I’m Ryan—founder, designer, and window seat lover. This small business was born from a passion for design, travel, and, most of all, the wonder of aviation.
An airport is never just an airport. A plane is never just a plane. A runway designation is never just some numbers and a letter.
The name 08 Left signifies runaways at CDG, YVR and HNL: places that mean the world to me.
Because it always means more.
These are symbols of design, cooperation, expertise, and connection at their finest. I firmly believe that the more people travel, the better they become. The more we expose ourselves to different cultures and people, the less we fear and the more we connect. And I’ll say it—air travel is one of the most incredible things to ever happen to humanity.
For over a decade, I’ve been creating art and apparel that capture the love we feel for those journeys and the places that shape us. Whether it’s a destination that changed your life, a city you call home, or the simple magic of a flight, everything here is designed with a modern aesthetic and a clear love for travel.
This is my baby. I design, curate, and obsess over nearly every detail. If there’s anything I can do to help you find the perfect piece for yourself or someone who gets it, just let me know.
Cheers to good design, great flights, and the places that mean everything.
It means the world that you’re here.
Ryan
At 08 Left, we exist to inspire the journey. To create art and apparel that speaks to the ones who get it—who see travel not as a luxury, but as essential. Who see aviation not as a burden, but as a gift.
We create world-class design for those who feel something when they step into an airport, who believe in the magic of movement, and who know that a flight isn’t just transportation—it’s transformation. Our work is for those who dream, who collect destinations like memories, and who are always thinking, Where to next?
For the pilots, air traffic controllers, flight attendants, mechanics, and logistics crews—we celebrate what you do. You make the world smaller. You make it possible.
For the seasoned jet-setters, first-time passport holders, and dreamers with maps pinned to their walls—we want to remind you: See more. Feel more. Find more wonder.
Because none of this is just about places. It’s about people, stories, and connections that mean the world.
When Ryan was little, he lived in Haiti. When Ryan lived in Haiti, he got to fly an old Pearl Airways DC-3 from Port-au-Price to the Dominican Republic because a very brave Captain let him sit in the cockpit the entire time. At one point the Captain had Ryan sit in his chair and bank the plane to the left - with a plane full of passengers.
Ryan was intoxicated. He lived in lots of different places and he loved the trip to the cockpit, of course, but he also loved seeing the world and getting to look out airplane windows at cities and oceans and clouds.
When Ryan moved away from Haiti, he was very sad, because he moved 6 times and he didn’t like leaving his friends again but he did move to Seattle where he got to visit Boeing a lot and where his dad took him to Sea-Tac to film planes landing and taking off with an old VHS camera while listening to Air Traffic Control with a scanner he got for Christmas.
As Ryan got older, he grew to love other things, like his wife Heidi, his 3 kids, traveling on airplanes with them, seeing the world with them, and art and design. He wanted to decorate his house with all the things that represented all his loves.
But they didn’t exist. At least none he could find.
Ryan ate some fish in Mexico in 2013 one night and got very sick, but in the middle of the night, he thought, other people might want art that represents all the things he loves and in a way that he loves them. Modern. Sophisticated. Delicate. Powerful. Beautiful.
So he started a site to sell his art (08 Left) in 2014.
Ryan still loves window seats, and flight trackers and in-flight movies, and new countries and experiences and his house is filled with artwork and his closet filled with apparel that is worthy of all that love
10 years later, Ryan still loves making cool stuff for people who are inspired by flight, and everything it means, like he was when he was a little boy in Haiti.
We see the world a little differently We are the ones who...
01. Collect adventures, not things.
Cities, airports, countries, and continents—each experience is a story, each journey a memory. These are our trading cards.
02. Seriously love the view up there.
Where the tomato juice tastes better, the clouds stretch forever, and the world feels impossibly big and beautifully small all at once.
03. Appreciate the journey as much as the destination.
Because when you stop complaining about the seat in front of you, you remember the magic of where you are.
04. Are trying to take it all in.
The colors, the sounds, the stories of the world. Every street, every market, every sunrise from a new window seat. Savor it all.
05. Think bigger.
New cultures, new perspectives, new experiences—they don’t just expand our world, they expand our hearts.
06. Choose awe instead of frustration.
Yes, TSA lines are long, but so is the beauty waiting on the other side.
07. Smile at every flight.
The roar, the lift, the weightlessness, the sheer miracle of it all. It never gets old.
08. Consider life to be a big, beautiful, amazing trip...
The world is worth seeing. Worth experiencing. Worth celebrating.
Because in the end, it means the world.
I’m a pilot from Southern California and I was in love with aviation from as early as I could remember. My dad had an office in El Segundo so as a child I would always come watch LAX 25R/L arrivals and departures. I also ended up spending a lot of time watching the old school heavies come in over the In-N-Out so that played a big part in where I am today. I started flight training at 20 years old (last July) and I’m now about to take my commercial checkride. Im in love with aviation because everyone shares the awesome passion of aviation whether it’s spotters, engineers, pilots etc. I’ve been lucky to meet so many wonderful people through flying and I’m excited to meet many more. My goal is to eventually become a professional airline pilot, but for now, I’m just having fun flying with friends every step of the way.
- Arnold
I'm sitting here 10,000 miles from home. Why? Because this trip justified taking the sixth longest flight in the world.The spooling of engines never gets old. The destinations always hold something special. Unexplored or heavily explored, changing your location 500mph at a time imparts a perspective that too few are able to personally experience.
