The new autumn collection

It’s still summer but some shops are already displaying autumn goods in their windows. And of course we are also raring to go with our autumn/winter collection! The photos for the catalogue were taken in Switzerland at the end of last winter. And there’s a lot for you to look forward to: there are more boots than ever before and in a whole range of styles:

- some lined with calfskin for the in-between-season period and
- wonderfully warm ones lined with genuine lambskin for when it gets really cold.

We have put a lot of thought into long boots this year. These now feature generous shaft widths for slim, average and more sporty calves. Generous, wide folds under long elasticated straps enable you to vary how you wear your long boots so that you can even tuck your trousers into them if you wish.

I am so taken with our new winter collection that I am convinced that you too will be able to find at least one style that will warm your heart, as well as your feet.
We even have lined sneaker modes and a low-cut shoe for men lined with lambskin.

But whether our shoes are extremely warm, extremely chic or both, they are always

EXTREMELY COMFORTABLE

Our autumn/winter catalogue is something you can really look forward to.

Hilke Bär

P.S. Please don’t wait until it is really cold to order in case you are disappointed:
there is no additional production of the “winter only” shoes in the collection.
And that would be a real shame for your cold feet and what they would have
to suffer.

“Heel spur problems?” – we can help.

The question of the “heel spur” has continued to preoccupy us as it would seem to be relatively widespread. We have developed solutions which soothe your foot when the problem occurs and are based on our own experiences.

In the BÄR ultra-elastic 3mm Poron insole, we can punch a hole in the central section of the heel concerned if you want us to. Simply tell us if you want it on the left or right. You then fill this cavity with the gel heel cushion, also from BÄR and available in three sizes (depending on your shoe size). With the pressure relieved in this way, your heel can recover and you can start to walk better again while still taking care. As the pain subsides, you can remove first the Poron insoles and then the gel cushion.

Important: naturally you must use both the Poron insoles (one with cavity and one without) and the gel cushion, otherwise you would be higher at one side than the other. This would be harmful to your backbone and your hips and could cause lasting damage.

When your heel spur problems have disappeared completely and you feel like going on a longer walk (hikes or city trips), it is worthwhile taking the gel cushion with you – for every eventuality. It is both lightweight and soothing.

Be good to your feet and good on your feet!

Yours

Hilke Bär

Different sized feet?

Many people have unequal or different feet. With BÄR shoes, if the difference is half a size, you base your choice on the larger foot size. The shoe on the smaller foot can be adjusted by means of the lacing or Velcro fastener. Naturally, the smaller foot has more space at the end of the toes. Important: the shoe must be a perfect fit in the heel area and over your instep. Of course in this case, a slip-on is not recommended as there is no means of adjusting it. A small difference in volume, i.e. in the overall size of the feet, can be compensated for by means of a 3mm Poron insole. This is available in both the slim and natural fit models.

If the difference is more than a half size, we still have the solution:

You can have two different shoe sizes made. This special order involves a 40% surcharge. First, you need to find the right size of BÄR shoe for each foot. Once you have done this, contact our call centre to find out what to do next. We will be more than happy to help.

When it comes to shoes, we are happy to help you get out of virtually impossible situations. At least we make every effort to make life easier on your feet.

Best wishes

Hilke Bär

Celebrities

Hilke Bär

Those of you who have followed us for a number of years can surely still remember that true ambassador of BÄR shoes, Princess Irina of Saxony. She was always extremely elegant, from the stylish cut of her snow white hair to her shoes which she wore for many years, until she passed away, on her numerous journeys and to all her top-level receptions. She wanted to remain as mobile as possible into her old age, which meant being able to walk unhindered. Our shoes played a major part in helping her to achieve her goal.

When we saw one day on TV that the famous German actor Dietmar Bär was wearing our shoes, we were overjoyed. We thought a person like him, someone who is authentic, was just the kind of person to team up with BÄR, and so we contacted him. We met him for breakfast in a restaurant in Berlin and hit it off immediately. We discovered that he had bought his first pair of BÄR shoes in Lüneburg, Germany and had been very impressed. Our shoes made standing around on a TV set for hours on end much easier and even in his leisure time, he has always appreciated them.

