the fit, the materials and the sole. This is how we now also approach other issues that are important to us: Social justice, climate protection - if we know where we want to go, we can find a way to get there.