Australia’s Bared Footwear Opens First US Store in New York City

Australian shoe brand Bared Footwear has opened up shop in the U.S. for the first time in its 16-year history.

According to Anna Baird, founder and owner of Bared Footwear, the company opened the doors to a new store at 152 Spring St. in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood on Thursday in a space formerly occupied by fellow Australian shoe brand R.M. Williams.

The opening marks the brand’s inaugural brick-and-mortar location outside of Australia – a major milestone in the brand’s growth trajectory as it seeks to expand its global retail footprint.

For Baird, opening this new store in the U.S. is a bit like starting over. “After 16 years, we do have a large audience in Australia,” the founder told FN in an interview. “So, it’s definitely like starting again. I feel like I’ve gone back in time, as we stake our claim in a brand-new market.”

Baird, a podiatrist-turned-entrepreneur, started Bared Footwear in 2008 with the focus on designing shoes that look good and feel good. Offering men’s and women’s styles, each shoe features a unique biomechanical footbed and hidden support elements.

And now that the brand is on solid footing in Australia, Baird is ready for the next steps by going international. Over the last few years, the founder noted that the company’s U.S. customer base has grown exponentially through its online business. Overall, online sales account for 70 percent of Bared’s global business, Baird noted. But stores remain an essential part of the experience, as all locations offer a unique and custom fitting process for each pair of shoes purchased – harkening back to the founder’s podiatrist background. 

“Opening the doors to our first store outside of our home country of Australia is a significant landmark for the brand as we look to scale our business in the U.S. and around the world,” Baird said. “New York is well known as one of the biggest walking cities in the world, so we knew it was the perfect place to start.”

Built by the team at Turnkey & Bespoke and designed by Ryann Swan Design, a New York-based interior design firm, the new SoHo space is intended to feel welcoming through the use of natural and textural materials as well as lush greenery.

The store will carry an extensive inventory of products across categories, including an early release of some of the brand’s 2025 summer collection, prior to its launch in Australia.

Bared Footwear currently operates five flagship brick-and-mortar stores in Australia, with New York bringing the total to six. In July, the brand will open its first retail location in New Zealand, and Baird has her sights set on Los Angeles next.