The Mudança model from Wildling Shoes is a white high-top barefoot shoes model that will take you through the cooler seasons in comfort and style, while also giving you the extra protection of a membrane for wet conditions. Check out this detailed review for information on sizing, fit, and styling to see how they might work for you.
Disclaimer: The Mudança from Wildling Shoes was sent to me for review but all thoughts are my own. I am an affiliate and the use of the purchase links on this page support reviews like this and other barefoot shoes content.
For a look at this full Fall 2021 Wildling Shoes collection, check out this page.
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Company Information
Wildling Shoes is a constantly evolving company, which gives me a lot of comfort as a consumer. They’re here for the long-haul, to keep growing and keep giving us healthy shoes that will the best for our feet, with the least interference in our natural movement. That’s precisely what they set out to do and they don’t break that goal.
Wildling US/CA link
Check out their About sections, Stories, and more to explore their core values, which go deeper than shoes. They are not just sustainable, but they are proactive with ecological causes and their local area, and repeatedly back up their believes through action.
Technical Specifications
- Upper: Canvas (55% hemp, 45% organic cotton) – polar white
- Mid-sole: 100% certified organically grown cotton
- Membrane: 100% polyester
- Insole: hemp-flax fleece (50% hemp; 50% flax) – removable
- Edging: microfiber (90% polyamide, 10% polyurethane) – off-white
- Outsole: 80% synthetic rubber from 50% recycled material, 20% cork – off-white
- Sizes: 23-48 EU
- Does not contain materials of animal origin
Appearance
It’s pretty rare for shoes to truly be white, especially if using natural materials. The complete bright white look is generally reserved for chemical processes.
But you can get close.
The hardest look is if you try to pair them directly with white like this:
I think the camera is helping them out a bit, brightening them a tad, but either way they’re really close to white. Here’s an alternative picture where the slight off-whiteness is more clear:
Most people don’t wear white on white, so here are the shoes with some other looks.
They’d also look great with blue jeans, leggings, black pants, and more. I almost paired them with a colorful polka dot jumper and a white winter coat, but backed out when I realized how much of the shoes would get covered. They’re pretty stellar and should be seen!
The edging is a different material than the rest of the upper (microfiber vs the main being canvas) and that shows up darker. It will also darken more if/when sprayed for water and stain resistance, which is recommended.
Fit
All Wildling Shoes soles are the same, but the uppers vary, and Mudança is one of the shoes with a more generous upper. For the Spring collections the difference between generous fit and not was pretty subtle, but I can clearly tell the difference with Mudança. Toes are haaaaaaaappy.
The shaft of the shoes goes above the ankle and the opening works well for my high volume feet and thick ankles, though I can tell it was designed for more medium feet and insteps, which is expected.
Sizing
Wildling goes out of their way to help you with sizing, offering printable templates, lengths to use with measuring, and sizing tips on the individual models.
For best results, check out the sizing tips first. In this case, that is that the shoes run “a little wider and a little longer” than typical. This does not mean the soles have changed, only that the upper is more generous, giving you a usable interior that feels functionally longer and wider. I feel this bear out in person, especially in the volume at the front. Length-wise, I get a 3 mm extra over other models I have in this size, so if you’re on the fence, and especially if you have a more narrow or lower volume foot, consider the smaller size.
Armed with that knowledge, the next step for you is to go to the sizing guide. I’m in the US, so I’m using the US version, but you should find the same locations on the International site, even if they are not in English.
You can find the Size Guide linked on the upper right of the table of available sizes:
The Size Guide is going to take you to a list of options. Most of these are referring to how to use the Fitkit, which is a printable template for each size. It does not show width and it’s critical you have the printer settings correct or you’ll size incorrectly, but it has helpful guidelines for fully grown and still-growing feet that can help you get the right size.
If you don’t want to, or can’t, use a printable template, then the No printer available? link is your friend. That will pull up a PDF of lengths by size and recommended foot lengths. Remember that this one is going to feel a little longer inside, so keep that in mind if you’re on the fence with sizing. If you’re unsure how to measure, I have measuring tips here, and if you’re curious why we need extra space in our shoes, check out this page.
