Today we’d like to introduce you to John Walker.
Hi John, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
my name is john walker. i am from travelers rest, south carolina. i began making flip flops in a barn near the home i grew up in. i built a small shoe factory with rudimentary tools and developed a “proof of concept” factory to test my designs. i was someone who always enjoyed wearing flip flops and i always felt there was something lacking in the design of the flip flops i was wearing. they seemed to be too cheap or poorly made or they were too beach oriented. the toe thongs where always really short making them really floppy or the straps where too loose. there was always something about them that prohibited them from performing the way i really wanted them too for my own use being around the farm, hiking, camping and just generally tromping around outside. I worked on my designs developing what I thought was the best shape and sizing for full sets of mens and womens sizes. I found several businesses to help ease my manufacturing process like cutting my materials from large rolls of cork and rubber and doing some of the necessary sewing to increase the amount of flip flop straps I could make on my own. Once I developed what I thought was an appropriate set of flip flops for all the necessary sizes for men and women I began going to farmers markets around the state of south carolina and custom fitting people in flip flops and making them on site for people. I did this for several years perfecting my craft until I was ready to find a manufacturer to produce my flip flops. I have now been having my flip flops manufactured for me to allow me more time to focus on the business and not as much on the manufacturing.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Building this business has been nothing but a long, bumpy road full of detours and mishaps. The hardest part for me was finding a manufacturer to make my product. The difficult part was not finding someone to physically put together the flip flop, but it was finding someone who would make the product exactly how I wanted it to be made. Many of the manufacturers I have worked with wanted to make my flip flops the way in which they thought they should be made weather that was with a looser strap, a different style leather, a weaker material that would lead to failures resulting in possibly more sales, etc,etc. It took intensive communication and sample making to finally find the right partnership with someone to make the product how I wanted it. This has been the most difficult thing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an avid outdoorsman. Hunting and fishing are my passion. Being a hunter, I have developed a bit of an obsession with the animals I hunt and take and consume. Eating the meat provided by them and using the hides or feathers in whatever way it is that I can is the most satisfying and full circle economy I can be a part of. That obsession has spilled over into my business of flip flops. Leather is one of the greatest materials on earth for use by humans. It can be preserved without the use of chemicals and if well taken care of can last for years. I want to be able to put my touch on all the leather in the world that I can. Incorporating this leather into my business I know that it is the most well cared for and treated leather on the market which can last for generations on a product I have designed and manufactured.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
learning to drive at 7
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cooksflips.com/
- Instagram: @cooks_flips
- Facebook: cooks flips
