We chat to sneaker customiser, nail artist and Offspring Community member Latya Bennett.
Tell us about yourself
I’m Latya Bennett, 23 years old, originally from Nottingham City but was born in North London. I’m half English and half Jamaican. I create custom footwear and accessories mostly by painting, and I am also the head of footwear restorations at Always Fresh Empire. This includes cleaning, painting and everything to do with restoring footwear (mostly sneakers).
I decided to explore painting on old sneakers and shoes around the age of 15, and managed to convince friends and family to let me go near their shoes with a brush.
We understand you have your own sneaker customisation business. Can you tell us how you got started?
I started my business ‘Latya’s Art’ when I was 16-17 offering custom designs on literally anything anyone asked me to! Shoes, bags even the odd plant pot. I come from a very artistic family, so I was always exposed to art from a very young age which I am very thankful for. As I got older dabbling in all kinds of artistic mediums in school and at home, I did find that a brush and paint was always my go to. When I became old enough to work, I got a job at a shoe shop in Nottingham, and this made my love for shoes even deeper and just made me want to customise shoes even more.
How would you describe your design work and practice?
I find that I do work quite organically and will always be working on multiple projects at any given time. For example, I could have restorations and customs that require the same colour of paint so I may as well prep everything for that stage to make things easier.
What is the inspiration behind your work?
I feel so inspired when someone sends me photos of their beat-up sneakers and I can literally see in my head how fresh I can make them in my head before even touching them and then when I finally do get them, I’m rearing to go. The difference from before and after I’ve restored them in so satisfying. Regarding customs, I absolutely love when a client tells me what they want on the shoe without limiting me artistically that’s when I feel most satisfied with the work especially when the client is as happy if not happier than me with the outcome.
What’s been the greatest and hardest things you’ve had to come across?
When I was 20, in 2019 I moved to London to study footwear design at university so moving away from family was tough. Then literally within 6 months we went into lockdown from covid which as a young person was a strange time but, I did discover TikTok in 2020 and started to upload videos of my customs on a whim which a few of went viral!
We saw that you recently hosted your first customisation workshop, can you tell us a bit more about that?
I hosted a custom workshop with my girls at SneakerSisterhood and Caramel Rock fashion charity which was basically my first-time teaching people how to do anything! I was so nervous but nonetheless it was so rewarding seeing how eager the students were to learn and we were lucky enough to be sponsored by Nike, so everyone got their own Air Max 95 to customise. This is something I would like to offer as a service and I’m lucky enough to have another workshop lined up in my hometown soon!
Do you have any early sneaker memory?
I remember when I got one of my first pay days around the time the Nike Air Max 97 Silver Bullets came out in 2017 and there was no doubt in my mind, I was getting a pair and I still have and wear them to this day I have had to do a midsole repaint on them though after 6 years!
Do you have any sneaker regrets and what is your sneaker grail?
I entered a raffle for the grey Comme des Garcons x Air Max 95’s in 2020 without checking the retail price and I won them. I was so happy until I seen how much they were and at that time I couldn’t afford to be spending £280 on shoes as a student so unfortunately, I had to miss out on them which was heart-breaking I have my eye on a pair that’s come up in my size which might have to be a cop.
I fall in and out of love with sneakers all the time but one I have never fallen out of love with is the Nike Air Max 98 x Supreme Snakeskin. They didn’t release the 98s in my size in Europe, but I found a brand-new pair in my size from Asia literally last week in a sneaker store in Soho, hidden behind the counter. It was meant to be, so now they’re a part of my collection and I’m still in awe!
What sneakers are in your rotation currently?
It is so cold in London right now so my adidas x Yeezy Desert Boots have quite literally been welded to my feet for the past week! Otherwise, I have been wearing my Nike Air Max 98 x Supreme, Jordan 4 ‘What The 4s’ and the JD x New Balance 2002r’s that I customised. They’re so comfy!
Aside from sneakers what else are you into?
I looooove having my nails done I literally cannot remember the last time my nails weren’t done and so I decided it was high time I learnt how to do them myself especially with the cost-of-living crisis happening right now it only makes sense. I’ve been doing my own nails now for over a year and it’s so lovely when someone compliments them and the shock on their faces when I let them know I do them myself!
What does community mean to you?
Community is so important to me growing up the youngest of 6 girls, my huge family was basically a community in itself! I remember when I still lived in Nottingham and got some wins with Offspring, making the journey to London wasn’t a chore because I knew I’d get to meet people I wouldn’t usually meet on a day to day, people who had similar views to me about sneakers. It’s actually crazy to think how long I’ve been a part of the community and how much longer I will be onwards!
Check out Latya’s work on Instagram @latyabennett @latyasart @latyasnails
