Fortunately there are a number of options out in the world for people these days! It wasn't always like that.Because huaraches in general are pretty minimal, there's some similarities in how they look. But it's just skin-deep - once you try a pair on, you'll notice the difference immediately. With any good athletic sandal, what you want is something that allows range of movement but also securely locks your foot and the sandal together, comfortably. To be active, agile and balanced, you need to avoid slipping between your footwear and your feet - no flip-flopping! A lot of factors go into this - material composition, footbed, the lacing system, weight, thickness, connection points, even stitching. We refuse to sacrifice on quality even with our thread, which is military-spec. It comes down to the details.Shammas have been fine-tuned to create a secure hold on your foot while remaining so comfortable that you stop noticing they're there. We've spent a lot of time eliminating hot-spots and manufacturing custom machines and parts to solve small problems. Once we solved enough of these small problems, it led up to a big total - sandals so minimal that they melt away and you don't have to worry about what you're wearing anymore. You just do what you want to do, and forget about the rest.