Insights & Stories

Shopping for shoes online when you have hard-to-fit feet can be a huge challenge - with no salesperson to talk to and no shoe to try on before you buy, the purchase may be a gamble that results in an extra trip to the post office to return an ill-fitting shoe. Enter the Pandere Fit Specialist. We know first-hand how challenging it is to find shoes that fit well, whether you’re shopping online or in person. That’s why Pandere offers Fit Specialists whose passion it is to find the right shoe for your foot. Here are 5 reasons why you should chat with a Pandere Fit Specialist. 1. Fit Specialists are real peopleThere’s nothing worse than needing answers and trying to communicate with a bot. Our Fit Specialists are real, living humans sipping coffee at their desks and wearing Pandere shoes, of course. They are part of our core team here at Pandere and are passionate about matching you with the right shoe. 2. Fit Specialists guide you to the right shoe for your footEveryone’s feet are different and Pandere is dedicated to finding the right shoes for your unique feet. Each of Pandere’s styles are engineered to accommodate a variety of foot conditions, including but not limited to swelling, bunions, hammertoe, plantar fasciitis and extra wide feet. Whether you have a medical condition or two differently sized feet, are pregnant, work on your feet all day, have extra wide feet, or are just looking for the ultimate comfort shoe, our knowledgeable Fit Specialists know our shoes inside and out and can help guide you to the right shoe. 3. Fit Specialists provide more in-depth information about our stylesBecause no two feet are alike, our Fit Specialists have an in-depth knowledge of Pandere’s styles and can answer questions and provide information customized to your unique needs. Swelling in only one foot? Plantar Fasciitis? High instep or arches? Our Fit Specialists can help. 4. Fit Specialists steer you away from the wrong style You may already have a shoe picked out and added to your cart, but is it the perfect shoe for your foot? Our Fit Specialists are trained to know how your unique foot needs can best be accommodated by one of Pandere’s styles. Returns at Pandere are easy, but we want to help you get it right the first time! 5. Fit Specialists have insider knowledge We always have a few surprises up our sleeve! Whether it’s a new style or size slated for release, an exclusive discount, or a shoe in production designed to accommodate a specific foot need, our Fit Specialists have the inside scoop and may end up guiding you to a forthcoming style or exclusive discount you didn’t know about.  CONNECT WITH A FIT SPECIALIST We have fit specialists that are experts in helping you pick the right shoe. TALK TO A FIT SPECIALIST

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or even Festivus, the holidays are almost here and chances are you’re already searching for the perfect gift for your family and friends. If you’ve landed here, you – or someone you love – struggles to find the perfect shoes. For loved ones with foot swelling, wide feet, bunions or those who are always on the go like nurses or travelers, the holidays are a perfect time to receive the thoughtful gift of comfort, style and renewed freedom. Here’s our guide for how to surprise them with the perfect shoes this holiday season.

ANCHORAGE (KTUU) - Getting a business idea off the ground and turning it into a successful product is no easy task, but one Alaskan company, Pandere Shoes, was able to do just that. They started by identifying a problem. “I've had difficulty finding shoes to fit my feet for the last 40 years, because I have a medical condition called lymphedema, so one foot is chronically swollen," said Pandere CEO Laura Oden.

Now that you have finally reached the long-awaited milestone of retirement, nothing stands between you and everything you never had enough free time for – travel, golf, gardening, maybe even ballroom dancing. Nothing, that is, except your tired, aching feet. Foot problems are a common complaint among retirees. Like every other part of the body, our feet suffer from the effects of aging too:

When we began working on a concept for stylish, expandable shoes in 2016, we knew we needed the perfect name – one that would capture both the unique qualities of our product and our mission to give people their mobility and dignity back. Over the next two years, as we worked on our first prototype, we talked with hundreds of women across the country who were fed up with being forgotten by the shoe industry. Our co-founder Laura Oden understood the frustration. Laura has had lymphedema for 40 years and had always struggled to find shoes that fit.

Do you feel like you’re trying to force a round peg into a triangular-shaped hole when you slip your shoes on every morning? Are your feet discolored or do they have indentations from your shoes when you finally take them off at the end of a long day? Even if you don’t think of your feet as wide, you might need wide shoes.

Like many others living with lower limb lymphedema, I struggle when it comes to footwear. Most of my swelling is in my right foot and ankle, so finding a shoe that comfortably fits is a challenge. And finding a shoe that’s stylish, too? Forget it. I’m always on the lookout for lymphie-friendly footwear, so when my friends at Pandere reached out to me asking if I’d be interested in trying their latest style on for size, I was ecstatic.

The Foot Freedom Almanac’s Guide to Buying Shoes for Wide Feet As much as 72 percent of people don’t wear shoes that are wide enough or long enough for their feet. The same 2018 study, published in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, found substantial evidence demonstrating that ill-fitting shoes are associated with foot pain and a number of foot disorders. Do you have wide feet?

I’m not sure if Jonathan and I just have really big feet or we just keep moving to countries where people have tiny feet. Whatever the reason, buying shoes is always a nightmare. When our new friends from Pandere Shoes contacted us and said, ‘Hey, we have a new range of shoes perfect for travelling. Want to try them?’ We didn’t need to be asked twice. Um, but we did wonder if they cater for size enormous feet.

Finding comfort during pregnancy isn’t always easy, but soothing tired feet is. Here are 7 ways to treat those tired feet - because a relaxed mama means a relaxed baby!

When Pandere offered to send me samples of their expandable shoes, I was thrilled because, as a woman over 50, my feet have become more uncomfortable with age. Aching arches, sore heels, and occasional swelling are all part of growing older. I want comfortable shoes that fit and adjust to whatever my feet decide to torture me within any given day. But, as a woman who doesn’t want to look like a clodhopper in “granny” shoes, it’s always exciting when you can find expandable shoes that don’t look ugly and are stylish as well. Read the post here.

It’s important for anyone to wear shoes that fit well, but for those of us with wide feet, this can be a tall order. If you have wide feet, we’ve got you covered. Here are five shoe features to look for when shopping for shoes:

And then I found this company, Pandere. This is the shoe for the egalitarian, utilitarian, hipster in you. And they look very comfortable. Read the post here.

Laura Oden, co-founder of Pandere, has had lymphedema for 35 years. She is a healthcare business planner by day and a singer-songwriter by night. Celia Crosset, co-founder of Pandere, holds two and a half Master's degrees. She is a healthcare business planner by day and a competitive weightlifter by night.  Ayla Rogers, co-founder of Pandere, is an entrepreneur and real estate licensee by day and an investment strategist by night.

Report: Alaska’s recession doesn’t seem to have dampened startup activity

Take a look at your feet. Chances are, you have the same size shoe on each foot. But for lots of people managing common medical challenges (like diabetes, arthritis, circulation issues, edema) the story isn’t that simple. Often they buy shoes several sizes too big, which causes other issues. Or they buy two pairs in different sizes….but should they have to? Three Alaska entrepreneurs, all women, decided the answer was ‘Heck, no.’ They’ve launched Pandere Shoes and worked with designers around the world to develop a shoe that can expand as needed in the toe box, the ankle and mid-foot.

Alaska shoe startup ready to step into production

Three Alaska women team up to create all new type of shoe