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Aetrex Carly Arch Support Sneaker

Q: How do I clean them?

Knit. The Carly and the Kinsley are machine washable, and Aetrex says so. Take the insole out first, and the laces if it has them, and let everything air dry at room temperature rather than in a dryer.Smooth leather. Wipe with a soft damp cloth. For anything worse, Aetrex's own instruction is three parts water to one part mild detergent, applied in gentle circles.Nubuck or velvet. Some Charlotte colorways are one of these, and water and detergent will ruin both. Brush nubuck dry with a suede brush and leave velvet alone. If they're marked, bring them in rather than experimenting.Whichever pair you have, keep it away from a radiator. Heat is what kills a footbed.

Clinically Screened by Paul Henderson, C.Ped

4.8 (90+ Google reviews)

$129.95

Free shipping & 60-day returns

4 interest-free payments of $32.48 with Shop Pay

Recommended for:

Plantar Fasciitis Arch Pain Heel Pain Bunions Wide Feet

Selected: Grey

In stock · Ships within 1 business day from Matthews, NC

Pedorthist-Screened 60-Day Comfort Guarantee Free Shipping & Returns FSA/HSA Eligible

Paul's Note

"The one I hand people most often. Knit gives where leather won't, so it's my first try for a wide forefoot or a bunion, and you can wash it."

Paul Henderson, C.Ped

Upgrade your support Pair this shoe with an orthotic our pedorthist has selected for complete support.

Carly Arch Support Sneaker

$129.95

Quick facts

Specs published by Aetrex

Heel: 0.8 in
Upper: Stretchy knit
Midsole: UltraSky
Care: Machine washable

What you're standing on, and what you can change

Aetrex is one of the few brands that builds real arch support into a shoe and still lets you take it out. That one design choice decides how you should buy this shoe and what you do if it turns out not to be enough, so it's where this page starts.

50M+ foot scans behind the shape of that footbedAetrex's published figure for the scan data their Signature Arch Support was engineered from. Read it as a design input, not a clinical result: Aetrex publishes a trial on their removable orthotics, and none on the support built into their footwear.

The insole comes out, and that changes what this shoe is

Aetrex shapes the same Signature Arch Support into this footbed that's in their sandals: a rise at the apex of the arch, a cupped heel, molded in rather than glued on. They say it's there to help relieve heel and arch pain.

The difference here is that it lifts out. Aetrex lists this style as Removable Insole: Yes, and their sandals and cork styles as no.

That's worth more than it sounds. It means the shoe isn't a finished answer, it's a platform. If the built-in support turns out not to be enough for your foot, you pull the insole and put a real orthotic in, and you keep the shoe. Most of what gets sold as comfort footwear doesn't give you that second move.

Knit or leather is a fitting decision

These come both ways and people choose on looks, which is backwards. A stretchy knit upper gives where your foot is widest, so it's the first thing we reach for with a bunion or a wide forefoot. Leather holds its shape, and lacing or a strap is all the adjustment you get.

Neither is better. They're for different feet. Quick facts above says which this pair is.

One width, and no width chart

Aetrex doesn't build these in D, 2E or 4E. They make one fit and say their shoes are constructed to accommodate all widths, which holds up in the knit styles and only partly in leather.

If you've been buying wide for years, tell us before you order. It's a two-minute call and it's the difference between a shoe that works and a return.

How much heel is under you

Across these the heel runs from about eight tenths of an inch to about one and three quarters, and that spread feels bigger underfoot than it reads. A little more heel is generally taken to put less tension on the Achilles and the plantar fascia. A little less feels flatter and more like a trainer.

If your heel hurts most on the first steps of the morning, the taller ones are usually the kinder place to start, and it's worth saying that's our experience fitting people rather than something Aetrex publishes. Quick facts above has this pair's number.

Fitted by our pedorthist in Matthews
Free 3D foot scan in store
60-day comfort guarantee

Materials, heel heights, technology names and the description of the arch support are published by Aetrex and quoted here as the manufacturer's claims. Footwear is not a treatment for any medical condition, and Aetrex's own wording throughout is help relieve rather than treat. If you have diabetes, neuropathy, or a diagnosed foot condition you are being treated for, talk to us or to your doctor before changing what is on your feet.

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4.8 90+ Google reviews

What people say about being fitted here

These are reviews of our Matthews, NC store, not of this shoe. We'd rather show you real reviews of the fitting than invented reviews of the product.

Read all of them on Google →

The staff is friendly, knowledgeable and extremely helpful. The staff have helped me find shoes to alleviate my plantar fascitias pain.

Ellie HydenGoogle review
I am learning to walk again & heal after a procedure to my spine. Thanks to Jim I am able to stand up straight without pain!!!

Hope ClaryGoogle review
Excellent service! Pam was very helpful and informative as she guided me through the process.

