In 2022, I became a little obsessed with Very Peri, Pantone’s color of the year. After all, who doesn’t need a bright, cheerful color meant to symbolize “personal inventiveness and creativity”?! That obsession led me to Cariuma, a shoe brand that partners with Pantone to create shoes in their colors of the year. I bought the Cariuma Salvas sneakers and here’s what I think of them…

Color And Style

The founders of Cariuma came together through their love of board sports so you’ll find a few pro styles that are meant for skateboarders. But like Converse shoes (inspired by basketball), a few styles were endorsed by celebrities and became mainstream.

The OCA Low style is available in solid colors, prints like Leopard, and special collaboration prints.

They also have slip-on sneakers in canvas.

The Salvas are leather sneakers that include accents in the current Pantone color of the year.

I ended up with the Salvas which I thought would be the most versatile. The sole is about an inch thick, so not quite a platform but enough to add some height. The toe box is round (wider than Converse All-Stars) and there’s plenty of room for my almost-wide feet. I also like the stitching that adds a subtle but upscale design element.

Comfort

I’ve worn my Cariuma Salvas sneakers while shopping and running errands and they’re very comfortable. Here’s how they compare with my other sneakers:

The leather in my Cariuma Salvas feels softer than my Tory Burch Howell sneakers which are still a little stiff even after a couple of years of wear. Cariuma leather is also Leather Working Group certified, which means that it comes from a tannery that is environmentally conscious.

Compared to my knit Allbirds Tree Runners, the Cariuma Salvas are heavier but also have more cushion in the sole. (I did also try on Cariuma’s OCA Low canvas sneakers. I thought those also had more support and structure than my Allbirds).

My black Vionic Dinora shoes are part loafer and part sneaker and are also supposed to be “comfort shoes”. They turned out to be pretty heavy, and are a bit narrow for my feet, so I don’t wear them often.

Sustainability

Cairuma is a B-Corp which means that they have been assessed for their positive impact on the environment, their customers, their workers, and more. They minimize waste in their production methods and design classic silhouettes so that their shoes are staples, not trends. They use lower-impact materials like bamboo, rubber, sugarcane, organic cotton, and cork. Their shoe boxes are also their shipping boxes and are made from recycled materials and soy-based ink.

So far, I really like these sneakers. I know they will be a closet staple for spring and summer, and for the fall, I may just buy one of their canvas versions.

Are you familiar with Cariuma shoes?