Jeb Dickerson once said, “Morning is when the wick is lit. A flame ignited, the day delighted with heat and light, we start the fight for something more than before.”
We know that the rhythm of our day is often determined by the morning hours… a fact even more important for those outdoor enthusiasts who don’t simply want to live the day, but rather attack it head on.
Your closet is chock-full of high performance technical gear for the outdoors, why shouldn’t your indoor morning (and evening) casual gear be any different? Enter the Self Employed House Shoes from Freewaters.
As noted in our review of the Magic Carpet, Freewaters is raising the stakes in the world of flip-flop design and now they are doing the same thing to the world of casual house kicks. We’re pretty sure you’ve never owned a “slipper” that rivals the technological goodness of your running shoes.
The Freewaters House Shoes are composed of three separate parts which come together to create the holy trinity of comfort.
The outer shell isn’t just good lookin’, it’s constructed from premium microsuede that is solvent-free and vegan-friendly leaving the earth and your soul untainted. To top it off the Self Employed kicks include a ventilation zipper to airate your feet. Until a footwear company installs AC & Heat this is easily the most customizable climate control features available for your feet.
When it comes to the liner we have a confession to make. On day one we were a little doubtful whether the Self Employed House Shoes would meet our expectations. The liner felt overly puffy and seemed to lack some breathability even with the ventilation zipper cranked open. Yet by day two the liner had already started to conform to the foot bringing about a superior comfort level that had me asking why I ever doubted.
Did we mention that the Self Employed House Shoes also feature an exclusive removable and washable liner? In other words, pull it out, put it through the wash and your House Shoes will be as fresh as that morning pot of coffee.
Because your foot shouldn’t have to work harder when it’s relaxing the Self Employed House Shoes have a 3-D molded ergonomic insole. Fashioned from high-quality rubber foam, the Self Employed provide solid arch support and a heel cup that supports and stabilizes the foot, giving your hardworking feet the first-class treatment they deserve.
The cozy interior, is matched by a non-marking recycled eco-rubber outsole that is tacky enough to keep you upright when you’ve got to make the daunting trip to the mailbox on slick sidewalks.
Room for Improvement…
Our Gumption Testers had a few critiques of the Self Empolyed House Shoes. First, is the cost factor. Admittedly, the $80 price tag for what some would call slippers is hard to swallow. With that being said, the old addage is definitively true: you get what you pay for and these House Shoes are massively comfortable. But the question here is, are they $80 comfortable? (Side note, Freewaters offers the Homer and Homie at $45).
Our other critiques pertains to the design of the liner. While the faux wool provides a nice aesthetic touch, it continually demonstrated the tendency of flipping up proving to be a frustration that our tester finally solved by adding velcro tabs. Lastly, we’d like to see a slightly larger mesh ventilation area on the inside liner.
Bottom Line…
We love Freewaters passion for continually pushing the limits of design and comfort. The Self Employed House Shoes will change the way you think about “slippers”. At $80 a pair however, we expect a near flawless product. Unfortunately we felt the Self Employed House Shoes from Freewaters still suffer a few shortcomings preventing us from giving this product our Gumption stamp of approval.
As an alternative, our crew absolutely love Freewaters Homie kicks. In fact, Homies made more than a few family members and friends happy over the holidays. Either way, if you’re looking for a new school take on the old school slipper (and you have the money to spend), the Freewaters Self Employed House Shoes may be the perfect way to help light your wick every morning.