- Dan
Aviation is quite literally the backbone of my family. When my parents were in their 20s, they were both working at California airports—my mom at SFO and my dad at SBP. Because of the nature of their jobs, they often had to communicate to each other through the computer messaging systems. Simple messages soon turned to flirtatious comments and love notes. They had never met, until my dad flew to San Francisco one day, showed up at my mom’s ticket counter, and said he was “Dave from Dispatch.”When my dad became an air traffic controller, it moved them to the Midwest, nearly across the country from their families. Needless to say, we traveled a lot for the holidays and summer vacations. I’ve been flying since before I can recall my earliest memory; I was raised to be a jet-setter, to see the world from new perspectives, to interact with people from different walks of life.And that’s what I love about flying. In today’s world, it often becomes a rather mundane, relatively normal task. But if you stop to really take in the adventure, it opens your eyes to new people, places, and cultures. And when you’re flying on a plane, you’re sharing an experience with hundreds of strangers. No matter you’re all from, you’re all brought together through a shared destination. This strange fate is one of humanity’s modern unities.
- Melissa
For the past 35 years I have worked around GA and commercial aircraft. Every day I find myself in awe of the physics that allow them to lift off the ground and soar through empty space. There is a mechanical and physical beauty to this process that inspires both youth and adults alike. For youth, it’s the visual of what is possible, and for adults, the adventure that awaits somewhere around the globe. Air travel intertwines people and cultures, giving us a better perspective on the collective of human kind.
- Jeff
I have always loved all things aviation! I am a meteorologist, and my first job with the National Weather Service was at the Atlanta ARTCC. There is nothing like forecasting the weather for an airspace like ZTL, with two of the busiest airports in the country! Each day was a challenge and I learned so much about aviation, air traffic control and of course the weather! I have the ATL Airport ATC poster in my office as an homage to my roots, and it’s a great conversation starter. I also have the ATC coasters from several other places I have lived. Thanks for making such unique pieces in such sleek and modern designs!
- Cindy
I am an aviation nerd since birth. I grew up living in apartments next to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. I used to watch planes all the time. After that, 6 years in the military as an Avionics Mechanic on helicopters in the United States Army (2 years South Korea, Operation Just Cause – Panama, Operation Desert Storm – Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait)... We love to travel when we can and have been to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and Prague, Czech Republic. We have our sights set on Tokyo next we get the time.
As you can see and guess, aviation at work, at home, and for vacation. We are truly an aviation family.
- Ray
I am an aviation/travel lover and I owe it to my boyfriend! He works for a major airline and has taught me so much about aviation that I didn’t know already! We non-rev together often and it’s always such a cool experience to be in different planes, see different airports, and it truly has taught me to appreciate all the work that goes into creating possibilities for people to travel by plane. My favorite airplane is the Dreamliner and our home airport is ORD!
-Dalia
I have been a life long aviation enthusiast! I knew I wanted a career in aviation. At the age of 19 I began A&P school and 2 years later was a certified aircraft mechanic. In the years since I got a job with a major airline and have been able to travel the world with my family. My daughter has been to 23 states by the age of 6 and multiple counties! This is why I love aviation! It’s a big world with a lot to see!
-Phil
I am a flight student and my wife and I just moved to our first house, in fact we just closed yesterday. We both love travel and since I am a flight student hanging out on the ramp all day, my wife (who also has the aviation bug) has given me permission to decorate the study room, garage, and main entry point however I see fit. The way I see it there is one option and way option only, I need to express my inner avgeek so that no matter where I am (the airport or my home) I will always be surrounded by the beauty of aviation.
-Jeff
I'm cabin crew with Southwest Airlines. I am a lover of all things aviation and travel because I don't have to factor in airfare for ANY travel. I definitely use my travel benefits. I began flying, as crew, in 1989. I still love the excitement of takeoff, the beauty of the earth from 40,000ft, and the thrill of landing somewhere new - as a pax or crew.
-Michael
When I was roughly 7-8 years old I was into trains, but when I first flew out to Edmonton, as I boarded the plane, something just clicked. After that moment I knew that I was going to loves planes and that I want to be a pilot. However, me being my age now, I’ve been to more countries in the world than most people that live in my area have gone in they’re lifetime. Of course, I’m very Fortunate. Travel is my second favourite thing in the entire world. Of course aviation takes the number one spot. Traveling is something very special, because when you go to foreign country outside of your home continent you get this feeling of happiness, and next thing you know your really excited and don’t want it to end. But once I get to my final destination, I make sure to plan some flights that are out of the ordinary, or not something that I’ve flown on before. And plan for sights I want to see in that city or country. When you’re ready for takeoff and lined up on the runway I get excited knowing that the engines are just about to roar (My favourite sound in the entire world, I’m probably not the only one) because knowing what’s going on in the cockpit, and the satisfaction of just pushing the throttles and hearing the engines roar know that you’ll soon be getting an experience you’ll never forget. That’s why aviation and travel are my favourite things ever.
-Ben
I love aviation because the person I love loves it. Ever since the day I met my fiancé (age 18), he expressed his dream of being a pilot. He felt, as did his parents, that this was an unrealistic dream. He knew since he was little that it was all he wanted to do. It has been 6 years since we met and I’ve watched him defy all the doubt from his family to work toward his dream. Without any financial support paying for flight school is HARD. I’m a teacher and so much of our savings goes to his dreams! Just last week he got his private pilot license! He is working toward his instrument rating now! It’s been so amazing to watch his determination and drive to make this happen no matter how hard it is financially for us. I’m so amazed by him everyday.
- Hayley