World's first running SLIPPER is unveiled: £140 slip-on shoe is designed specifically for women's feet and claims to offer better support than lace-up alternatives

Any decent runner knows that your choice of shoe is key.

But with options ranging from flat 'barefoot' shoes to trainers that are so bouncy they almost feel spring-loaded, it can be tricky to know where to even start.

Now, a shoemaker has unveiled what he claims is the ultimate running shoe for women – and at first glance you'd be forgiven for mistaking it as a slipper.

The shoe, dubbed the QLVR (pronounced Clever), has a slip-on style but offers better support than lace-up alternatives, according to Martin Dean, 46.

'We've been lacing our shoes since the Stone Age. The world's oldest shoes are from 3500BC, and they have a lace. It's time to evolve!' Mr Dean said.

Mr Dean, a fourth-generation shoemaker from St Albans, decided to create the performance slipper after witnessing his daughters standing on the backs of their trainers to take them off.

'Like most children, my two daughters, Chloe, 18, and Yasmin, 14, were always stepping on the backs of their expensive trainers to take them off,' he explained.

'The majority of all athletic footwear is made to fit a man's foot shape, then downscaled to women's sizes on that same tooling to save on production costs.

'The use of the lace allows this to work to a degree because the laces can take up the slack.

'But women's feet are anatomically shaped differently to men's; they are narrower at the heel, have a higher instep and a wider toe box.

'They do not fit correctly and this can cause too much sliding forward of the foot, rubbing, blisters, instability and ultimately injuries.'

Mr Dean took inspiration for the shoe from dog ball throwers, which feature a 360-degree lock-in mechanism.

'I was looking at the way the pre-moulded cup at the end of the stick mirrors the ball form and it's in a closed position, to expand and contract to hold the ball in place, but with enough elasticity to hold the ball firmly until launch,' he said.

'I thought we could turn that upside down as a closure system for a shoe. 

'That was the inspiration then came the eureka moment.'

The shoe features a zig-zag design, which means it's flexible enough to be slipped on, but stable enough that it doesn't need laces.

Nicolle, Mr Dean's wife and co-founder of QLVR, was one of the first people to test the shoe.

'Trying on the shoe for the first time is a surprisingly satisfying feeling, it's unexpected to feel such a supported fit all around your foot without first doing laces up,' she said.

'The shoe looks a bit quirky and different but once you try it on, you get why it has to be different.'

Aside from the making the shoe comfortable and supportive, the team also wanted to make it as eco-friendly as possible, and so opted for a range of plant-based materials.

This includes dandelion rubber-based foam, sugarcane and plant fibres, yarn derived from sustainably grown eucalyptus wood, and a polymer derived from castor beans.

'Our objective is to build the best performance products but at the same time do the least amount of harm to the environment,' Mr Dean said.

'So with every component we are looking at alternative materials which can deliver the best performance while being kinder to the planet.'

QLVR trainers are now available for pre-sale, before a campaign launches on Kickstarter on 23 July with the aim of raising enough funds to cover manufacturing tooling and the first production and eventually getting the QLVR shoes in stores.

Mr Dean added: 'With QLVR Running Slippers, we have solved a problem everyone faces with their footwear - it puts an end to backs of shoes being squished down, to having to bend down to put on your trainers, and having to stop to keep tying your laces.

'This is the evolution of the athletic shoe!'