Now I can admit it: I have been a fan of theirs for quite some time, I have been following their development and I have been fascinated by the speed with which they have entered the footwear market and completely revolutionised it, introducing a forgotten fabric and inspiring other start-ups in the sector to introduce hemp fabric in their footwear collection. A few days ago, between Cannafest in Prague and preparations for Black Friday, I had the chance to have a phone call with Bernardo Carreira, the founder of 8000kicks, who shared with me the most important stages of his journey and introduced me to their latest invention, the 100% hemp backpack, perfect for both the countryside and the city. But let's start from the beginning.

HSM: The journey or 8000Kicks officially started in 2019 with the first 100% hemp and waterproof shoes on Kickstarter.

Can you share with whom you came up with the idea of making hemp shoes?

8000Kicks: Yes, after a period abroad in the UK and France, I returned to Portugal in 2017 and wanted to start a new project (I have a degree in economics) but I didn't know what it would be about yet. So one night, after a party with friends (and a few joints), someone came up with the idea of making a smoking shoe. The idea was silly, but when I thought about it the next morning, a cannabis shoe was an idea that had to be validated. I had already seen some bags and wallets made of cannabis fibres so theoretically I knew it was possible. Since my grandmother, Otilia, has more than 50 years of experience in the textile industry, I asked her to help me develop the shoe and try different materials and from different suppliers (worldwide) in textile hemp. After more than a year of research and development, we created the world's first waterproof hemp shoe, a new category of sustainable casual footwear.

HSM: The idea was feasible, so you decided to present your shoe to backers on Kickstarter. How did it go?

8000Kicks: The second step was to make our idea known to the world and sell enough in advance so that we could start production with the suppliers we found. Therefore, in May 2019 we started a reward-based crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter with a very catchy name "DOPE KICKS" and with many benefits, to name but a few:

- 100% Super-strong hemp fabric (just remember that Henry Ford made a car out of hemp!).

- Flexible and durable

- Completely waterproof, liquid and dust repellent

- Vegan and ecological (hemp requires 5 times less water than other crops!)

- Recycled soles

- Antifungal and antimicrobial

The name and especially the benefits of the shoe we developed were immediately clear to the community of supporters, so the project was funded within 24 hours and by the end of the campaign we had received almost $250,000 from 2,274 supporters in funding, which for us automatically meant pre-orders and shoes sold! Thus, we were able to start production with our suppliers in the EU and finally ship the final product to our customers by the end of 2019.

In May 2020, we changed our name from DOPE KICKS to 8000KICKS. The aim of this rebranding is to let people know that hemp fabric is not trendy and new, on the contrary, the first use of hemp fabric dates back to 8000 B.C. and has a long history as one of the most durable and versatile natural materials (it is also available in different natural colours).

HSM: Can you share more information about the fabric behind the shoes?

8000Kicks: The yarn we use comes mainly from China, which has never banned the production of industrial cannabis as Europe and the United States have done, so China now has an important and unique knowledge of harvesting, macerating, carding and steaming the stems, all preparatory steps for the creation of the yarn. Once the yarn is obtained, we use our European suppliers, specifically in Portugal, Spain and Romania, for weaving. For the further research and development of the fabric and its specific characteristics, we are collaborating with various institutions, textile centres and companies (to name a few CITEVE, CTCP, SGS and others) in order to create the perfect weaving of the fabric, as the correct weaving makes the fabric more resistant and of higher quality. For the assembly of the final product, we use the best shoe manufacturers in China and Portugal, who also have OEKO-TEX certifications and use some renewable energy in their production facilities.

HSM: This specific knowledge you gained about hemp fibre has enabled you to develop another product that you already had in mind a few years ago.

8000kicks: That's right, shortly after we successfully closed the Kickstarter campaign by shipping the last shoes, I wanted to make the first waterproof, 100% hemp fibre backpack, but the project was postponed due to the travel restrictions we all had because of COVID. We launched in May 2022 our second product on Kickstarter which was 100% funded in 1 hour! This is an incredible achievement for our small family business! We were backed by more than 4,000 backers and got almost $500,000 in funding (which is de facto pre-sales for us). Our backpacks are waterproof, made of sturdy cannabis hemp fibre, 100% vegan and eco-friendly, expandable (from 18L to 30L) and a great option for everyday use in the city or for short weekend backpacking and hiking trips.

Soon we will ship to our Kickstarter community and we are also selling all our shoes (in different colours) for men and women, as well as our backpacks and accessories on our website. Just recently we opened our first physical shop in Lisbon, where you can try on our shoes and touch the durability of our backpacks.

HSM: Thank you Bernardo for sharing your journey with textile hemp so far! It is definitely worth seeing your shop in Lisbon!

 

Photo:

Courtesy of 8000kicks, copyright 8000kicks

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