INTRODUCING AVERY 'AMBITION'

Community_

27 July 2021

We want to shine some light on Offspring community member @notleonavery and his start up brand @averyfootwear. Some of you will already know about Leon’s amazing achievement but if not, here are some words from the man himself.

Circa October 2020, mid-pandemic, and disillusioned with WFH marketing work, I quit my job on a whim and converted my savings for a house deposit into a budget for my dream project. I had no real prior knowledge, other than that of someone deeply ingrained in the consumer-side culture, and some limited insight from my paid marketing work in luxury fashion.

‘Everyone who is well into trainers, has always wanted to make their own.’

I’d decided to share what I’d learned throughout the journey publicly, with a strong degree of transparency, from both a ‘behind-the-scenes’ and financial standpoint. This encapsulated everything from open mold outsole sourcing and production, to appealing to IPO lawyers for existing trademarks.

Throughout the journey, a large number of decisions were community-sourced or influenced; from the box colour, paper, quality control thresholds, even down to heavily influencing the final release date (and time) based on people’s buying preferences.

‘The idea behind the Avery brand is that it for creatives by creatives, working with people on a micro and macro level.’

The size split for total pairage was influenced directly through Instagram polls, the outsole (and shade of rubber) through a Google Sheets voting system, even shaping feedback from women’s sizes on arch support into the final last of the shoe.

Every time I’d needed an expert’s opinion, simply putting the question out there would find one waiting in the wings. The shoe is the definition of ‘it takes a village’ and bringing it to full fruition has been one of the highest honours of my 23-year-old life.

‘Community means everything to me. I was so lucky to have been welcomed into it back in 2018. They have grown beyond a friend group, into something that is akin to a family. I love being part of this community and the way it supports each other.’