Our Story

In 2015 our journey began just south of Atlanta, GA in a town called Columbus.  This is where I met my wife and our daughter Ivy was conceived.  My wife is originally Chilean, and she came up with a wild idea to leave our lives stateside behind and move back to her birthplace in South America.  So, we got in touch with her mom and relatives, sold everything we owned, and left for an incredible journey to the south.

We ended up in a small town in Chile called Iquique, this is where our daughter was born.  It is located on the northern most tip of Chile, approximately one hour from the Peruvian border. The city is wedged between the ocean and some of the tallest sand dunes in the world.  The beauty of the terrain, friendliness of the people, vibrant colors of the culture, and history of its land drew me in immediately.  The markets thrived with exotic foods, apparel, music, and more.  All this set to the backdrop of surfing, skateboarding, and ocean air to the south, with beautiful sand dunes and desert terrain to the north.   It wasn’t until after about a year of living there that I began to see the true culture of the native peoples surrounding the area.

Of all the wonders that incased the culture here, it was the footwear that truly took me by surprise.  Everything is handmade in independent ‘workshops’ throughout the region using locally sourced materials.   One day, we were in an apparel market and I came across a small collection of newly made shoes that caught my eye.  The colors were more vibrant than I’d ever seen.  The patterns were more intricate and precisely woven than anything I’d ever seen offered here in the states.  I immediately bought a pair and proceeded to wear them daily for almost three years.   These shoes were put through the ringer.  They were worn in the Pacific Ocean as well as on the beach many times over.  I used them as daily work shoes as a warehouse worker, recreationally as a skateboarder, and for all around multi-purpose events.

The colors never degraded, the rubber soles never broke through, and the form of the shoe remains intact to this day.  Little did I know that these shoes were made from authentic Peruvian loomed fiber.  Native South Americans have used this type of fiber for many years for strength, durability, and flexibility.

By 2018 we had moved back to the states and I had already decided that I must track down the manufacturers of these amazing shoes and find a way to bring them to everyone here in North America and beyond.  This experience has led me to understand the value of cultures around the world and the value of products that are made by hand with care, pride, and generational knowledge.  Therefore, to understand and appreciate this footwear I began to ‘’Walk the Native Path”.  We invite you to become part of our journey and experience the amazing skill and art that goes in to every pair of Paxx Shoes.