El Naturalista Chuva NA35

Chuva is the rain that falls without asking permission, connecting earth to sky and awakening the senses. Barefoot footwear created to move lightly, feel the ground and let your body find its own rhythm, even in the rain. Free, natural and ready for changeable days. Walk through water, feel the earth and follow your path with Chuva.

You take the dog out at half seven in a fine drizzle and you don't think about your feet again: that's more or less all anyone asks of a rain boot. TOPO-SKIMO comes in a matte greyish brown, a muted earth topo that reads more grey than brown in low winter light. The side gore is camel, a shade lighter and warmer, and it's the only place where the boot raises the temperature of the whole. The sole repeats the same topo as the body, so the boot reads as a single piece from toe to heel. Vulcanised rubber is completely opaque: once water dries it can leave a pale ring on the toe, and a damp cloth takes it off.

Who is CHUVA NA35 in TOPO-SKIMO for?
For anyone who needs a town rain boot rather than a country one. The shaft sits just above the ankle, so you pull them on standing up in two seconds: market, errands, station platform, the school gate, a small vegetable patch. Topo with camel gore works with dark denim, corduroy trousers and a raincoat, and makes less visual noise than a rain boot in a solid bright colour. Sizes 36 to 42.

Construction and stride
Zero drop and a flat heel: the foot lands all at once and the toes spread inside a round, wide toe box instead of pressing against the rubber. There are 8 mm of flexible sole underfoot, enough to register the camber of a dirt track, the grating around a street tree or the edge of a wet step. The tread lugs are low and well spaced, made for soaked ground rather than deep mud. For the first few days your stride comes out slightly shorter than usual; within a week it stops being a conscious decision.

Materials and construction
The first thing the foot meets is the rubber lining, smooth and seamless, and a 4.5 mm microfibre insole that isolates the sole of the foot from the floor and takes up the foot's own moisture. It's a lining that asks for a sock: towelling or mid-calf rather than sheer. The upper is rubber, built with vulcanised construction, meaning body and sole fused by heat into one continuous piece, with no stitch lines for water to get through. The sole, also rubber, measures 8 mm. There is a pull loop at the heel and two side gores that do all the fastening work.

Size guide
Take your usual size. Rubber doesn't give with wear, so the volume you have on day one is the volume you'll always have: if you wear thick socks in winter, try the boot with that sock on. The comfort + last leaves width across the forefoot and the side gores stretch at the opening, but instep height is fixed; with a very high instep, pull on the heel loop as you slide the foot in.