Hello Functional Footwear Friends,
Turriff Footwear is gaining momentum, and I’ve had the good fortune to welcome many new followers since the last newsletter! For those who are new, and for anyone who missed it, I wanted to revisit the Turriff Footwear Origin Story. I hope this will give you some insight into my personal journey, the philosophy that shaped my views on footwear, and the path that led directly to the creation of Turriff Functional Footwear.
Aesthetics to Utility: The Artist’s Path
My footwear career began with a background in Fine Arts and a love for shoes. While I initially envisioned myself working as a designer for a large company, I quickly fell in love with the hands-on craft. I quietly honed my making and design skills, first interning with some large, well-known companies, and then gaining vast experience working in traditional West Coast boot factories and small bespoke footwear studios.
As I developed my craft, my hope was still to work as a designer for a big company. The opportunity eventually came, but after touring the facilities, I turned the jobs down. At the time, it just didn’t feel right. They seemed less concerned with making good products and more focused on seasonal performance technology and marketing. I was slowly becoming disillusioned with the footwear industry. What these footwear giants described as a “love for innovation and design,” I now see was a rationale for planned obsolescence.
The Breakdown: Brittle and Sensitive
Throughout the building of my career, I had always been a fitness fanatic. I wore the newest and best tech-driven footwear. For no real reason, I was constantly seeking to be the fastest and the strongest. After years of training, I looked athletic and fit, but inside, my body was breaking down, accumulating injuries in my feet, legs, and hips. I was brittle and sensitive; my body, much like the tech-driven footwear I wore, had become superficial. I was functionally weak.
The turning point in my philosophy began when I moved with my young family to the East Coast of Canada. There were no footwear design or shoemaking jobs, so I started making orthopaedic footwear, hoping to use my shoemaking skills to help people. These were long days spent on my feet. I had poor mobility, pain and tingling in my heels and Achilles. My hips were out of alignment, and I walked lopsided and struggled with sciatica.
At the recommendation of my orthopaedic employers, I began wearing heavily structured, rigid footwear for work. These clunky everyday orthopaedic shoes were designed with the same concepts found in the lightweight tech-driven runners I was still wearing for my exercise. Although the pain was slightly numbed, I wasn’t improving my function or solving my bio-mechanical issues.
A New Purpose: Enduring Strength and Utility
The tech wasn’t working, and I couldn’t accept the idea that I would spend my life in pain, slowly breaking down and losing my mobility and function. So I decided to go the opposite direction and strip everything away. I took my narrow, rigid, and overly cushioned shoes off. As I slowly began to rebuild my movement patterns, I learned to tread lightly and with intention.
I had reignited an awareness in my body, my movement, and the impacts I was putting on myself. By reconnecting with my body and shifting my focus from “biggest and fastest” to “functional and enduring,” I was able to slow down and listen to what my body needed to create lasting functionality.
This awareness brought realization and an existential search. The very footwear I poured years of my life into creating was contributing to my pain and mechanical problems. I realized I had devoted my career to creating what now felt like hollow and superficial products, a result of the outdated methods and entrenched ideologies I had been taught and once believed in.
The Solution: Versatile Freedom
My goal shifted. I didn’t need to be the biggest or fastest; I needed to work within my natural capabilities and focus on creating enduring strength and mobility for the long, active life I plan to live.
The values I sought for myself—usefulness, longevity, and natural movement—became the foundation of Turriff Functional Footwear.
With so many minimalist athletic shoes on the market, I wanted to create something different: functional everyday footwear designed for our modern, active lifestyles.
Turriff Functional Footwear performs seamlessly across a variety of settings, terrains, and conditions. These are versatile shoes that move with you through the natural environment and your daily urban routines.
Just as our bodies are a tool for navigating life’s varied terrain, so is Turriff Footwear.
Turriff Functional Footwear simplifies your life by being that one pair you really need. Their rugged versatility invites you to step outside and into the natural landscape. In nature, you can breathe, reset, and find inspiration in the wonders of the earth. These shoes are about more than just freeing your toes; they’re about freeing yourself from the noise of modern life so you can focus on what truly matters: family, friends, and building a sustainable future.
Turriff Footwear: built for movement, shaped by nature, and ready for everyday life.
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Ready to experience the superior fit and rugged functionality of the Turriff Anatomical Outdoor Shoe? Head over to www.turriffshoes.com to order yours today!
If you have any questions about sizing or the shoes please don’t hesitate to ask and I will be happy to help you out.
Email me: andrew@turriffshoes.com
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Tread lightly and Be comfy!
Andrew
Great write-up! These are the shoes we need. Multi-purpose, capable, durable, ergonomic, and long-lasting. I am excited to get mine and put them through the paces. I have been searching for a do everything outdoor shoe for years. Thanks!