REVIEW: GUS SLIPPERS FROM BAABUK

I don’t know about you, but we like to keep a no shoe household. This is not just in some vain attempt to keep the floor clean of muddy footprints (let’s face it, my boots are often quite muddy), but also our way of using the act of coming in the front door as some kind of symbol for relaxation and rest. The shoes come off, the feet breathe, the mind slackens, and home becomes a place for respite.

Relaxing in my Baabuk Slippers.

While in the summer my preference is bare feet when I’m wandering around the house, any other time of year, or in fact all the time when I’m cooking or doing chores, I like to wear slippers. Slippers are awesome. They’re like wonderful cosy relaxation aids for my feet. But not just any slippers; I find the standard fashion store pairs last about five minutes and never fit right, so I tend to spend well on slippers. Yea, I’m a self-confessed “slipper snob”! My usual choice are The North Face Thermoball Tent Slippers, which are probably the most practical slippers I’ve ever owned. Until now…

Baabuk (https://www.baabuk.com/), a Swiss company, make all wool shoes and slippers. A new company founded in 2013, the family run company are passionate about wool and nature, and believe that ditching synthetic fibres in favour of natural ones means we get great pieces with technical features that are better for the environment. It’s a difficult one isn’t it, I mean synthetic clothing generally means plastic or similar. Wool is a great material in general; it is renewable, comfortable, breathable, warm “and yet cool”, antibacterial, durable, water repellent, naturally fire retardant, easy to look after, will compost when you’re finished with it… that’s quite a list.

I’ve been wearing my slippers for just over a month and I would say that the first couple of times I did wonder if they would be as comfortable as Baabuk suggest. I mean, they seemed a great shape, good to walk around in, and kept my feet warm, but they also seemed quite rigid – they didn’t hug my feet like my old tent mules. But after a few weeks they have really started to soften up. They have become more supple, have moulded more to the shape of my feet, and because there are no stitches in the upper (they are made from one piece), there is nothing that will rub or break.

My Gus slippers with my OnePiece tee, skinny jeans and Christmas socks. Of course.

Most importantly, the slippers are super comfortable. They’re not soft and cosy, they are more shoe-like than that, but they are certainly warm and help look after my feet when I’m pottering around the house. The sole is easily sturdy enough to cope with trips to the freezer in the garage, they could quite successfully be used as tent slippers if you are off on an expedition, and the upper is smart enough to not raise any eye brows in hotel bars, breakfast lounges or your mum’s house (yes I’ve got to the age where I pack slippers…).

Slippers and socks. Apparently we shouldn’t wear socks with wool slippers though, you have been told!

These aren’t cheap (just under 70EURO), but they are good – this is one of those “you get what you pay for” reviews. If you’re looking for an all-natural, comfortable, warm, breathable and (in my opinion) stylish pair of slippers then you should definitely check Baabuk out.

Now I think I need a pair of the Urban Wooler lace up shoes…

With thanks to Baabuk for sending me a pair of their Gus slippers to try out. Mine are in the Emerald Green which don’t currently appear on the website – I think I’d go for the orange if I was choosing today.