The developers of Senmotic barefoot shoes
Mr. Leonhard, a graduate of the German College for Footwear Design and Technology in Pirmasens. He’s in good shape, lean and just 70 years young. Mr. Leonhard has been developing and building
shoe models for reputable manufacturers for 50 years. He gallivants around in 
every year at the world’s largest trade show for shoes in Düsseldorf to learn about the newest trends and developments in the market. Mr. Leonhard created our collection at the workshop and
is integral to our economic success. Because no matter how healthy: A barefoot shoe also needs to look good before anyone buys it. Mr. Leonhard’s subtle, yet distinctive and sporty design struck
our customers’ tastes spot-on.
Our chief engineer, Mr. Haase, has been responsible for establishing huge shoe factories around the world, is also over 70 and still actively supports us. Mr. Haase’s outstanding quality is his
criminal... err... “extensive” network of partners and manufacturers. He
knows someone, who knows someone, who knew someone else – and all of a sudden, samples and models for all sorts of materials arrive at our
workshop. Mr. Haase’s knowledge of material types is unbeatable. He was the one who suggested to make our outsoles of 2.9 mm Lifoprene PU or to make our new insoles from the two components Poron
and microfiber.
Ms. Fischer, engineer, also retired. Ms. Fischer graded almost all of our barefoot shoes at the workshop, i.e. she calculated and produced the patterns for larger and smaller sizes from a
medium-sized prototype. We cannot order our punching tools unless we have these patterns. Ms. Fischer very elegantly and aptly solves problems on the way. Brief example: The children’s shoe
prototype in size 30 has 4 lace loops. If you grade it down, size 24 does not permit 4 loops in a row, because it’s much too small. So below a certain size, barefoot shoes for children only have
three loops. Now all parts need to be recalculated and new templates must be cut for all parts. For this you need Ms. Fischer’s stoic calm and expertise.
One glance at the people in our workshop
Mr. Leinhos, engineer, (also over 70) and his daughter Jana Leinhos (age lost in translation). Both are owners of our workshop, Panther Schuh Manufaktur. Once the shoes are designed, the
materials purchased and the patterns and punching blades are ready on the table, all you need are people who (know how to) make the shoes. The Leinhos family actively supported us from the start
and mastered many obstacles; they are crucial to the huge success of our Senmotic barefoot shoes. They also developed an innovative service for our customers: For many years, we were the only
ones offering to replace soles. It was a worldwide innovation for barefoot shoes; by now, competitors are shamelessly copying this service, for lack of better ideas. Another innovation: We do not
need to make half sizes, because we can make the shoes half a size wider and thereby cover the 0.5 size. And one more: We can make the area
around the laces and the instep narrower, so people with very slim feet can tie the shoes tighter. Wolfgang and Jana Leinhos combine more than 70 years of shoe development and manufacturing
experience. Still they keep coming up with new ideas, which benefit our
customers and give us a leading market position.
Our people at Panther Schuh. Without their effort and skill, we might be able to produce pickles, but not high-quality barefoot shoes. Their flexibility deserves particular mention. As usual in
e-commerce, orders fluctuate, so production workers have to adapt. Since we always develop and market new barefoot shoe models, they need a very quick grasp to stay on top of things. Which
barefoot shoes should come with all-red seams? Which model only has red seams on the sides? Why does the Oxid F1 Black/Red barefoot
shoe suddenly have a blue seam?
And in the end, of course, the Demanns also need some space to praise themselves...