On August 23, adidas presented its first ‘barefoot’  training shoe, which is designed to imitate the experience of exercising barefoot while providing the protection, traction and durability of a shoe.

With this shoe, the world’s second-largest athletic company based in Germany is planning  expand into the U.S. where rival Nike takes the first position. adidas is on Nike’s heels globally, but the gap is much wider in North America. New product is the best way for the sportswear company to gain attention of customers and raise sales.

The Adipure Trainer resembles a cross between a glove for the feet and a traditional shoe, it hits U.S. stores in November priced at $90, says the Associated Press. While barefoot shoes make up a tiny fraction of the $22 billion U.S. athletic shoe industry, it is one of the fast-growing categories.

Nike, the world’s biggest athletic company, holds roughly 65 percent of the market. Among other companies is Vibram that has about 10 percent of the market with its Five-Finger shoe. Other big companies such as Merrell, Fila, Saucony, Asics and New Balance also have their own barefoot offerings.

«The Adipure Trainer is a unique piece of equipment for elite level athletes that we’re bringing to our core consumer,» said Patrik Nilsson, president of adidas North America.

The theory behind the use of barefoot shoes, which are now tremendously popular in the U.S.,  is that the body is already optimally designed to move. In 2009 after publication of Christopher McDougall’s book ‘Born to Run,’ which explored the history and benefits of barefoot running the movement started to gain popularity. Though it still has proponents, saying that barefoot shoes can cause injuries, adidas ha all chances to make its Adipure Trainer a new bestseller.

adidas was among the companies, which had plants that caused pollution of Chinese rivers. Greenpeace is still waiting for adidas to accept its Detox challenge, while its rivals, Nike and Puma, have already done it.