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Shane Stanford

Fly Soul Shoes | Interview


I stay fly. I stay high. Now ask me why. Well because fashion and health are important to me. I collect a few different things and shoes are one of the things I totally collect and love. No, not Jordan’s and your typical shoes. More of the Vans and Converse type, until one day on a trip to Las Vegas. I was eating over at Wing King LV, an amazing wing restaurant owned by the GanjFather. He came walking up with a super fly pair of shoes on. They caught my eye for sure. I knew I wanted more info. He showed me their Instagram page and I immediately followed them. Well as Covid 19 hit and events/travel screeched to a stop, I kinda put other things in the memory part of the brain. LOL. That was until a recent event I went to. NOCO is a hemp expo in Denver. I was high as usual walking through taking photos and brief interviews with people when I literally almost walked right into Fly Soul Shoes. A small stand in a sea of booths, but again those shoes caught my eye big time. I dropped what I was doing and started chatting with the guy wearing a pair. He was a definite shoe guy as well, so we chatted and well here you go. Learn what I learned and maybe some more…

Fly Soul Shoes

What’s fly? What’s soul? What’s Fly Soul and why the name?

You are Fly, I am Fly, We are Fly once we realize we are all in this together. Fly Soul Shoes is meant to inspire, lift up the spirits of those that wear them as they embrace living life in vivid color!

What inspired and/or drove the start of the company? Me and Peter briefly touched on this and I love it. I and the readers would love more.

Upon a global journey of 68 cities and 19 countries in 2019, Peter met a family of 3rd generation cobblers in Tepoztlán, Mexico. As a servant of the plant, Peter was inspired to normalize hemp textiles in the consumer’s mind and saw an opportunity to help a family, a culture and a community at the same time.

How long have you all been up and running as Fly Soul Shoes?

Fly Soul Shoes launched originally at CBD.io in Vegas November 2019 however our e-commerce site, flysoulshoes.com launched in early 2020.

Where are the shoes made? Ok Ok… I know the answer, well kinda but we want more… lol so not only where are they made but why did you all choose the maker and location?

Each shoe is made by hand, in the traditions of the natives of Tepoztlán, Mexico. Each shoe is hand stitched and aligned on the sole to present a unique pattern on each pair making them truly individual. We make the shoes with our partners in Mexico to pay one of the highest living wages in the community.

Fly Soul Shoes

As a huge shoe fan and, well, a shoe collector, I’ve noticed your shoes on The GanjFathers (Brian owner or Wing King LV) feet and a few others. So on that can you explain why they’re so fly and unique?

Our shoes are designed to inspire individuality but also empower the hemp industry. Although not there yet, we are working towards a fully biodegradable shoe. We have new designs coming with radical vivid colors that will allure the eye and activate the creative.

When we talk about being plant based shoes, what exactly are we talking about? I mean I smoke a certain plant and enjoy seeing and smelling several others. But this is the 1st shoe that’s caught my fashion eye that’s plants too. So what’s the clue on the shoe?

The current version of the shoes is a Jute and Hemp weave, however, version two will be a full hemp upper, cork inner liner for comfort and a hemp composite sole that will be biodegradable. Hemp is a plant that offers numerous textile applications, shoes are simply one of them and Fly Soul will soon expand to other product offerings.

The designs are all over the place, in a good way. You’ve got everything from simple blue to ayahuasca patterns all the way to the roots of Mexicans and Natives. (LOVE IT) yet they’re very stylish and slick. What’s next for Fly Soul? What’s the next hot design or are there any artist collabs in the works?

Each design is reflective of the native people of Mexico and the spirit that exists in their heart when making the shoes. From Sacred Geometry to Ayahuasca, each shoe unlocks a connection to the past, from the ground up.

Fly Soul Shoes

An easy good one… How and where can people get these Fly Soul Shoes?

We sell online currently at FlySoulShoes.com and are currently open to retailer and distributor relationships.

And last but not least…. What other info or cool knowledge would you like Cannabis Cactus readers to know about?

Hemp is here to save the planet, it inspires us at Fly Soul Shoes to remember that all our planet’s problems have natural solutions provided by nature. Come with us on the adventure of a lifetime and color your soul from the ground up with Fly Soul Shoes!

So after reading this, let me ask you a question. Yes, you the reader. Are you ready to stay high and fly?

Shoes say a lot about someone. Shoes can be someone’s 1st and lasting impression of you. Shoes can make you feel like a million bucks. Shoes can meet or break your body. What more can I say a good shoe is important and at Fly Soul they took all of that into account. Why? Because shoes matter.

 


Shane-Stanford-@NMBeardedMan

Shane Stanford is a dank dad living in New Mexico. Read more of his articles and follow him on Instagram @NMBeardedMan

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