Kyrgies Style Guide

What Kyrgies are right for you?

Kyrgies has introduced many styles over the years. For the uninitiated, the choices may be overwhelming. Fret not, the Kyrgies styles guide is here to help you find the right style for you.

Kyrgies Felt 101:

The process of felting begins with large pieces of "carded" wool. Carding is a process that uses many small needles to take cleaned wool and make it fluffy and uniform. At this point, it is quite fluffy and loose. The "felting" process uses soapy water and agitates this wool. When this happens, the wool fibers hook and weave together. This shrinks the wool and results in a denser and firmer wool product.

Rolled Felt

Rolled felt slipper being forced onto a mold after wet felting

Rolled felt slippers start with the carded wool being cut into large patterns and sewn together. Think of a slipper that is maybe 3x the size of a normal slipper. This carded wool sewn into an extra large slipper shape is felted. In the process, the slipper shrinks significantly and has to be stretched on a mold where it dries and takes its ultimate form.

The rolled felting process results in a slipper without any seems. They are made of firm and durable wool felt that will soften with wear.

Rolled felt styles include: Kyrgies Classics, Kyrgies Molded Soles, Kyrgies All Naturals, Nomads

Cut and Sewn Felt

Cut and sewn slippers are sewn together from sheets of felt using sewing machines

Large sheets of wool felt are made from carded wool. Great care is taken to make sure that these sheets are uniformly thick. Patterns are then cut out of these sheets that are sewn into slipper shapes.

The cut and sewn process creates products that are more lightweight, softer, and more pliable than our rolled felt products.  

Our cut and sewn styles include: Tengries, Tengries Walkabouts, and Slides.

Kyrgies 201: A Guide to Individual Styles

Kyrgies Wool Slides: Lightweight and Easy to Slip Into

  • 4-Season slipper
  • Super lightweight made from cut and sewn felt
  • Eco-friendly leather sole

Kyrgies Slides are one of our newest indoor models. You can almost think of these as a super stripped down version of the Tengries. They are a simple slipper made from cut and sewn felt with a vegetable tanned leather sole. They are extremely lightweight, and pack up very well for all of your travel needs.

Kyrgies Outdoor Slides: The Same Great Syle, With Rubber Soles

Kyrgies Slides are one of our newest indoor models. You can almost think of these as a super stripped down version of the Tengries. They are a simple slipper made from cut and sewn felt with a vegetable tanned leather sole. They are extremely lightweight, and pack up very well for all of your travel needs.

  • 4-Season slipper
  • Super lightweight made from cut and sewn felt
  • Durable soles made from natural latex

Tengries: High Top House Shoes

  • High-top bootie style house shoe
  • Eco-friendly leather sole
  • Many people prefer to order one size up in order to accommodate thick socks and to be able to pull them on more easily

Tengries are a wool bootie made from cut and sewn felt. The felt itself is a little more pliable and lightweight than rolled felt. The main structure of Tengries is comprised of two main pieces of felt with a strap of elastic that keep them snug on your instep (your instep is the top part of your foot). We've updated our Tengries with a reinforced toe to make them durable.

Tengries are made with vegetable tanned leather soles and an extra 4mm cushion in the heel.

Tengries Walkabouts: Step Outside in Your Tengries

We took the same great design of our Tengries and added a vulcanized crepe-style sole to them so you can step outside and wear them on outdoor adventures. These soles are flexible and durable, not to mention grippy.

What is vulcanization? It's a process to make rubber more durable.

  • Same style as our Tengries with a crepe rubber style sole that can go outside
  • Many people prefer to order one size up in order to accommodate thick socks and to be able to pull them on more easily

Kyrgies Classics, Elegantly Simple

  • Classic design made from rolled felt
  • Durable sole made from a blend of wool, synthetic felt, and latex
  • Available in 4 great colors
  • Zero drop from heel to toe

This is where it all began (with a few updates along the way). Kyrgies Classics are made from rolled felt. They are built on a mold that is designed for a neutral shaped foot. The soles of Kyrgies Classics are the same thickness throughout the slipper.  Their sole is made from a blend of wool felt and polyester, which is then coated with a natural latex. The polyester gives these soles much more durability and the latex gives these grip.

Kyrgies Molded Soles, Upgraded Foot Support  

  • A sturdier version of our Classics model
  • Come in a low back and a high back style
  • Eco-friendly leather sole
  • Available in 4 great colors
  • Extra padding on the heel
  • Kyrgies Molded Soles are built on the same neutral mold as the classics. However, they have an additional layer of felt sewn into the mid-sole. The extra felt helps the slipper keep its orthopedic shape and provide more support to your foot, hence the name "molded sole."

    The vegetable tanned leather used for the sole is sourced locally in Kyrgyzstan. Vegetable tanned leather is tanned using extracts from Quechua and Mimosa trees. This process is much more ecologically friendly than standard leather tanning. It also creates a more durable leather which will take on a beautiful patina as you wear your slippers around.

    Kyrgies Molded Soles feature a piece of 4mm felt sewn into the heel of the midsole, giving your heel a bit more cushion.

Kyrgies Wides

  • Great for wide and/or flat feet
  • Eco-friendly leather sole
  • Can accommodate your orthopedic insole

The important thing to know about Kyrgies All Naturals is that they are built on a wide and flat mold. These are also a great model if you have your own orthopedic insole that you'd like to use because they'll fit with no problem. 

Kyrgies All Naturals are another model that is constructed with rolled felt and vegetable tanned leather. They do not have the extra strip of felt inside of the sole and they are "barefoot style" with a wide toe box and no extra felt in the heel.

Advanced

Kyrgies Wovens: Snug on Your Feet and Great For Travel

  • Work great with all shapes of feet
  • Lightweight and easy to fold and pack in luggage
  • Made from hand woven felt and eco-friendly leather

Wovens are a made from handspun wool fibers that are then woven on small looms. They are quite soft and forgiving of foot quirks like bunions. They're cozy and are popular with both men and women. They pack up extremely well and have vegetable tanned leather soles. Kyrgies wovens and are also barefoot style with zero drop between heel and toe and wide and roomy toe box.

Kyrgies Nomads: Felt Boots for Outdoor Adventures

  • Designed for outdoor living
  • Aren't afraid of snow
  • Feature grippy crepe rubber soles

We modeled our Nomads on the classic Russian Valenki, traditional winter footwear worn on the snow-swept steppes of Central and Northern Asia. Hence, they are much more of a boot than a slipper. They are great for cold and snowy conditions. They slip on easily and can be worn with the upper portion flipped up or rolled down. 

Extra Credit: Insoles

Felted insoles provide extra cushion and comfort

Make the Kyrgies experience even more comfortable with our soft insoles and transform your favorite house shoe into a unique piece of footwear that matches your personality.

Made from the same wool felt as our iconic slippers, these insoles are designed to give extra cushioning to your house shoe for a cozier fit. Available in 13 distinctively vibrant colors, they’re also the perfect choice for adding a splash of color to our Kyrgies in neutral shades.

What’s more, if you’re between sizes and worried your new Kyrgies will be a little too large, an insole can ensure your new house shoes are a close and comfortable fit. Thanks to the moisture-wicking and odor-resistant properties of wool, these insoles will work with your slipper to keep your feet cozy and perfectly odor-free.

Extra Extra Credit: Kyrgies Sizing

Kyrgies are a unisex product that come in European sizing. We provide a U.S. sizing translation for this sizing based on foot measurements and extensive feedback from our customers. We also suggest sizing up if you are in doubt. 

We also invite you to refer to this sizing guide.