We caught up with Vaclav from Botyluks, for a little chat about the company, and all other things barefoot. Botyluks is a Czech based, family owned company - specialising in handmade barefoot shoes. They started in 2016, and have quickly become one of the market leaders in the industry.
Their website is available here: https://www.lukshoes.com
Good Morning Vaclav, Thank you for being on board
Good morning Alex and Jade. Thank you for having me.
Botyluks is quite a staple company within the barefoot industry. I know you’ve probably mentioned it a thousand times, however for those that aren’t familiar, could you tell us how you guys started?
Back in 2016 I learned about the Barefoot shoes for the first time. That got me interested and I bought my first Bf shoes, and soon found myself hooked on the Barefoot walking concept. And that was when I had my Eureka moment: “Hey - Barefoot shoes! What if I started making my own?” It was not long after that our shoes as you now know them first saw the light of day.
The first ones were the summer sandals. I spent many long days and weeks creating my shoe designs, finding out what worked and what didn't, and following them through. One of my strong characteristics is not to give up, and I also take that as my mantra. I’m very grateful to my father for his experience gained by many years of practice that drives my quest day by day to my long-term goal, which is a healthy style of footwear for everybody. And that is the story. It's my story and the story of my family that is constantly developing.
Did you or your family members have any previous shoemaking experience?
My father started making shoes about 30 years ago, but they were just slippers, nothing like the shoes we make nowadays. I would never have been able to make it without the help of my father and my family though. We all work hard on the new designs for our shoes putting our heads together daily, helping one another and offering valuable advice for which I’m very thankful. I can say for both myself and my whole family that this work gives us a sense of fulfilment
Your mission is quite beneficial to the health of others, hypothetically speaking, what do you think you’d be doing if BotyLuks hadn’t been created?
To be honest, I've never thought about this as I always try to focus on the present time and what's there and then.
Do you have any advice for people thinking of taking a risk, and starting a small business, or movement that they have a passion for?
I would definitely recommend not being afraid to start and not trying to do everything just by themselves when there is a lot to do.
What shoe model do you wear most regularly?
I usually like wearing our moccasins from spring to autumn because of their feminine look, and for being able to put them on quickly, and the ankle-high boots in winter.
Have you suffered from any physical injuries yourself?
No, but before I started wearing Barefoot shoes I had completely flat feet which also hurt me quite a bit, but after I started wearing such shoes, and also started to do some exercises, the fallen arches started to rectify, and since then my feet became healthier.
What are your plans/goals in the future?
Keep making the shoes as available as possible to everybody around the world, and keep building up our firm.
Thank you for the interview, Vaclav!
Thank you for the invite.