Our Story

"You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?"
— Matthew 5:13

A sweater, a Gospel and a church basement

Dust & Feet started in a church basement in Winnipeg.

I was going through RCIA at the time, getting ready to become Catholic. Our group went to Mass together, and after the homily, before the Eucharist, our RCIA group was sent down to the basement to "break open the Word," like we did every week.

That day I just happened to be wearing a Stay Salty sweater. You've probably seen them: the coastal fishing kind you find in every beach town and bait shop.

The Gospel that day was about Jesus calling his disciples to be fishers of men.

So there I was in the basement, talking about fishermen, wearing a fishing sweater, and it suddenly hit me. "Stay salty" is a popular catchphrase on fishing and coastal merch, but it works just as well for Christians. Jesus said it first: "You are the salt of the earth."

And I thought of the ichthys, the simple fish early Christians used as a sign of Jesus, right then and there.

If you know, you know

What I liked most was that not everybody gets it.

I'd show people the design and ask if they got it. The Christians knew right away, almost by instinct. Everyone else just saw a clean, good-looking fishing design.

It became a kind of "if you know, you know" piece. Something simple you can wear anywhere, and every so often you get a wink or a smile from someone who knows.

That first design became our 513 Collection, named for Matthew 5:13.

Why "Dust & Feet"

The name comes from Jesus sending out his disciples. He told them to carry the Gospel from town to town, and where they weren't welcomed, to shake the dust off their feet and keep walking (Matthew 10:14).

I love that picture: people on foot, dusty roads, small communities of faith gathered in homes, carrying the message with them wherever they went. Dust & Feet is my way of honouring those old ways and bringing them into today. It means wearing the faith boldly, being proud of where it comes from, and carrying it with you wherever you go.

Stay Salty

Salt doesn't draw attention to itself. It preserves what's good, brings out flavour, and changes things just by being there. That's the kind of faith I want to live: not loud for the sake of being loud, just real, in the ordinary places we find ourselves every day.

The 513 Crewneck – Stay Salty carries that verse by name, and the Stained Glass Crewneck sets the same fish and the same two words in the colours of old church windows. You can wear either one to work, to class, or to coffee after Mass.

Coming full circle

The very first 513 crewnecks weren't sold. I gave them as gifts to the catechists who walked with me through RCIA and to my fellow classmates.

These days I help teach RCIA myself, walking alongside adults as they learn, ask hard questions, and get ready to enter the Church, the same road I walked.

Walk with us

Whether you've been Catholic your whole life, you're just starting to ask questions, or you're somewhere in between, you're welcome here.

Stay salty.

— Ryan, founder of Dust & Feet