Rainer Calmund, well known former manager of the football team Bayer Leverkusen, is an excellent advert for our ample toe zone as well as the considerable flexibility and cushioning in our shoes, especially the sports shoes.

We now have over 20 branches and attract new customers every day, both famous and less famous: to us, you are all important and valuable and we are always happy to talk to you. We have always taken your opinion seriously and it has always been important to us, giving us food for thought and even changing a few things.

Thank you for your loyalty!

Yours

Hilke Bär

Before we “let them out”, new BÄR models take very different paths.

Hilke Bär

Not too long ago, I thought that this kind of blog relating information and experiences would be of very little interest to other people. Now I know better and very glad I am too. Many experiences don’t necessarily have to be your own. Since we began making shoes, I have grown used to having to try all our ladies’ models until everything is perfect.

Sometimes it is also a little absurd, for example when I had to approve the final version of two different new products from BÄR. The solution was to try one model on my right foot and the other on the left. Two entirely different shoes – only the sizes were the same. Because this type of decision cannot be based on walking a few metres around the office, I kept my non-identical shoes on while I visited someone in hospital in Ludwigsburg. Even before I got there, I had forgotten that I probably looked a little odd.

The shoes didn’t make themselves felt, which meant that they were an excellent fit – they didn’t inhibit me. In the lift, there were several other people with me. They looked at me, then at my shoes and then back at me with an unmistakable look on their faces (what’s wrong with this woman). When they saw that I didn’t press the “psychiatry” button, they were perplexed … and I was amused. I didn’t offer any explanation and I suspect that a few people had something to mull over or talk about later that day.

I had a wonderful experience some years ago in Japan, … but I’ll tell you about that some other time.

Make the most of the warmth of the sun on your feet that are (hopefully) no longer in tights. It feels good and does you good as well!

Yours

Hilke Bär

Thuringia “barefoot”

Hilke Bär

Have you ever visited a castle barefoot? No, me neither. We were at Wartburg Castle in Eisenach. Like most castles, it was built on a hill. As we enjoy walking, we set off on the part wooded, part stony path in our new minimalistic Nimbletoes® shoes from BÄR. Amazingly, we never once slipped on the loose pebbles. Our feet always adjusted very quickly to the ground and reacted to even the smallest change. The walk wasn’t at all tiring and we basically forgot about the path as we took in every detail of the surrounding countryside.

Once we had reached the top, we enjoyed a very interesting guided tour around the castle, learning not only about Martin Luther’s life and work but also about the history of Thuringia’s nobility, enthrallingly interwoven with the old walls. Through the barely 4-mm-thick soles of our Nimbletoes®, we could almost feel the history oozing out of the stones which were already in place hundreds of years ago and across which Luther, Johann Sebastian Bach and Goethe had all tread. It was as if they were right there with us. I believe we could feel history. Once the visit was over, we naturally walked back down the hillside.

The next morning, before everybody else had the same idea, we drove to the Drachenschlucht gorge close to Eisenach. It’s the real deal: very narrow, with very steep and high walls of rock. A footpath ran alongside a clear stream, sometimes crossing wooden footbridges or metal catwalks under which the little stream bubbled along – and all the time we could feel the moisture making the air very cool. When it got really wet and muddy, we ladies ploughed straight into the mud with our lovely silver-coloured “gripsters”. They were very dirty, BUT there wasn’t really any water inside our shoes so we forgot the dirt and made it through the gorge to discover a landscape of light, mixed deciduous woodland. It was absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to continue along the trail, so we doubled back through the gorge again, mud and all.

So what did we learn?
The mud washed out, the shoes dried in no time and our feet had taken just as much pleasure, if not more, from feeling the path as our eyes had from seeing the countryside and our ears from hearing about the Wartburg. It was a weekend worth repeating. I wish you lots of fun and remember – always choose the right shoes!

