We chat to Zim (@z33m) on behalf of The Real Sole Family, one of the first and prominent groups that formed within the Offspring community.
Can you tell us about @therealsolefamily and how it all began?
We are mainly a UK based sneaker community with currently 125 members on our core Slack and extended community based around our Instagram page. Our aim was to create a space that welcomed people no matter what background or age, where you could share a common passion not only for sneakers but able to talk about anything from mental health to fitness tips.
You guys have been a prominent force at our pick-up days, how did TRSF form?
The seeds of TRSF grew out from the Offspring adidas event in 2018, it was one the first events that most of us finally got a chance to see the face behind many of the IG pages that we were following at the time. The Monday after the event @frenchcrep decided to create an Instagram with everyone from the event, the chat grew to about 50 people in a matter of minutes with notifications popping up every second as everyone was excited to keep the vibe from the weekend going.
We quickly pivoted off the Instagram group, onto Slack inviting everyone that was interested in joining. By the end of the day, we had a group name and an Instagram page that everyone was going to get behind.
That created the core structure of TRSF but what made TRSF what it is was the family we had in the group with the likes of Casper and others who were out there day and night coming up with ideas and different ways to push the group forward.
Many groups have formed out of the Offspring community, so what makes yours different?
It’s incredible to see all the groups that have ‘sprung’ up from the Offspring community, the amount of amazing content that these groups are consistently putting out there proves just how deep the talent is within this wider community.
As one of the first groups that formed from the greater Offspring community, we have always tried our best to build a family environment on our Instagram page and in person you can find us on pickup days where anyone can join, chat and be part of the group. We have always guided by the principle of being able to help wherever we could and hope that everyone has access to the pair they want without having to pay resale prices.
Our semi-annual TRSF summer BBQ has always been something different from the rest of the community having a day where we could meetup, eat, drink and have a good time.
You guys are known for your group pictures and one of them is very iconic – where you mimicked the classic Abbey Road Beatles shot. Whose idea was this and what was the response?
That was an amazing photo, during the early days of TRSF we had some truly amazing photo ideas, that Abbey Road one was a way to showcase both the Off-White Converse as well as emphasising on how TRSF would get together and make every pick up a special event for anyone what wanted to join in.
As for whose idea it was, not sure but I’m pretty sure that @frenchcrep would love to take all the credit for it. The response was genuinely overwhelming, our following grew with each photo we uploaded, the positive response from everyone pushed us to try do better for the next pickup day.
What day-to-day roles are involved in running TRSF?
Almost five years on, the core of TRSF pretty much runs itself, the Slack has been structured in such a way to keep things as easy as possible. We have a channel where anyone can ask help on pairs, a channel setup to talk about shoes, general chat for everything else and an announcements channel for important messages. On bigger events like SNRKS Day we have dedicated channels to keep the conversation on topic.
We have an awesome Instagram Team that works on posting some great content, encouraging conversations and showcasing some of the family posts. A meetup and events planning team who work hard to organise social events. In the background there is a small team focusing on new merch ideas, development on our new public platform, App development and accounts management.
Who do you think shaped the community that you are now a part of?
We are fortunate to have so many individuals come into TRSF over the years and added their influence on how we are run.
One that stands on the top of that list for us was Casper, he always pushed TRSF to be better and setting the foundation of who we are today, without his contribution we wouldn’t be where we are today.
What does community mean to you?
A community, is having a group of people from all backgrounds that share a common passion, creating a safe space where they can share their thoughts, ideas and love for sneakers together.
Have there been any changes to the scene since you formed?
Since we came onto the scene five years ago, we have noticed a lot of remarkable changes within the greater community, the #offspringcommunity tag on Instagram is full of incredible photos and video content that are being showcased. Companies being built from the ground up round the community with the likes of AVERY and others who are taking that next step from buying products to creating them and selling them. New groups rising with their own take of what a sneaker community is.
Podcasts, meet-ups and events enrich this diverse sneaker community and demonstrates that this space which was created by Offspring has infinite possibilities which can only mean bigger and better things.
What top 3 values does TRSF stand by?
– Being a family-based community that looks out for each other.
– Creating a positive presence in the UK sneaker scene.
– Making sure that everyone has change to get the pairs they want at retail prices.
What does it take to become a member of TRSF?
Turn up! You can usually find us at our local on Saturday pick-ups, we are currently working on opening a public discord to make it easier for new people to get involved. Keep an eye on our Instagram for when this launches.
What advice would you give to someone who is new to the sneaker space and would like to feel more included within the community?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and get involved, we all started somewhere and most of us love to chat about sneakers. There are a lot of incredible groups out there, find the one that you relate to, engage in the comments, and inspire others soon everything will fall in place.
What’s next for TRSF?
We have a few things planned for 2023, our new public platform will be launching very soon, the weekly podcast is in the works. A TRSF mobile app that is currently in development which will be released this year if all goes well. This October is our 5 Year anniversary, so we are planning to do something extra special for it more info closer to the time.
Check out more from the @therealsolefamily on Instagram.
