This past weekend was a busy one in the world of sneakers, with heavy hitters like Offspring, Footpatrol and Crep City all hosting events over the course of two days.

The Saturday was Footpatrol’s 20th anniversary event which sadly I wasn’t able to attend due to train strikes.

The event consisted of multiple panel talks with topics of discussion ranging from community and design, to footwear and culture.

Footpatrol really pulled out the stops for this event enlisting the help of Will Stowe from SNKRS to host 2/3 panel talks with guest appearances from many others deeply involved in the culture, such as Bradley Martinez (Footpatrol), James Harvey, (The Urban Syndicate), Stephanie Hulbert-Thomas (Women in Sneakers) and many more from the likes of ASICS, Sneaker Sisterhood and Nike.

From listening to what people at the event had to say it was a brilliant event overall with great panels which really engaged the audience. It would be brilliant to see Footpatrol and other brands around the UK hosting more events like these to help connect to a new audience.

Everything in the modern world is taken online, these events which take the scene back to basics really helps new comers connect with, and immerse themselves in the culture as well as giving them a chance to meet those who have been doing this since day one.

Even with the Footpatrol event coming to a close on Saturday evening there was still more to look forward to from the weekend, with Crep City and Offspring’s real life Sunday Discussion only one sleep away.

Fast forward to the Sunday, it’s gloomy, rainy and really not sneaker wearing weather, unless it’s a mars yard overshoe! That didn’t stop people, the heat was out in force at Crep City, from reverse mochas to Neckface blazers attendees weren’t messing around.

Crep City at its core is a buy and sell event where people go with the intention of either picking something up or shifting something they’ve had for too long already.

Although there were some brilliant vendors such as Jimmy Shooz who specialises in old school SB’s having 10 pairs of Tiffany SB’s to his name, or the already well known Sneakerdenn who has everything from early 2000’s gems to grails such as the Union Jordan 1.

The rest of the event however was the same as always, the majority of sellers selling the same copy paste TikTok shoes following the latest trends. Now there’s nothing wrong with this, it’s what the market dictates, however as someone who takes an interest in the story’s and mythos surrounding a shoe, the overall lack of variety is consistently disappointing with the only redeeming quality being the social element of the event.

The ways in which I would improve Crep City are interesting but best saved for another time.

After leaving Crep City post lunch, it was a swift transition to the other side of London where we found ourselves in Hackney, a part of London rich with culture and perfectly situated to host Offspring’s inaugural IRL Sunday Discussion.

when I saw the invite from Offspring & Paq Works show up in my email I was elated, a big part of Offspring’s involvement in the community is their engagement with the consumer.

Although some have their reservations I’m a fan, and if anyone from Offspring is reading this I appreciated the invite wholeheartedly.

The event itself aimed to take Offspring’s weekly instagram segment Sunday Discussions, which discusses topics within the community and wider world to a physical location where we can meet like minded individuals and really connect.

Sunday Discussion IRL started with drinks and canapés, which sadly we misused due to a navigation mishap which saw us running behind by 20-30 minutes.

We did however arrive just in time for the main event, a panel hosted by Kaff (@kaffofficial_insta) featuring Kia Commodore (@ikeeyah), Franklin Boateng (@kingoftrainers) and Jade (@jademacj).

The topics of conversation for the panel were extremely engaging, ranging from financial advice from Kia Commode to sneaker culture and what it meant to us as individuals. Potentially the most controversial of questions being the correct name for the Air Max 95, 110’s or 95’s.

The answers for this were rather interesting however the best was “cause I’m from the streets” which obviously opened up the discussion.

After the panel we were treated to a full 3 course dinner courtesy of @msjoycek and Offspring. A choice of mains ranging from lamb, chicken and salmon to the stuffed butternut squash for the vegan/vegetarian option.

The food itself was brilliant, well presented and abundant in quantity with trays of sides flowing around the two tables.

The setting for the dinner was spectacular, a brilliant view of the London skyline amongst an intimate candle lit dinner. It really allowed for everyone to disconnect and get to know each other, obviously the free bar helped liven the already brilliant atmosphere.

This weekend really was something special, it’s hard to remember a time where so many things were going on within the scene.

I would like to thank Offspring for the opportunity to attend their inaugural event and I wholeheartedly think anyone who attend future Sunday Discussion will be blown away by the attention to detail and effort put in to the event.

Although I wasn’t able to attend the Footpatrol anniversary event myself, between Offspring and Footpatrol this past weekend they have really set a precedent within the London scene and even the UK itself.

Events like this, whether on a strictly invite only basis or publicly accessible it really brings the community together and allows us all to deepen our passion for what we love and ultimately connect with like minded invisibility.

Nothing was being sold, no agenda being driven, it was simply about people being people and having fun with sneakers again.

Offspring, Footpatrol & Crep City, a busy weekend for Sneakerheads

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