Kizik

Kizik builds shoes around technology invented by serial inventor Mike Pratt, who filed the first patent application for a hands-free shoe and later founded HandsFree Labs. The brand emerged as the first company to focus entirely on hands-free footwear, creating a new category of shoes that collapse to let you step in without using your hands, then pop back into shape.

Their lineup relies on proprietary systems protected by more than 200 patents. Internal Cage technology debuted in the Athens and later appeared in the Lima and Madrid. External Flex Arc technology powers their travel and outdoor boots, including the London, Boulder, and Sierra. The Juno was the first hands-free snow boot, and Squeeze It introduced the technology to toddler shoes. Nike has licensed some of the hands-free technologies developed by the team.