“Growing up in Chandler, Arizona, in the ’80s, riding dirt bikes was my very first love. At just 9 years old, that feeling of freedom is what hooked me. Wind in your face, dust in your eyes, and the vibrating of a motorcycle in your hands and on your feet (and sometimes your butt when you sat down). Poppin’ wheelies, roosting friends, and clearing doubles was what it was all about. Sunup ’til sundown.

At 14, I started racing motocross. I loved it more than anything. I dreamed of being the next pro and winning races at the highest level. By the time I was 16, I was Expert and raced the Pro races when we traveled to California. My dream was becoming a reality.

Then, in the middle of my 16th year, my parents announced they were getting a divorce. With that, my support and encouragement to race wasn’t there anymore. No mom around to cheer me on. No dad at the track to help me continue that dream. So, my serious racing days were over.

My junior and senior year in high school became very hard for me. I was often angry at my parents for our family breaking up. At a time when it would’ve been easy to get caught up in drugs, alcohol, theft, fights and any number of non-productive choices stemming from stress, anger and depression, I didn’t. Why? Because I had a pickup truck and a dirt bike.

While I was no longer racing, I could still throw my bike into the back of my truck and head out to the different tracks I had made in the desert. What resulted from this high-intensity workout? An ultra-high level of concentration that I had to keep. A peaked heart rate, quick balance, and sheer exhilaration. The rewards of freedom. And when I finally loaded up my bike into the pickup to go home, I felt that everything in the world was going to be OK. All my troubles fled. I had no stress. Or depression. Or fear. Or anger. Just faith, hope, and trust that things would turn out all right.

Freedom X is my personal way to honor the sport, the feeling and the clarity it’s provided me to become the father, husband, and man I am today. I also want to honor my other true love—our country.

So, Freedom X shirts are made by hand. By riders. Right here in America. With American-made blanks (the tee itself). And American-made clip tags we sew by hand onto every shirt. No colorway for a particular design gets printed on more than 990 shirts. These are short-run batches and they each have a personality. They aren’t created by slick machines that barely put any ink down on them. They’re printed layer upon layer to get the color just right, with the right thickness, roughness, and matte or dull finish. I hope you find in them the inspiration to throw them on, escape into the wild, and write your own stories of freedom.”

– Paul Reed, Founder/Rider

CONTACT US

Freedom X Threads
3228 N Higley Rd.
Suite 101
Mesa, AZ 85215