Origin's of Spread'em

Hi, I’m Richard, Founder and Creator of Spread’em. The idea behind Spread’em goes back much further than the sock itself.

In my early 20s, I struggled with tightness across the top of my feet, aches and recurring Achilles issues. At the time, I didn’t give much thought to how my feet moved or functioned. That changed as I became more involved in strength and conditioning and started learning more about biomechanics.

I began to understand the importance of the foot being connected to the ground — allowing the heel, base of the big toe and base of the little toe to create a stable platform, while giving the toes the freedom to move naturally.

It made me question something incredibly simple: why do we spend so much time thinking about how our bodies move, yet so little time thinking about what we put on our feet?

I experimented with barefoot running and loved the connection it gave me to the ground. I bought my first pair of five-finger shoes and enjoyed them for easy runs and running on grass, but they didn’t give me the performance I wanted for faster running.

Toe socks seemed like the obvious answer.

But after wearing them for years, I always felt there was something missing. I wanted better quality. Better performance. Better durability. And, just as importantly, I wanted a sock that I was actually excited to put on.

That became the starting point for Spread’em.

It started with running. Then something else happened.

As a runner of more than 20 years, my original goal was to create a running sock.

I started prototyping, testing different materials, different blends and different constructions. But during that process, my other passion — strength and conditioning — took Spread’em in another direction.

There are certain movements in the gym where I love the feeling of training barefoot. Without a shoe restricting the foot, your toes are free to spread, your foot can interact with the ground and you can create a stable base from which to move.

But I didn’t always want to train completely barefoot.

So I started thinking: why can’t I have that freedom while wearing a sock designed specifically for it?

That question led to the Spread’em grip sock.

The five-toe construction allows each toe to move independently, while the grip underneath provides traction between the foot and the floor. And there’s a deliberately simple reason the bottom of the sock is black: gym floors aren’t always clean. I was tired of training in white socks and watching the soles quickly become marked and dirty.

So the black base became part of the design.

Practical. Functional. Spread’em.

More than something you put on your feet

I didn’t want to create another anonymous pair of socks.

We spend money on our trainers. We choose the shorts we want to wear, the top we want to train in and the kit that makes us feel good.

Why should the sock be an afterthought?

I want putting on a pair of Spread’ems to feel like putting on part of your training kit.

The current grip sock combines its black base with a clean white upper, but this is only the beginning. Future colourways will bring more energy and individuality to the range while retaining that practical black base.

Because Spread’em is about more than colour for the sake of colour.

It’s about confidence in movement.

It’s about wearing something distinctive because you’re comfortable standing out. Something functional enough to perform, but with enough character that you’re proud to have it on your feet.

And the running sock?

It’s coming.

In fact, running was where this whole journey started.

But I’m not going to release a running sock simply because I can.

We’ve tested numerous materials and material blends during development, and I’m still searching for exactly what I want. As someone who has been running for more than 20 years and is immersed in the running community, I know what I want a running sock to feel like.

And I’m not interested only in how it feels when it’s brand new.

I want to know how it feels after you’ve trained in it again and again. After it’s been sweated in, washed, dried and pulled back on countless times. It needs to retain its comfort, fit and performance.

Until I’m satisfied with that, it won’t carry the Spread’em name.

The same philosophy will apply when it does arrive: performance and durability first, combined with colourways and designs that make the sock feel like a genuine part of your running kit.

Why Spread’em?

Because your feet weren’t designed to be an afterthought.

Spread’em was born from running, shaped by strength and conditioning, and built around a simple idea: give your toes room to move, give your feet the opportunity to work naturally, and create socks you’ll actually want to wear.

I’m still testing. Still learning. Still developing.

And that’s exactly how I want Spread’em to grow.

Free your toes. Find your base. Spread’em.