In a couple weeks, the Pines crew is touching down in Chicago-Schaumburg for the biggest event in natural footwear: The Barefoot Shoe Expo - hosted by Anya's Reviews.
Imagine 33,000 square feet dedicated entirely to people who care about foot health and natural movement. We wouldn't miss it for the world. We've been practically living in the lab getting these prototypes ready to show off, and it's gettin' time to pack the bags.
Follow along on IG for behind-the-scenes looks at how we are prepping for the madness.
Why We’re Hitting the Expo
If you are new to the Pines, here is exactly why we are making the trip, and why we built this brand in the first place.
Modern athletic shoes are fundamentally broken. They squish your toes together and stack you on two inches of foam, completely disconnecting you from the court. It kills your balance, weakens your feet, and slows down your reaction time.
We stripped it all away to build better court shoe from the ground up. Here is the hardware we are bringing to the expo floor:
- Anatomical Toe Box: Your toes are meant to splay for natural balance, so we actually gave them the room to do it.
- Flexible Cushioning: court surfaces are hard and unnatural - our 6mm Q-Phase drop in midsole lets you play all day, without compromising on flexibility or creating platform-shoe level stack height.
- The Zero-Drop Base (Plus The Alt-4): Our out-of-the-box setup is pure zero-drop for perfect alignment and explosive movement. But we also know the barefoot transition takes time, so we built the Alt-4: a drop-in midsole that gives you a custom 4mm offset. Pure ground feel when you want it, and a subtle pitch when you need it. Play your way.
Come Find Us
If you are heading to the expo, make sure Pines is on your map. We are bringing the heat to the booth.
Come test your skills in the Pickleball Challenge, vote on our next colorway, and scan your way onto our VIP Early Access list before the shoes officially drop to the public.
See you in Chicago. 👟🏓
