Rothy's Ballet Flat -- Worth the Hype?
Tested Travel was interested to review Rothy's shoes. They are environmentally friendly--made from recycled water bottles. And, they are advertised everywhere--on the internet, on Facebook, on Instagram, on the radio. They tend to be a bit more expensive than your average shoe.
Our question is, are they worth the hype?
Here is the Tested Travel take on the Rothy's ballet flat:
- Comfort--Tested Travel found Rothy's shoes to be very comfortable. The fabric allows good give for various foot shapes. One might think that shoes made of recycled water bottles would be stiff. These shoes aren't. They have a lot of bend and give.
- Breathable--Breathability in a shoe is a must in hot climates. There is nothing worse than sweaty feet (seriously, there is nothing worse). This is even truer when you are traveling. Tested Travel found Rothy's shoe to be very light and breathable. Even walking around on a hot day, our feet stayed dry.
- Washable-- Rothy's advertises its shoes as "machine washable." Tested Travel was pretty skeptical of this claim. So, we gave it a try. And, we found them to be, in fact, washable. Ours had everyday dirt on them, nothing extreme. But, they looked really fresh when we took them out of the washer. Note, the instructions are very explicit--no hot water, no dryer.
- Light -- as mentioned earlier, these shoes are incredibly light. In some ways that makes them perfect for travel -- not going to take up too much room in your luggage. They are so light, you can bring an extra pair and not feel too guilty!
- Support -- Rothy's have very thin soles. It is what makes them light. Tested Travel found Rothy's shoes perfectly fine for general wear -- around town, to museums, restaurants, etc. Given the thinness of the sole, we would not wear them on trails or over cobblestone streets. You would feel every stone and bump.
While this might be a matter of taste, Rothy's ballet flats can't really be worn with socks. From a travel perspective, this limits them to warm weather (sockless) travel adventures.
See additional detail on the Rothy's website.