Bobux might not be familiar to many of us Brits, but the New Zealand-born children’s shoe designer is set to make a real splash here in the UK this year. Their shoes replicate Barefoot Freedom for little people all over the world, with contemporary shoes that support the natural development of their feet. It makes perfect sense really - Children’s feet undergo momentous changes in a very short amount of time, and need room to grow and flex.

Some 24 years since launching, the Bobux collection has grown to include some really fresh designs for the style-savvy tot, and their new X range is possibly their boldest move yet. Part of their SS15 catalogue, they’ll be hitting the shops around Feb 2015 and are set to shake up the children’s footwear market. The range is informed by extensive research with Bobux quizzing mums to find out if, and how, their current choice of children’s shoe is letting them down. Based on their findings, the X range aims to address every concern the modern mother might have.

For the style-conscious!

There’s no getting away from the fact these are a seriously funky pair of kicks! As these shoes were sent to me as part of a seeding campaign prior to launch, we were only given a narrow choice to choose from, so I opted for the most girly of these for Heidi. When the range is launched, it will be available in 9 colourways over 3 styles; Origin (with a leather upper), Freestyle (with a cotton canvas upper) and Arctic (with a leather upper and merino lining) and will retail at around £27.

Heidi’s is an Xplorer Origin shoe, designed for babies and those new to the walking game.

Designed by footwear Sean Masiano (who has created for the likes of Adidas and Prada) these look great with jeggings and black leggings, but otherwise they do have a tendency to clash with her outfits. I didn’t ever intend for Heidi to become a cloud of baby pink, but it seems she has, and these definitely don’t work with the prettier pieces in her wardrobe. For boys, and sporty girlies however, they look pretty cool. I love the neon soles with X insignia, and Heidi seems to too as she can’t stop fiddling with them!

For the traditionalist and health-conscious

The premise behind the shoes is that whilst there are soft sole shoes available for indoor use and cruisers for outdoor use, there aren’t really any shoes that work for both. The Xplorer shoe has been created to address this concern, and design-wise, they’re pretty clever. They’re so soft you can fold and scrunch them within your palm, yet with robust soles perfect for outdoor conditions. The EVA sole features dozens of little bubble grips which means they really hold their own on laminate flooring, tiles and even wet decking.

There are no seams rub or chafe little feet, and the soft soles have proved great for Heidi as she goes about her daily adventures; pulling herself to her feet, crawling, strutting around with her baby walker. When she stands, they enable her to stay flat-footed and in constant contact with the ground thus improving her core stability. For children who are brand new to standing and who tend to favour tiptoes, they also boast a micro-armour toe-cap to prevent scuffing.

Any niggles?

Putting the shoes on is a bit of a struggle. I don’t want to be too harsh here as it’s notoriously to get any shoe on a wriggling Heidi, but we do have to pin her down to ease these on. The trouble is, they’re so soft, there’s nothing to leverage her foot against. Don’t worry though, once on they do stay put.

Overall

I can’t wait to see the rest of the range. The high canvas tops sound really exciting and if they come in white, I’ll be buying them. I’d highly recommend them for performance, value for money, and flexibility.

If you can’t wait until February, head to the website to see some of the other ranges Bobux offer including the step-up and i-walk ranges which offer the same clever technology for more confident walkers. You can also follow Bobux on Twitter and Facebook.