You’re on your way to the gym in the pouring rain and you step in a puddle. Your socks are now soaked and your mood is shot.
A Vancouver company wants to put an end to wet feet with a first-of-its-kind stylish line of knitted waterproof sneakers. Vessi Footwear claims to be lightweight and moisture wicking, while keeping your feet dry no matter the weather.
“They’re very breathable, elastic form fitting,” explained Andy Wang, company co-founder.
The McLaughlin on Your Side team decided to put them to the test. Ross McLaughlin put a pair of the black, knit Vessi sneakers on and dipped both of his feet into a bucket of water. He then poured the water over his toes.
“I’m wiggling my toes, pouring the water on my foot, and it’s still dry,” he said.
The company spent two years working with a world renowned waterproof company to create what it calls the most comfortable all-weather shoes.
Melanie Henderson also volunteered to help us with our test. Her 6:30 a.m. walk to work is often wet. She kept the shoes and a video diary for a week.
“My shoes are wet on top,” she said in one video, “but it doesn’t seem like my feet are actually getting wet.”
A week later we met back up with her for her full review.
“They’re comfortable, they’re easy to walk in and they keep your feet dry,” she explained, “I’ve had three people ask me where I got them.”
The shoes come in three styles and sell for around $135. When the company launched its Kickstarter campaign back in the fall of 2017 it took in 10,000 orders in less than two months, raising more than a million dollars.
“There's definitely a market and we really hope to be one of the first to just make people really love these type of shoes," said Wang.
Vessi says their shoes are designed to form fit and are composed of layers including latex. There's another knit shoe on the market with a waterproof design that’s made by Adidas. It's made from Gortex and sells for about $30 more.
