Galahad Clark, CEO and co-founder of Vivobarefoot, is aiming to bring the footwear industry back to healthy for people and planet. Drawing from his family’s shoemaking legacy dating back to 1825, he embraces ancient wisdoms while challenging outdated norms.
A passionate advocate for circular design, Galahad has been involved in pioneering sustainable solutions across multiple ventures. He played a key role in launching United Nude’s 3D-printed shoes in 2014 and Worn Again, a closed-loop fashion initiative that evolved into a chemical recycling first mover in collaboration with H&M. However, his most recognised achievement is Vivobarefoot, a B Corp certified brand leading the neo-minimalist footwear movement since 2012. By designing shoes that allow natural foot function and sensory feedback, Vivobarefoot promotes strength, mobility, and a return to how natural, strong feet were meant to move.
Through innovations like shoes made from algae, the VivoBiome 3D scan-to-print system, and the ReVivo recommerce model, Vivobarefoot is disrupting the footwear industry with sustainable alternatives. Galahad reminds us that “circular footwear was the norm up until a few hundred years ago” and urges us to look to the past for inspiration in shaping the future.
Beyond footwear, Galahad drives impact through the Livebarefoot Foundation, an in-house research and advocacy hub supporting environmental education and systemic change. His mission is clear: to blend cutting-edge innovation with time-tested wisdom for a healthier planet and a more connected to nature way of living.
Q1. How does sustainability influence your work and daily life?
FOLLOW NATURE. I try to align to her rhythms and spend as much time outside as possible. At Vivo, we try to make all decisions in nature.
Q2. Have you experienced any pivotal moments that deepened your understanding or commitment to sustainability?
KATE FLETCHER is my original eco guru and inspiration. Time spent with her and her books has been a guiding light for the last 15 years!
Q3. Have you encountered any unexpected benefits or opportunities from adopting sustainable practices?
SLEEP better at night!
Q4. In your view, what’s one simple and doable lifestyle change that could have a meaningful impact on sustainability?
COMPOST your food from as local a food source as possible (ideally your own garden)! The simple act of composting and then using the compost to grow more food connects us to the cycles of death that brings life.
Q5. How do you think circular economy principles — eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials, and support ecosystem regeneration — could be adopted in your industry or in a hobby?
CIRCULAR FOOTWEAR was the norm up until a few hundred years ago. Footwear made person by person, foot by foot, from the local sustainable and appropriate materials was the norm. We can get back to this way of shoe making using additive technologies in combination with natural heritage ways.
Q6. Are there any books, documentaries, or podcasts around sustainability that you feel particularly inspired by and would recommend to others?
REGENERATIVE LEADERSHIP books and podcasts by Giles Hutchins and Laura Storm that teach us how to decolonise our mechanistic minds and align with living systems in all we do. And of course, Kate Fletcher in general.
Q7. Is there a circular designer or brand you particularly admire and why? This doesn’t have to be in fashion.
HOUDINI are the ones trying hardest especially with performance natural materials, SHEEP have nice digital product tracing, and then in polycircular, PATAGONIA are leading the chemical recycling charge.
Q8. What is the most timeless piece in your wardrobe, where did you find it and how long have you had it for?
LEDERHOSEN (leather shorts from my motherland Austria) - I've had them since I was 15 and still use them for summer alpine adventures!
Q9. What do you consider when buying new clothing?
NATURAL first, then company ethos and systems thinking.
Q10. How do you curate your wardrobe?
BLUE - I almost exclusively wear blue wool t-shirts and blue wool jumpers, along with robust joggers and any colour wool underpants! And then, obviously Vivobarefoot for every occasion!
