It appeared to be a goofy concept at the time, as Feet You Wear didn't quite connect with people looking for giant air-bags and other visible cushioning contraptions, but as we've now seen today with Nike's heralded "Free" campaign, adidas was certainly onto something when they introduced barefoot-inspired athletic footwear in 1995. Originally developed by Frampton Ellis, Feet You Wear hoped to mimic the natural motion of an athlete's foot while providing greater court feel and great control of one's movement during play. "I noticed that when you're barefoot and you roll your foot, your ankle is perfectly stable," Ellis said in a 1996 interview with The New York Times. "But with a shoe, you roll up on the edge of the shoe and teeter-totter. The right angle of the shoe sole torques your foot and puts unnecessary strain on your ankle."