Affordable, sustainable, and funky, Posh Panda is a gem in the barefoot shoe world. They are handmade in Canada, and meet all my requirements for barefoot shoes. Read on for my full review of Posh Panda Moccasins!
Posh Panda Review
Posh Panda is an accidentally barefoot shoe brand from Canada. Kayla hand makes moccasins and mary janes for babies, kids, and adults (all the way up to a women’s US 11). But for being an accident she pretty much nails it! These lightweight moccasins are spacious, zero drop, and suuuper flexible. Not to mention, they come in leopard, metallic, and some gorgeous colors that are rare finds in the barefoot shoe world.
Materials
These mocs are constructed simply, with elastic around the ankle to pull on easily. The upper is single ply leather, with a suede insole and a rubber or suede outsole. Like I said, simple! And that means they can be resoled easily to get lots of life out of them.
See the above photo of the rubber outsole on the left and the suede outsole on the right.
Kayla designs all her shoes and sews them herself with one other seamstress. That means she is BUSY. She also does custom orders if you have a special request or need (extra high volume feet, for example, could request a longer elastic). In this post I am showing the Hampton Moc in Leopard and Cement.
Rubber Outsole 
Suede Outsole
Posh Panda Sizing
Posh Panda Mocs only come in whole sizes (Women’s US 6-11). Kayla recommends sizing down if between sizes because the leather stretches and the fit is generous. I normally wear a US 6.5-7 in casual shoes and a 6 in flats and sandals. I went with a Posh Panda 6 and they fit like a glove. My foot basically goes from seam to seam. I have low volume feet, so this works for me. But if I had high volume feet (especially high volume toes) I would go up to a 7. Definitely refer to her size chart, which is on every product page, and keep in mind that leather stretches.
And if you need a refresher on how to measure, make sure you check out this post.
Posh Panda Fit Type
If you care about the health of your feet, you should also care about how your shoes fit. Paying attention to shoe shape and volume can go a long way to save you time, money, and energy spent on shoes that won’t work for you. Need to get to know your feet better? Check out this post for a Guide to Understanding Foot Type!
Posh Panda Mocs are longest at the second toe, so will be good for Greek shaped feet. Some people with prominent big toes (Egyptian) and Square feet may find they don’t have enough space.
Many people with medium to high volume feet report a great fit. Extra high volume feet will likely feel a bit squished, especially over the toes where the material slopes down. Low volume feet will have a looser fit and might want to use an insole.
Pro Tip: High Volume feet can request a longer elastic piece, and/or swap it out yourself!
I have low volume feet and my Posh Panda’s are loose on me, despite being the right length. I plan to add an insole, but because the inside is much shorter than most shoes I wear, I’m going to have to cut an old insole to be the correct length. Posh Panda sells wool insoles, or you can buy a sheet of wool or felt such as this one and cut it to fit! Pro Tip: Stick duct tape to the bottom of the insole so it stays put in your shoe.
Ordering from Posh Panda
Adult mocs from Posh Panda are around $101 USD (babies and kids are $35-$50). If you live outside of Canada, shipping is $25+. The website only shows in-stock items, so they ship right away (unless you do a custom order). US/Canadian customers are getting their shoes in about a week. Be aware that because these are handmade goods there are no returns/exchanges.
How to Style
I’ve been styling mine as casual shoes. Because they are unstructured you get some toe poke, and that combined with the raw edges make these pretty cas’. They’re a leggings, denim, t-shirt, hoodie kind of shoe for me, but that doesn’t make them boring.Y’all know I’m big on leopard print, I love the little somethin’ somethin’ it gives. Since there aren’t many leopard barefoot shoe options I am stoked to have these!
And if you don’t want to wear them outside, they also work great as house slippers. That’s how I intend to use my pair with the suede outsole. For more barefoot approved house slippers, check out this post.
Community Feedback
I polled the Barefoot Shoe Community for feedback on how they liked their Posh Panda’s. In general, the consensus is that they are very comfortable and work best for a medium-high volume foot. Some customers don’t necessarily agree with the recommendation to size down (this might be because barefoot shoe wearers prefer ample toe space), but long time wearers have found they stretch quite a bit. A few people have gotten creative with the elastic to allow for more space for their high volume feet. There were also a few complaints about the pressure of the leather over the big toe (but you can stuff a sock right at the end to stretch it out). Overall, they are love for most people.
Video
Conclusion
I love getting connected with fellow sisters in the small business world. Handmade is such a great way to keep money in the hands of real people and away from harmful manufacturing practices, so to find a great business that is also making barefoot friendly shoes is an amazing find! Thank you Kayla for the opportunity to review your Posh Panda Moccasins!
Interested in barefoot shoes? Here is a roundup of what I consider to be the All Time Best Barefoot Shoe Brands.
