Shoelaces. Where do I begin?
They can make your sneakers look like a million bucks—or like a total mess.
Every time I bought a new pair of sneakers, the first thing I’d do was remove the laces and re-style them to tuck inside. No bulky knot on top, just a clean, trendier look. But the downside? My sneakers would often feel loose. Worse, the laces would slip out, mess up the aesthetic, and sometimes end up dragging through dirt and puddles.
Then there were my little cousins—always running around with untied sneakers. My aunties and uncles were constantly calling out, “Come here, let me fix your laces!” while the kids tried to escape 😂. It was a real worry. One of them even tripped once because her laces were undone—came home with a nasty elbow scrape and tear-filled eyes 🙁.
And then there’s my mum. One day at the gym, she tried to fix her laces while running on the treadmill. You can guess how that ended. Faceplant. She came home with bruises on her arms and legs. She thought she was Wonder Woman—turns out she wasn’t. Facepalm.
That’s when I knew something had to change.
For me, it was about style.
For my cousins, safety.
And for my mum, preventing a future cameo in a “Gym Fails” compilation.
So I went looking. Google, Facebook, Instagram—you name it. I found a few no-tie shoelaces, but none felt quite right. Some were overpriced (USD $40 for elastic laces?!), others had poor designs or dodgy websites that looked like they were built in 20 minutes just to make a quick buck.
Now, I’m not perfect, and neither is FreeTheLace. But I knew this concept deserved more: more affordability, more effort, and a better experience.
I told a friend about it, and he said, “Why not just do it yourself?”
Then—being a Matrix fan—he quoted:
“There is no spoon.”
“You have to let it all go, Neo. Fear, doubt, and disbelief.”
I rolled my eyes and walked away (sorry if you're reading this 😂). But it got me thinking.
That night, I couldn’t stop. The next morning, I sat at my laptop and mapped out a plan.
“Why not?” I thought.
I’ll invest a little, test it out. If it works, great. If not, no regrets.
I spoke with dozens of manufacturers and designers until I found one who shared my vision for design and quality. I showed the product to friends and family—some loved it for the look, others for the practicality. Word spread. Orders trickled in. And that’s how FreeTheLace was born.
Now, it's no longer just me.
It’s the FreeTheLace team.
We’re building this brand every day—website, socials, products, community. There’s still a long way to go, but we’re proud of how far we’ve come.
We’ve shipped to customers all over the world, and more importantly, we’ve built something people care about. So to everyone who’s made a purchase or supported us in any way:
Thank you.
There’s more to come—more capsule drops (yes, new colours and designs), clothing, and maybe... just maybe... sneakers 👀.
Stay tuned.
