Fit & sizing
How wide each style opens
Most wide-fit shopping is done in letters — E, EE, 4E — and the letters are not a standard. We have replaced them with a number you can actually use: how far the shoe opens before your foot has to go in.
Why we do not sell width fittings
There is no legal or industry-wide definition of a shoe width fitting in the UK. Each manufacturer sets its own last widths and labels them however it likes, which is why you can be comfortable in one brand's extra wide and swimming in another's. Buying by letter alone is guesswork dressed up as a system.
So there is no width code to choose here. There is one extra-wide adjustable fitting in every size, and the strap sets the width on your foot. What you choose instead is the style — and the number that separates the styles is how far the shoe opens.
The four styles, in millimetres
| Style | Opens to | Closure | Colourways | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DW-006 Twin-Strap Wide Fit Trainer | 34 mm | Two independent hook-and-loop straps | Black, Charcoal Marl | Everyday wear, structure, separate forefoot and instep tension |
| DW-013 Mesh Wide Fit Trainer | 46 mm | Single wide strap with a leather-look pull tab | Charcoal Marl | Heat, damp, macerated skin, first move away from ordinary trainers |
| DW-015 Extra Wide Wrap Trainer | 58 mm | Broad wrap strap across the whole forefoot | Charcoal Marl, Navy | Bunions, forefoot spread, orthotics needing vertical room |
| DW-019 Full-Wrap Extra Wide Trainer | 72 mm | Full wrap flap covering the entire forefoot | Sand, Black, Charcoal Marl, Navy | Oedema, bandaging, dressings, large daily volume swings |
"Opens to" is the gap across the instep with the strap or flap fully released, measured on a UK 7. It is not a width fitting: every style is one extra-wide adjustable fitting per size, and the strap sets the width on your foot. Figures are indicative and the shoe is a shoe rather than an instrument, so fit against your own girth measurement as well.
Why the opening is the number that matters
For a foot that is simply wide, girth is the whole story. For a foot that is swollen, bandaged, bunioned or arthritic, the harder problem is getting into the shoe at all. A shoe can be roomy inside and still be impossible if the entrance is smaller than the foot — which is exactly how people end up buying two sizes too long.
DW-006 opens to 34 mm, which is a generous trainer. DW-013 opens to 46 mm and the strap folds completely flat. DW-015 opens to 58 mm across the whole forefoot. DW-019 opens to 72 mm, with the entire forefoot folding down so the shoe closes around a dressing rather than being pulled over it.
Girth is still worth measuring
The opening tells you whether the foot gets in. Girth — the circumference around the widest part of your foot, across the ball, measured standing with weight through the foot — tells you how the shoe will feel once it is on, and it is the number to give us if you ring up unsure.
Take a tape measure round the widest part of the foot, over the joints at the base of the big toe and the little toe. Do it at the end of the day, standing, both feet, and write down the larger figure. The home measuring guide walks through it with a printable gauge.
Signs the style you are in is too closed
The shoe leaves a red line across the top of the foot. Your little toe or the joint below it burns after twenty minutes. The strap is at the very end of its travel to get the shoe on. You have to work the foot in rather than lower it in. Or you take your shoes off the moment you get home, every day, without thinking about it.
Any one of those means move up the ladder to a style that opens wider, not up a size in length.
Room and depth are different things
A foot can be wide and shallow, or narrow and deep. Bunions need room across the joint. Clawed or hammer toes need height above them. Swelling needs both, plus instep volume. Orthotics need depth specifically. DW-015 and DW-019 carry the deepest toe boxes in the range, which is the quieter half of fit and the more common cause of nail and knuckle damage.
Between two styles? Take the wider one
If you are between two styles, take the one that opens wider. A shoe that opens too far can be strapped down; a shoe that will not open far enough cannot be made bigger. The style finder takes three questions, or you can measure your feet at home in about four minutes.
Common questions
Do I need to choose EE, 4E or anything like that?
What is the difference between DW-015 Extra Wide Wrap Trainer and DW-019 Full-Wrap Extra Wide Trainer?
Which style is closest to an ordinary trainer?
How do I measure my foot girth?
Is anything wider than DW-019 Full-Wrap Extra Wide Trainer available?
Where to go next
Four styles, one price, sixty days to get it right
Every style is £49.99 in one extra-wide adjustable fitting, UK 3–12 (EU 36–46). Delivery is £4.95, free on two pairs, and if the style you chose does not open wide enough we post the replacement before the first pair comes back.