Can you love a shoe? I don’t mean can you love the looks of a shoe or can you love shoes in general; I mean, can you love a shoe in a way that makes you think about it when you’re apart and talk about it to strangers? A month with a pair of bright orange Glerups slippers seems to suggest that, oh yes, you can. And I did. Much more than something to be worn with a robe and a glass of warm milk, these cozy foot-sweaters may be the ultimate travel footwear—perfect for wafting through airport security, for easing the in-flight malady of swollen feet, and, because even the nicest complimentary slippers are little more than future landfill, for padding around a hotel room.
Glerups are available in nearly a dozen colors, but come on, orange is the coolest.
Courtesy of Glerups
Buy Now: Glerups wool shoes, $100-$155, huckberry.com and glerups.com
The Danish company’s traditional slippers feature uppers made from a thick but creamy soft layer of New Zealand wool felt, doubled up for the footbed, with a simple sole of durable calfskin leather. Like that other hippie footwear staple, the Birkenstock sandal, Glerups slippers are designed to mold to your foot over time—although unlike Germany’s cork-soled sandals, which can abuse your dogs for weeks before conforming, Glerups become yours within a few hours. Which is to say mine. All mine. They are warm but never hot, featherlight but substantial feeling, and unlike Birkenstocks, you can wear them with socks. But don’t. Oh, and because wool has natural moisture-wicking and antimicrobial qualities, even well-loved Glerups will almost certainly smell better than any shoe in your closet (a mighty important trait in travel footwear, I think you’ll agree).
Cranberry wool with black rubber soles is the newest colorway Glerups introduced in 2019.
Courtesy of Glerups
For a company that does just one thing really well, Glerups makes a dizzying array of variations for adults—including a full shoe ($105) and an open-heel shoe ($100), and a low boot ($130), in 11 woolly colors. The leather sole is standard, but all three designs can be had with an excellent natural rubber sole (add $35 for the shoes, $25 for the boot), making them a bit more outdoors- and airport-appropriate. You can pick from a honey-colored, white, or black rubber sole, plus there’s a brand-new cranberry colorway that was just released in 2019. And Glerups also makes slippers, shoes, and boots for kids and babies. Because you’re never too young to fall in love. With a shoe.
This article originally appeared online in 2018; it was most recently updated on December 10, 2019, to include current information.
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