Mike GriffinGoogle review

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Sizing, the banded sizes, using your own orthotics, bunions, cleaning, and how to get fitted.

Why are some sizes listed as a pair, like 7.5 - 8?

Because some of these are built on European lasts, where one EU size covers two US sizes, and Aetrex doesn't explain that anywhere. A band is one size written as two.

So pick the band your size falls in. A 7.5 takes the 7.5 - 8. A 9 takes the 9 - 9.5. You aren't choosing between two sizes.

The single sizes in between, the 7 and the 8.5 and the 10, are exactly what they say. Order your normal size.

If you're a 5 or a 5.5, the Carly and the Kinsley are the two sneakers that go that small. The Emily, Erica and Charlotte start at a 6.

Can I put my own orthotics in these?

Yes, and this is the main reason to buy an Aetrex sneaker rather than a sandal. Aetrex lists this style as Removable Insole: Yes.

Take the factory insole out first, then put yours in its place. Don't stack them. Stacking an orthotic on the insole already in the shoe is the single most common reason a shoe that fit in the store feels too tight at home.

If you're not sure your orthotic will sit right in this shoe, bring it in. We'll drop it in and you can walk on it before you decide. That goes for a device your podiatrist made as much as for anything we sell.

Do these come in wide?

No. Aetrex builds one fit and says their shoes are constructed to accommodate all widths, which is a statement about the last rather than an offer of width sizes.

In practice the knit styles stretch and genuinely do cover a range of widths. The leather ones hold their shape, and the lacing or the strap is the only adjustment you get. So if you've been buying wide for years, the knit is where to start, and a phone call before you order is worth more than a size chart.

Which one should I get for bunions or a wide forefoot?

A knit upper, every time. It gives across the joint instead of pressing on it, and it doesn't need breaking in to do that. Of the Aetrex sneakers we stock, the Carly and the Kinsley are the knit ones.

The leather styles can work if the bunion is mild: lace them loosely across the forefoot, or on the Erica set the strap wide and leave it there. But you're asking a fixed material to do something it doesn't want to do.

Will these help my plantar fasciitis?

Aetrex designs the built-in support to help relieve plantar fasciitis, arch pain and heel pain, and a shaped arch with a cupped heel is the standard first thing to try.

Note the wording, which is theirs and ours both: help relieve, not treat. A shoe isn't a treatment. If your heel pain is new, severe, or getting worse, get it looked at rather than buying a shoe and hoping.

The honest advantage of this style over a sandal is that if the built-in support isn't enough, you have somewhere to go: pull the insole and put a proper orthotic in. That's a conversation worth having before you spend twice.

Do they need breaking in?

The knit ones don't. The leather ones want a few days to settle across the forefoot, the way any leather shoe does.

Your foot is the other half of the question. If you've been in flat unsupported shoes, a shaped footbed will feel like something is pushing up under your arch, because something is. Wear them a few hours a day for the first week and let it settle. If it still feels wrong after that, bring them back. That's information, not stubbornness.

How do I clean them?

Knit. The Carly and the Kinsley are machine washable, and Aetrex says so. Take the insole out first, and the laces if it has them, and let everything air dry at room temperature rather than in a dryer.

Smooth leather. Wipe with a soft damp cloth. For anything worse, Aetrex's own instruction is three parts water to one part mild detergent, applied in gentle circles.

Nubuck or velvet. Some Charlotte colorways are one of these, and water and detergent will ruin both. Brush nubuck dry with a suede brush and leave velvet alone. If they're marked, bring them in rather than experimenting.

Whichever pair you have, keep it away from a radiator. Heat is what kills a footbed.

Can I be on my feet all day in these?

That's exactly what they're for, and it's what most of the people we fit buy them for: walking, standing, a long shift on a hard floor.

Running is a different shoe, and Aetrex doesn't market these as running shoes. The gym is somewhere in between, fine for treadmill walking and weights, not for anything with lateral cutting in it. We'd rather tell you that than sell you the wrong thing and see you back in six weeks with a sore knee.

What if they don't work out?

Send them back. We run a 60-day comfort guarantee, which is longer than Aetrex's own 30-day window, because a shoe takes more than a week to tell you the truth.

Aetrex also warrants against manufacturing defects for six months. If a sole or an upper fails in that window, tell us and we'll deal with them so you don't have to.

Can I try them on, or get advice by phone?

Yes to both. We're at 924 Park Center Dr, Ste 101, Matthews, NC 28105, open Monday to Friday 10 to 6 and Saturday 10 to 4.

There's an Aetrex 3D scanner in the store: twenty seconds, both feet, free, no obligation. Bring the orthotic you already wear and we'll put it in the shoe for you.

Call (704) 846-0301 and you reach our fitting team, not a call center.