Quick intro. Who are you? Where are you from? And what got you into sneakers?
So for the guys that are new around here and they don't know, I'm Joe Parmley. I'm from a little town called Welwyn City in Hertfordshire, just outside of central London. My first memory of sneakers, trainers, kicks, whatever you want to call it, was when the Yeezy Boost Beluga 2.0 dropped at Foot Locker.
I was there with my brother trying to get them, spinning the wheel of death. Unfortunately, I didn't get them. But that was probably my earliest memory of sneakers. Another memorable moment was when I got given an hour’s detention trying to buy Supreme during school back in the day. So, that was fun.
Tell us a little bit about KICKS N COFFEE. What was the idea behind and how did it get started?
So, KICKS N COFFEE just kind of rolled off the tongue really. I liked my sneakers and then I started to get into my coffee. I probably wasn't as obsessed, or as much of a coffee snob or a nerd, shall we call it, as I am today.
There were similar events in the industry that were rather transactional and lifeless. So I wanted to bring the community back into the streetwear scene and blend two different cultures which simultaneously provoke good emotions, good endorphins. Being around like-minded people sharing stories, it naturally just correlated together.
KICKS AND COFFEE was born in a little nightclub in Hertfordshire and then quickly grew to be one of the biggest lifestyle culture events for sneakers and coffee in the UK.