It seems like most small brands have some version of the same origin story: “I started Needle and Thread because I couldn’t find the perfect pants, so I decided to quit my job and make my own, even though I’d never developed a product before in my life!” As cliché as it sounds, that’s what happens. A particular kind of person (stubborn, unreasonable, creative) experiences a situation where something is lacking and says, “Hey, I can do better.” Can they really? Maybe not, but you’ll only know for sure if you try.

Unfortunately, Ridgemont’s origin story is no different. I was prepping for some adventure travel and I couldn’t find shoes that had both the style and functionality I was looking for, so I decided to make my own! (I should probably mention that I was designing and developing shoes at the time, and had been for many years.) There were roughly 47 billion shoes in the market, to think I couldn’t find what I was looking for sounds ridiculous, but I promise it was not for a lack of trying. And let me be clear, I’m not trying to make the case that I couldn’t find good shoes. There were tons of great shoes. It’s just that the shoes with the style I liked weren’t built to do much more than look good, and the shoes that were built to perform weren’t designed with me in mind. They were made for other dudes. Dudes who had pants that could transform into shorts with a quick pull of a zipper. Or dudes that use poles when they walk. And look, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with either of those things. All I’m saying is that I already had a style that was void of walking poles and zip-off pant legs. I felt like the shoes that were out there weren’t for me. I also had a hunch that if I felt that way, there were a bunch of other people who had grown up with the same influences as me and saw the world through similarly warped eyeballs. So I said, “Hey, I can do better!” Lol. Did I do better? I guess that’s a matter of opinion, but I welcome you to try out some Ridgemonts to see for yourself.

I realize that my little story has been very “I, I, I,” but that’s not quite how it went down. This circus has a few animals, and I’m very lucky to have found incredible partners that believe in the mission and allow Ridgemont to remain focused on the principles on which the brand was founded.

- Stacy Lowery, Founder