Here is my basic idea for barefoot shoes. You can use just regular socks on this design. I think the silicone will have enough flex, I hope, for a really good experience.



Cast your foot. Put on thin snug socks. You will need to spray them with some kind of release agent.



Make a silicone mold of your foot, in the socks, to cover your whole foot, up to, say, your ankle somewhere. Accurate, but slightly rough. Thick enough coating to hold a shape, but not too thick, because you need to get it off the foot. You may choose to just flatten some of the bottom around the toes, later. Maybe not. Anyway.



Slip off the mold, after it cures. You'll want it to be able to set fast, because you will be holding your foot still.



You'll want some release agent in your mold. Pour plaster, or other suitable material into the mold.



Let it dry. Stretch off the mold. Sand it down a little, so you get a final snug fit of your shoe.



Put release agent on the foot cast.



Paint or spray on oogoo, silicone, or tool dip. You want even coats. Put panels in place first, on the foot, where you want breathing holes, in the final shoe. Or you can just trim those out at the end.



Peal it off, after curing, now you have a silicone shoe, made just for your foot, that may be able to be repaired along the way. And shoes that fit each foot, perfectly, that's the idea. And you will just be using regular socks, and the shoe hopefully should have plenty of flex, to allow for proper natural flexing of the foot. And, you can choose different color socks to change up the color scheme, and you will have those breathing holes, to let the sock color show through. So, basically, this is a rubber sock, made for you, that we're going to style up.



How well it will work, not sure, but that's the basic idea. I don't have any pictures, because It's just an idea in my mind. I also think you might be able to stand in boxes and pour inthe original foot mold. Making the sole flat, which would be just fine. Just something to get the ideas flowing. I like my Vibrams, but, with the cost.