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How a trip around the world inspired this multi-million dollar shoe company

When Raaja Nemani’s plane landed in Argentina, the reality of what he was doing finally started to set in. He had quit his job in finance and purchased a one-way ticket to South America, where he planned to start his backpacking trip around the world. But now he was getting anxious. He was alone, he didn’t know the language, and was unsure how he would navigate the foreign country. Nemani knew that he was in for an adventure, but he never could have imagined that this journey would change everything.

That was in 2008.

Today, Nemani, 34, reminisces about his 18-month global trip that took him to 30 countries and 6 continents. And he came back with more than just souvenirs and stories — Nemani is now the co-founder and CEO of Bucketfeet, an innovative shoe company that was inspired by his journey. The company, which sells customized shoes designed by a global community of artists, has raised $16 million in funding from investors since 2011, and has celebrity fans like Mindy Kaling, Tilda Swinton and Aziz Ansari singing its praises.

But the origin story of Bucketfeet is a lot less glamorous. It started in Argentina, when Nemani met Aaron Firestein, another American who was living abroad. The two became fast friends after volunteering together, and during one of their many talks, Firestein shared his unique hobby of customizing shoes. Before Nemani left Argentina for his backpacking adventure, Firestein customized some kicks for his new friend — a colorful pair of shoes inspired by the city blocks of Buenos Aires.

“I thought they were a simple pair of shoes, but everywhere I went, they sparked conversation,” Nemani told Yahoo Finance. “This happened with old people, young people, men, women, even people who didn’t speak English, it was really powerful.”

As it turns out, the shoes were a universal language, an icebreaker that allowed Nemani to meet new people and connect them back to his adventures in Argentina. The inspiration for Bucketfeet was born in those conversations.

“Travel is my happy place, and I learned from my travels that we are more similar than different. Something as simple as art on shoes can spark a conversation and bring people together,” Nemani said.

After his around-the-world trip, Nemani took a job in Abu Dhabi and reached out to Firestein on Facebook. They had thrown around the idea of forming a shoe business in the past, but now Nemani wanted to make it a reality. After all, their skills were complementary. Firestein was creative, had relationships with artists and had been designing shoes for years. Nemani had the business experience and knowledge of how to build and run an operation.

In 2011, they both moved to Chicago and officially launched Bucketfeet.

“We have built a community of 40,000 artists from 120 countries like Colombia, France and Japan,” he said. “People come from different backgrounds, cultures, and the art they create resonates with a big audience.”

The artists are paid upfront for their art, usually around $250, and receive $1 for every shoe that is sold with their design. Bucketfeet’s most popular shoe is called the Pinappleade, which features a repetitive print of a pineapple fused with a grenade, symbolizing the peaceful farmlands that have been changed by guerrilla warfare. Bucketfeet has sold 35,000 pairs of the shoe, which was designed by DJ Lu, a Colombian street artist that some call the Banksy of Bogota.

So far Bucketfeet has raised $16 million from a range of investors, including Jumpstart Ventures; Andy Dunn, co-founder and CEO of Bonobos, and Brian Spaly, CEO of Trunk Club and co-founder of Bonobos.

The shoes retail from $68 to $150, and last year Bucketfeet sold more than 150,000 pairs globally. The company doesn’t release specific sales metrics, but Nemani shared with Yahoo Finance that it has doubled or tripled shoe sales every year since the company launched in 2011.

The Bucketfeet retail studio in Washington DC.
The Bucketfeet retail studio in Washington DC.

Bucketfeet does most of its sales online to US consumers, but Asia is the second-largest market. The company has two stores (they call them retail studios) in Chicago, and a new studio in Washington, D.C., that opened last month. Over the past couple of years, the company has also used temporary pop-up shops in cities like New York, London, Amsterdam and Zurich. Nemani says they hope to one day set up permanent studios all around the world.

“It would be hypocritical to our mission not to do this thing globally as well. It’s realistic now to focus and not jump in too quickly, but telling these stories on a global scale will be very important,” he said.

For Nemani, the idea of combining his love of travel with a greater message makes it easy for him to go to work everyday.

“Everyone can’t travel the world, but I wanted to figure out a way to let people have an experience and let them connect with stories and people from around the world,” he said. “Anthony Bourdain uses food, and we use shoes.”

Brittany Jones-Cooper is a writer for Yahoo Finance.

Read more:

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