I recently discovered an eclectic, fashionable and comfortable walking shoe brand out of Israel called NAOT, though they are largely distributed by Yaleet in the U.S. market. They are apparently Israel’s leading manufacturer and exporter of shoes. It’s easy to see why! We saw them in a shop while on doing a tour of northern California and thought they would be a great choice for avid travelers given their super comfortable insoles as soft leather.
They manufacturer Clogs, Sandals, Shoes and Boots for both men and women. Each NAOT shoe is handmade with the finest and highest quality raw materials — and, in an array of fun colors. The shoes are handmade in Northern Israel by a joint effort of Israelis and Palestinians — #shoes4peace, #NaotGivesBack and @NaotFootwear on Social Media if you want to check out their activity online. Additionally, they donate around 15,000 pairs of NAOT shoes and sandals to local charities, something we applaud. Bravo!
So, they’re doing great work, but how do their shoes hold up on long trips? This is one consideration for travelers as is their flexibility. In other words, can you dress them up and down for various occasions on the road? Often, we don’t have the space to bring several pairs of shoes on the road — what we loved about their line is that the colors are fun, but neutral enough to go with both dressy and casual items and they’re so incredibly comfortable that you could wear them walking all day through an urban city sprawl and continue to wear them for a nice dinner in the evenings.
Their styles tend to be rustic meets casual but with an elegant twist. Take the SIROCCO for example, a boot for women, which jumped off the page when we first browsed their website. The Sirocco is a chic bootie flat with contrasting leathers. This style has a zipper and padded technical lining providing comfort, warmth,and moisture absorbing. Its removable, anatomic cork & latex foot bed is wrapped in microfiber and leather and molds to the shape of the foot with wear. The result? Incredible comfort.
The Aura Collection features a 1.5″ polyurethane sole with a metal shank which is extremely lightweight, durable and abrasive to prevent slipping. The above bootie comes in two tone Brown Suede & Leather with gold trim (above), Saddle Brown Leather, Volcanic Red Berry Leather and Black Madras with a Gray Shimmer. Absolutely gorgeous. Their shoe styles span from rustic (similar to the above style) to something a little more fun like the shoe below, which they refer to as DASHING.
The DASHING Maryjane shoe has a slight heel so you can give it a dressier look, but it’s comfortable enough for some heavy walking during a tour or casual activity. This style has contrasting leathers and a hook and loop and one of the things I loved about the strap is that you can just pull it back to get the shoe off, so there’s no need to mess around with getting the buckle connected each and every time.
The anatomic foot bed molds to the shape of the foot with wear just like the boot.The Supreme Collection features a metal shank and provides the look of a two inch heel without the feel, another thing we love about the shoe. It comes in gray/teal blue and carob brown (above — which is the one we’re testing out), a black and gray combo and a conservative and yet elegant brown leather and saddle brown combo.
Another nice fine touch of the shoe is the beautiful wood grain around the main shoe and the heal — the photo doesn’t do it justice. It looks and feels luxurious, which is hard to find in a great walking shoe.
I’m a huge fan of boots and while slightly more stylish ones may not be the best choice for long term travel, they’re great options for road trips when you don’t need to think about luggage space. NAOT’s Gratify was my favorite, a knee-high boot with contrasting leathers and rivet accents. The boot has a heel cup for stability, hidden gore and an inside zipper, adding to the chicness of this gem.
It also has a padded technical lining which provides warmth and absorbs moisture. Its anatomic cork and latex foot bed is wrapped in pampering suede and molds to the shape of the foot with wear. Quite frankly, they were so comfortable when I first put them on at my desk at home, that I forgot to take them off. Walking around the city, I felt like I was in heaven….it was a bit like walking on air. I do a lot of walking back and forth between home and the train station, which includes walking up a significant hill and covering that route in the Gratify was bliss!
If you’re more of a flat healed gal, then you’ll love their Levanto ankle boot which comes in a vintage gray leather and a deep rich brown suede (LOVE this). It has a pull tab to ease entry and a padded tongue for ultimate comfort. The Levanto has padded technical lining for comfort, warmth and moisture absorption as well. Stylin’ and comfortable seem to be central to the Naot line and integral to every shoe and boot they design.
Women’s shoes and boots aren’t the only thing they do well and we’ll be taking a look at their sandals later this spring. In the meantime, meet the NAOT DIRECTOR for men, which is a slip on shoe with gore at the instep for accessibility. While the photo certainly allows this gem of a shoe to shine, it doesn’t demonstrate just how durable and strong it is. This is one solid shoe that is so durable you feel as if it will last for a decade, not a few years. Handmade and beautifully stitched, the leather’s quality is top notch.
A unique thing about the DIRECTOR is its two-tone look, particularly this one, which they refer to as Volcanic/Red although you can clearly see that the black shines through for most of the shoe. It’s the kind of shoe you can easily dress up or dress down — it can go with a sharp pair of pants for dinner or work, or with a pair of jeans. In other words, it’s a great business shoe, but it is also a great traveling option because it’s so versatile that it can go with nearly anything.
We absolutely loved this two-tone look and like my boots, they were so comfortable — Anthony didn’t want to take them off. This style has a padded heel cup and padded back sides for ultimate comfort. The DIRECTOR shoe also features padded technical lining in the front for comfort, warmth and moisture absorption, which is a godsend when you’ve been on your feet all day. It is part of the Executive Collection, which features a 1.75 inch TPR sole with a metal shank. Like so many others in the NAOT shoe line, this collection uses a hand-sewn strobel construction making it strong and extremely flexible.
In addition to the volcanic red/black two tone, it comes in black raven and vintage grey.
While we didn’t test this shoe out, we wanted to also highlight the CHIEF shoe for men because of it’s unique handpainted treatments, which gives it a one-of-a-kind look. Color variations in the leather add to the shoes individuality making each pair just a little different, so there are two two sets of shoes that are identical. It only comes in a two tone deep rich brown; have a look — we love this shoe!
The CHIEF is a lace up dress shoe with a contrasting heel cup and it comes in a deep rich brown leather which we love. The other boot we think makes a good traveling shoe is called NAOT BUSINESS, which is a stylish ankle boot with contrasting leathers. This style features double gore and a padded instep. Like the others, this rich boot features padded technical lining in the front for comfort, warmth and moisture absorption. It comes in a brown leather and brown suede combo (below) or a black leather and black suede combo. Both the CHIEF shoe and the BUSINESS boot have a 1.75 inch TPR sole with a metal shank. Like so many others in the NAOT line, they use a hand-sewn strobel construction making it strong and extremely flexible.
The Technology Under-the-Hood
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
