story
Creating the Most Comfortable & Supportive Shoes in the World:
As the founders of Walking Co., a comfort footwear retailer with national reach, we’d been in the shoe business for a long time when we realized there were some things that desperately needed to change. For more than 20 years, we’d been collecting feedback from millions of customers, and what we learned was that people wanted comfortable shoes that fit their lifestyle and that they felt confident walking around in.
Unfortunately, their needs weren’t always being met. First, the most comfortable shoes in the world were usually the most unattractive; and second, a supportive sandal just didn’t exist.
All around the world, people were being forced to choose between style and comfort. They were either opting for clunky, closed-toe orthotic sneakers or, if they opted for open-toe sandals, they suffered all day in shoes that had zero support.
To us, that just didn’t seem fair, which is why in 2010, we took our 20-plus years of knowledge, experience, and credibility in the footwear industry and created ABEO. We set out to solve the problems we’d been observing for years, and started by designing a shoe with built-in orthotics. This technology, which we called our B.I.O.system®, gave us way more flexibility when it came to design, allowing us to design open-toe shoes that were actually good for your feet.
Our first creation was the Balboa — the first sandal with the kind of comfort you normally only get with expensive, high-end orthotics.
Creating the Balboa was a labor of love and science. At ABEO, we use advanced mapping technology to ensure that the footwear we design always performs to give you the perfect, healthy stride. We designed the Balboa with a channeled rubber outsole to absorb shock and improve traction, and ABEO’s signature B.I.O.system®, which provides better support, alignment, and balance for a healthier stride. Unlike other sandals, you can wear the Balboa all day long with zero foot fatigue.
But don’t take it from us, take it from our thousands of happy customers. As soon as we launched the Balboa, the reviews came flooding in. Not only did our invention allow countless people to wear sandals for the first time in years, most of them actually experienced relief from knee pain, lower back discomfort, plantar fasciitis, and dozens of other foot-related ailments.
The Balboa was such a success that we started designing other types of sandals. First, we created fashion-forward styles — like the Bea, the Brynn, and the Benefit — that look as good as they feel. Then, we designed the Goleta and the Huntington, which can be worn for anything from trail hiking to gardening, for our adventurous, outdoor-loving customers who want an open-toe shoe. All of these designs contain our B.I.O.system® for unbelievable comfort.
Again, the reviews poured in from customers whose feet had never felt better. In fact, our sandals were such a success that it led us to the research, development, and creation of our own line of orthotics awarded the use of the American Podiatric Medical Association’s (APMA’s) Seal of Acceptance. Designed to be affordable, support many different arch types, and have a custom fit for all-day comfort, our orthotics can be used with any closed-toe shoe already in your closet. That way, no matter the occasion, you never have to sacrifice your foot health.
At ABEO, we believe that a comfortable shoe can change your life. So whether the Bea allows you to enjoy your European vacation in style, you’re simply looking to prevent a foot pain problem in the future, or our orthotics mean you get to wear your favorite boots again, we’re here to make sure that every shoe you wear has an orthotic, built-in or not. At the end of the day, our goal is to create shoes that support you, so that every single morning, you can hit the ground running and enjoy your life.
And while you’re busy living, we’ll be here, continuously innovating to make sure that our footwear always performs, always aligns, and always remains one step ahead.
The ABEO Team