Minimalist shoes are characterized by no heel elevation, no cushioning, no arch support, a flexible heel counter, a flexible upper, and the ability to be rolled up.

“now let's get one more idea across which is there are shoes that have cushioning that have no heel raise i'm blanking on a brand i have a friend who wears them and i think it starts with an a but i could be wrong but it's got about a three-quarter inch sole but it's the same at the front and the back so it has zero elevation of the heel but it has some cushioning and of course we wouldn't consider that a minimalist shoe would we”

“some of these minimal companies actually have shoes that have some midsole so as long as the shoe has no midsole so some of them have real true minimal models and then some that add a little bit of cushioning into them”