Shoes were gifted, but this post is not sponsored or affiliated. All opinions are my own.
20 thoughts on “Posh Panda Review – Handmade Barefoot Moccasins”
Thanks for the review on these, Anya. A couple of questions:
1. Can both outsoles be re-done when they’re worn out?
2. What purpose do the eyelets serve? They’re cute but are they also functional?
Thanks.
Yes, both types of outsoles can be replaced, you could even put a leather outsole on once the rubber wears out and vice versa. The eyelets are just for looks, but I’ve seen people put a tie around them and it looks pretty cute. It could be used to tighten them over low volume feet.
I’m normally not into leopard print but these are a great print. I am Canadian and would love to support this business. However, they look really cute on you as your feet are size 6 and you look average tall and are slim. I am a curvy, 5’3″ lady with size 8.5-9 shoes. It is a shame that the sole cannot be sewn on in a more ‘conventional’ way. I find the way the sole is attached adds what looks like at least an extra inch to the overall ’rounded ‘ toe box. These would not be so cute in size 9. If she came up with a way to attach the sole without adding all the extra width on the toes box I would love these. Hopefully just some constructive feedback to pass along to her.
You actually can get these with a turn in seam, reducing the bulk. But then it’s a soft sole, no rubber option. I am going to get a sample pair so I can see what they look like in person, but from photos they look sock-like. Slimmer, but not structured. I know what you mean about the added bulk of the top stitch, that’s exactly why I inquired about the turned in seam. She has a few photos of adults wearing them she can show you.
Hi! Is the rugged sole also barefoot friendly?
Thanks!
Yes it is – not as flexible but still checks all the boxes. She has a Facebook group with lots of good info about new products and materials.
These look like my new obsession!! Thank you so much for turning me onto another handmade, small business, barefoot shoe source! I, too, adore leopard print and these are simply sublime 🙂 I really want to get the little black mocs with leopard print bows for my 9mo daughter! If you get a chance to style the Marie mocs with bows, I would love to see them. Do you have any idea if the toddler are also good for medium/high volume feet? My 2.5yo has high volume feet so we had to order his Softstar ramblers in wide to accommodate. He would love the blue 9/10 Hamptons they have in stock!
They’re so fun, aren’t they! I don’t know anything about the kids models, but I would guess they would also be medium to high volume. I’m sure Kayla can help!
Hi there,
Do you think you can wear these with socks? I am looking for a year round outside “slipper” which I can throw on to run the dogs out for a quick potty break. I live in NYC, so I definitely like to have outdoor and indoor shoes, and I am trying to find something which is both barefoot and flexible and also good for slipping on for those quick errands. If not these, do you have a suggestion for that kind of shoe? Thank you in advance – this website has become such a necessary resource and guide for me.
Thank you for the kind words!
These could totally work for that, I wear socks with the white pair in this post and don’t plan to wear them out of the house. I also love the Unshoes Terra Vida for that quick slip on shoe.
https://anyasreviews.com/unshoes-terra-vida-review/
I want to try these! But my feet are so wide. Unshoes Terra Vidas were too narrow for me, but Softstar Primal Merry Janes are good. How do you think these Posh Pandas compare, in terms of toe box width?
I would say the Posh Pandas are comparable in width to the Primal Merry Janes at the ball of the foot, but not at the toes. The Posh Panda’s taper in at the toes a little bit where the Primals don’t at all. But you probably could have Kayla make them a smidge wider for you!
I think you are the answer to my prayers! Just saw your page and finally found shoes I may be able to wear! (bear) I live in Wisconsin so barefoot is NOT an option at all!!! It is 13 degrees here today. 8 inches of Snow is coming. God bless you and Happy Holidays!
Hi Anya, would you mind if I use a couple of your posh panda photos to sell my posh pandas? I live in Belgium and unfortunately need to resell my shoes because they are too small. And because of that I cannot take a nice photo wearing them to boost my sale. A boost would be necessary because in Europe they are not well known in the barefoot world, thus a few more photos would actually show how super cute they look. Returning them to Canada is not an option, way too expensive!
Thanks for considering,
Solveig
Hi! I don’t mind as long as you credit me as the photographer 😀 Kind of you to ask beforehand. Good luck selling them.
Many thanks!
Do you know of a vegan, leopard print, barefoot shoe?
Yes, Mukishoes has a vegan leopard print boot and Dextra Perspective on Etsy (temporarily closed, hopefully opening again soon) does leopard print fabric shoes. I think that’s all for now.
I love everything about these shoes – fit, feel, handmade, local, women owned etc etc…
EXCEPT the customer care is non existent – if you need help or have questions after you’ve received your order then good luck getting a reply!
For this reason I won’t be ordering from them anymore.
I had to sell mine because after ordering the right size and wearing them for a whole day. My toes hurt so bad. And my big toe nail beds are bruised now.