Our Designs

Wondering where all the designs on our shirts originate? Not from Ryker…Lol! Ryker definitely has the entrepreneur and business mind, but he isn’t so great at art. However, I have always enjoyed creating games, pictures, and little DIY projects. Almost all of my designs came from family road trips and traveling. It was on these trips where I felt the most free. Spending time with my family, away from the daily grind, really opened up my mind. It’s really some of my fondest memories. When you are together 24 hours a day for several weeks, you truly discover the best and worst of your own character as well as each other’s. This is how the wording and taglines began. Sometimes, it was just something funny one of us said; other times, it was from a deep conversation about life making us realize what’s really important. In those long distance car or plane rides, I just began doodling and writing these things in a small glitter notebook. At the time, Barefoot Nation had not been thought of or created! Once Ryker insisted on filing the trademark, it was then that the “glitter notebook” came alive. It was on to picking fabrics, colors, styles, and making these designs come to life. So, yes, every design you see on our apparel is completely unique and organic; thought of by one of my family members. The first time I saw a complete stranger wearing the shirt that I had designed while strolling the beach, I was completely humbled. I came to the realization that this family brand was real. It showed me that anyone can do anything they set their mind to doing. (Of course, it helps to have wonderful people with you!) On a daily basis, after my schoolwork, I am still working and doodling, thinking of new, creative sayings. Outside of travel, my mind works best outdoors. Sunshine, flowers, birds chirping, or just sitting in the grass or sand brings me peace and sparks my imagination. I hope that these designs and messages on our shirts inspire others to live the Barefoot lifestyle. It’s not only for those true barefooters like myself. It’s for anyone who needs Freedom for the Sole. Anyone who knows the feeling of freedom where the water meets the sand or the lake meets the mountain. Do you need to Free Yourself from the daily grind and Be Yourself without apologizing for it? Do you need to Get Grounded and realize what’s really important in life? Then Become a Citizen today. What are you waiting for?

Hailey, Creative Director