Yours truly,

Hilke Bär

Anticipating Summer

Hilke Bär

Start preparing your feet for summer now – because by the time that summer comes, you’re sure to regret not having started early enough. Start spoiling your feet now with everything that they love: warm socks, warm footbaths, nourishing creams and NO narrow shoes. I’m reminding you now, that the beautiful sandals will draw attention to your feet.

In any case we have been thinking of your feet already and have produced some new models but also established sandals and summer shoes, in  different widths and with small 10mm heels or just flat. Now you only have to judge your feet honestly and choose the appropriate model . Usually BÄR sandals have cushioned  insoles for a softened impact when walking. 

Have a look for the prettiest model for yourself – but also for the most suitable one for a bright, lively summer, unhampered by your feet. For we can do a considerable amount to contribute to your well-being – especially the well-being of your feet. If you’re not sure which model would be the most suitable for you then call us or drop in to one of our shops. We’d be pleased to assist.

Yours truly,

Hilke Baer

We need our feet our whole life long – Part 3

Hilke Bär

Compared to when we started out making shoes, there are many more people nowadays insisting on special insoles being the only solution to their problems. The demand for shoes with removable insoles has risen considerably, i.e. there are far more people who have orthopaedic insoles and want to exchange the existing insole for their orthopaedic ones . Naturally that is the more convenient method for the person wearing the insoles. The less comfortable one is to exercise the feet, strengthening the muscles. A support weakens the muscles and these degenerate. That results in one being totally dependant on the support.

Once again I would like to point out that my own experience has made very clear that sufficient room to move in shoes complemented by specific foot exercises not only strengthens the muscles in the feet, but also those in the lower body and pelvic floor areas and helps prevent hip and knee wear. Warm feet are a by-product of this effort ! Additionally the improved energy-flow has a positive influence on the circulation in the legs and this helps to prevent varicose veins or to relieve existing ones.

You’re used to wearing high-heels?  Then you will probably need a little longer before your feet have become used to the zero-heel position. You don’t need to do without them completely, but restricting their use to special occasions is surely to be recommended. If you walk the whole day in healthy shoes with lots of toe-room and zero-heel, then you can wear the most beautiful Italian high-heels, for your feet are relaxed.

Yours truly,

Hilke Baer

We need our feet our whole life long – Part 2

Hilke Bär

Our feet require care and attention and – most of all – shoes in which they feel comfortable, which fit them. With “fit” we mean that they need room for the toes to wiggle and move freely. The toes naturally need to have room enough to grip and spread without hindrance. That way, the foot can build muscles with each step completely naturally.

High heels change the static of the whole body and lead to an unnatural strain on the spine. Wearing too narrow shoes can lead to hammer toes and bunions. Very often these deformations can only be rectified by surgery. Some doctors recommend that their patients wear BÄR shoes with natural fit and zero heel  – consequently for a few months – in order to ease painful irritation of the bone on e.g. the bunion. Sometimes it is even possible to avoid surgery if the front of the foot has enough room and there is absolutely no pressure on the bone. It’s always worth trying that in order to help oneself. The best idea, however, would be to avoid such deformations altogether. (…to be continued…)

We need our feet our whole life – Part 1

Hilke Bär

Our feet carry us and our body weight through thick and thin and get older along with us. They carry us approximately 4 times around the world in the course of our lives – that’s about 160.000km. Did you know that? Or do you – like most people – normally just forget your feet completely unless they hurt?

If you already know us and our shoes then you are already conscious of this and have realised that shoe fashions mostly don’t take into consideration how feet actually feel. Fashionable is only what hurts? As long as one is young, feet normally go along with everything. But, in the end, all of these shoe sins – no matter how small – influence our sensitive and highly complicated movement apparatus negatively – our knees, hips, spine and with that our health and whole well-being.

Too narrow and/or too small shoes hinder the circulation in the feet and legs and varicose veins can be the result. It is the calf muscles which ensure that the vein flaps open and close , to stop the blood from sinking back to the feet and these muscles are only active when we wear low-heeled shoes or better still flat ones.

No human being is born with heels. (…to be continued…)