Whichever sizing method you choose, be sure to account for the type of socks you plan to wear and wear them when you are measuring or standing on the Fitkit.
How do they feel?
As mentioned, the guide that these fit wider than other models does bear out – my toes are definitely loving the wiggling room.
Wildling’s tips indicate you may benefit from kneading them before wear, but I found no ill effect from not doing that. They’re a noticeably thick canvas, but not so thick as to press or rub uncomfortably on your feet. I have had no discomfort or breaking in, and so far I’ve worn them exclusively without socks.
They, of course, are fully flexible:
And the insole is a thin but soft removable piece, which could be switched out for the Wooly insole if you’re looking for some extra warmth or want to take up some extra space in the shoes for low volume feet. The one that comes with it does not bunch or slide around for me.
Cleaning and Care
Wildling recommends that you knead the shoes and waterproof them before first wear.
Did I do either? Well, no.
They also recommend that you remove debris by working your frustrations out slapping them together (it’s super fun, check out this Reel with a different pair of shoes) and, if that doesn’t work, brush them. Following that, use a damp cloth on stubborn areas.
Now that I’ve said all that, here’s the deal – I was going to baby these shoes and not get them dirty. I love how white and clean-looking they are and I aimed to keep them that way so I could use them as an ankle boot or a high-top sneaker any way I wanted.
But there was this nice slightly rainy day, and some damp grass, and a few passes around it, and all of the sudden my white shoes were sporting some pretty brown spots.
Sadface.
Everything is an opportunity if you look at it the right way, so I’ve now had the fun of fully cleaning them, and here’s how it went (PROTRACTED STORY ALERT!)
First, I let them dry and slapped the dickens out of them (together) to knock off 95% of the dry grass. If some is stubborn, you can use a brush to get off the rest.
Second, I used a gentle soap, Woolite (this is probably not the same or available in all countries) and some lukewarm water, and I gently rubbed at the stained upper and microfiber for a couple of minutes, until the stains were gone.
Third, I rinsed the shoes well and hung them to dry, switching to putting them upside down on the air vent (not hot air!) overnight.
1/10 do not recommend that last part, and not because of the vent. It would be bad to put shoes on a hot vent or a radiator, as that could damage the glue or even material, but this is cool air so that’s not a concern. However, while you’re waiting for water to evaporate, gravity also gets a chance to do its thing, and in this case the spongy microfiber let go of some residual brown and left some staining halfway up the boots, where there was zero staining before.
Hello, wash #2
And this time I’m leaving them sitting upright. I also didn’t completely soak them this time, as I had 2 very targeted areas to clean.
Moral of the story is that when Wildling says to spray your shoes before wear, you should:
Spray.
Your.
Shoes.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
Sprays options can come from Wildling with your shoes, or I have recommendations on this page, including what I personally used on Wombat before. You can check out that review to see how the spraying works. At the time of this posting, I’m waiting on them to dry again before I spray and I’ll come back and update once I’ve done it.
Purchasing, Shipping, and Returns
At the time of posting, about half the sizes are sold out in adults (all kids’ sizes are available) but we’re still early in the season, so I would expect that to change.
Adult purchase link for US/Canada
Adult purchase link for International Site
The kids’ model under Shop > Wildling is a little cheaper and comes with elastic laces instead of traditional tie laces like you see here.
Shipping takes generally less than a week worldwide via DHL Express and costs about $10. They do accept returns via an internal return service (via DHL pickup) and the first 1 is free.
Final Thoughts
The name Wildling Shoes chose for these, Mudança, means “change” in Portuguese and that seems very fitting for a white shoe that just begs to be lived in. I struggle with letting my pretty white shoes get dirty. I want to prevent the stains, eliminate the debris, and keep them pretty. My first thought is that’s a ‘con’ against these shoes, but maybe that’s part of the lesson: to live, accept change, and enjoy the journey, including the surprising places you may end up.
For those of you not feeling so poetic – I love the generous upper and my feet are noticeably extra happy with the space. The fabric is a good balance between thick for durability and not so thick as to hurt. I think they’ve done these boots well and if you can accept the risk of the polar white fabric then you will enjoy these in the cool weather. They go with everything and feel great on your feet.
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