We were lucky to catch up with Karl Hinkley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Karl, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I believe in mission of The Nowear Compound Nonprofit and it’s goal to help kids feel welcomed and a sense of belonging. The reason it’s so near and dear to my heart is because of my own personal struggles when I was a teen.
Growing up I was heavily picked on in the early years of high school and it caused me a lot of mental struggles. So much so that at times I questioned if I wanted to be here.
I found my place in the misfit world of BMX. There I found friendship and people that didn’t judge you by your race, how goofy or different you may be, we all just rode bikes together. We joked that we were just a bunch of junk yard dogs.
Thankfully I had a good stable home with great parents or I’m confident I wouldn’t be here today.
As an adult I wanted to give kids who may experience similar feelings a place to feel that are a part of, not judged but welcomed.
It only takes one person to believe in you or give you a chance to completely change your life.

Karl, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a small business trying to make a big difference.
I have been heavily involved in the sport of BMX most of my life.
I started my company Nowear BMX in 2010 with the intensions of making the most positive impact within the industry that I could. I was working with some kids in a small town that were in need of some guidance. I told them that if they stayed away from drugs, finished school etc, I would start a BMX brand and they could represent for me and help build something special that helped kids and the sport.
Nowear grew over the years to being a full bike company that offered American made parts, professional stunt team for hire and opened a nonprofit that offered the worlds first FREE indoor bike park open year round for any kid to enjoy.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The sport I love so much can also at times be small and have cliques.
When I was younger in the 90’s it was popular for skaters and bikers to poke fun at rollerbladers. My wife and I opened a skatepark in 2002. While we were in business we discovered the rollerblader cliental was the most respectful customers we had. We realized. that it doesn’t matter what type of wheels you rode, everyone was just people trying to find their place in the world.
Fast forward to nowadays and the scooter kids get treated like the rollerblader did back in the day. Myself and those who represent for our company push for the acceptance of all wheels equally. We don’t believe in cliques. We explain to people that the need to feel special and create a specific circle of friends leaves a larger circle outside of that of those who don’t feel a part of something.
Break the circle, open your arms and embrace all

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The bicycle industry can be short sighted and reluctant to give new looks or ideas a chance. in 2016 Nowear BMX started making bicycle frames that were completely different that anything else on the market. Over the first couple of years we were heavily ridiculed! Poked fun of constantly all over the internet. Over that time we never responded with any negativity. We combated each negative comment gesture with something positive. We spent the years letting the quality and functionality speak for itself. We did not let the industry get us down. We stuck to our positive morales and have made a success of our designs and we believe helped pave the way for others to try ideas in today’s market that look a little different or odd.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nowearbmx.com
• Instagram: @nowearbmx
• Facebook: Nowear BMX
• Twitter: @nowearusa
• Youtube: Nowear BMX
• Other: TicTok @NowearBMX

Image Credits

2 photos were taken by Karch Media Kaitlin Archer. Note: we have been given permission to use the photos