Lems, the Boulder, Colo.-based barefoot footwear brand, launched its first running shoe last month, moving beyond the casual lifestyle category it has occupied since founder Andrew Rademacher started the company in 2011.

The running shoe ships in men's and women's versions and in two widths — medium and wide. Because the brand's lasts already feature a wide toe box, Rademacher said the medium width generally serves women while the wide width targets men.

"We just designed our first running shoe [but] before that, our shoes were really worn for everyday use, just casual lifestyle [for] walking around," Rademacher told Footwear News. The company now employs 17 people.

Every shoe in the line carries the brand's anatomical signature. "All of them have a low-heel drop. Zero-to-five millimeter drop now is considered low-heel, and we also have a three- and a four-millimeter drop shoe," Rademacher said. A two-millimeter drop sits closest to the barefoot concept.

Rademacher, a college runner who taught himself shoe design after earning a landscape design degree, argues the running establishment is catching up to the wide-toe-box construction his brand has used from the start. "Traditionally, running shoes in particular have been built with narrow toe boxes," he said, noting conventional lasts shaped the category. "Now they've realized through research and studies that allowing your toes to spread apart and splay upon impact will help your running gait and running efficiency, as well as strengthen your toes. That allows you to run more miles."

He also sees adjacent demand from gym-based training, where flat, non-cushioned footwear has gained ground. "A lot of people in the weightlifting community, the CrossFit community, are working out barefoot or in low flat, simple, non-cushioned shoes," he said, adding that zero-drop use in gyms is spilling into activities such as yoga.

Production remains in China and Cambodia — a footprint that exposed Lems to tariffs last year. Rademacher said the duties forced a price increase at the time. "We've been able to maintain prices since then, and now tariffs have gone down this year. We even got a tariff refund credit a couple of months ago," he said.

That refund is going straight into product development, with new mold openings a priority investment. Rademacher called tooling "expensive" — a meaningful cost constraint for a 17-person company scaling both running and outdoor lines.

On the component side, Lems works with Vibram for rubber outsoles because "traction is important in the outdoor market." The company, which positions itself as an outdoor footwear maker, also recently added hiking sandals for men and women.

For fall, Lems has built out cold-weather product with waterproofing and Vibram Megagrip outsoles, spanning rugged terrain and work environments. Updated styles include the Chelsea Boot Tuff, the Tactical Pro Boots and the Trail Blazer Mid. Average pricing runs $165 to $215.

With tariff pressure easing, a refund bankrolling new tooling and a running entry now on the market, Lems is positioned to push its wide-toe-box construction deeper into performance categories this year.