There's no denying that the sneaker scene has a super busy atmosphere, with weekly high-heat releases and new sneakerheads joining regularly. With that said, there are some collectors who have been present in the space for many years, always ensuring they get their hands on the latest pairs. But some have turned sneaker collecting into something much bigger.
In the eight episode of our Community Curated series at The Sole Supplier, we sat down with Liverpool-based sneakerhead and business owner Lewis Earle to find out more about his collection and Sneaker Planters.
Who are you and how did you get into sneakers? Hey! I'm Lew, I'm a sneaker collector from Liverpool who also loves tech. I got into sneakers shortly after I got my first job. I spend a lot of time online and I stumbled upon Reddit where I found a subreddit called /r/Sneakers. It was full of posts from people showing their new pickups and collections and I was instantly hooked. This was around the time the first Yeezy Boost 350 colourways were releasing and I was lucky enough to get my hands on the "Pirate Black" colourway from a local in-store raffle.
From there, I moved on to adidas Ultraboosts and Nike Flyknit Racers and it has just spiralled since then to the point where I was inspired to start my small business called Sneaker Planters.
One memorable pickup and still my favourite pair to date are the Air Jordan 1 "Shattered Backboard" 1.0s . I picked them up just under a year after the release for £235 in a Facebook group and they were my first pair of Jordan 1s , which might surprise some.
Sneaker Planters is becoming more recognised in the community. Can you tell us what inspired you to start it? Firstly, I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone that is supporting Sneaker Planters. This was an idea I thought of last year after designing my plant pot by 3D printing and selling it. I was inspired by Crep Candle which makes wonderful sneaker candles with incredible detail.
This year I have started to work on attending in-person events to get the planters physically in people's hands. I also had a stall at my local sneaker event Laces Out which went well. Seeing people's looks of confusion when they saw the planters was pretty funny as no one has ever sold anything like this in this event so I was excited and nervous to show off my creations and explain the process behind them.
Currently, I am restocking the planters every two weeks, and they usually sell out within 24 hours, which is mind-blowing. I use the following two weeks to print, pack, and post each and every order myself to the point where I'm taking 3D print requests from the lady in the post office.
Do you have any exciting drops coming soon? I have over ten models in the works, including the New Balance 2002R silhouette launching at the end of July. I aim to release a new model every month.
I would love to take Sneaker Planters to the point where I have any model you want available on the website. Two popular footwear brands recently approached me requesting custom planters, so I'm pretty excited about that too!
Currently, I have eight 3D Printers that I operate by myself from the spare bedroom in my house. The 3D models are all made from scratch using only pictures. My very talented friend @jessegalartistry also helps me modify the shape and soles of the models until I'm happy with how they print. I'd love to scale up Sneaker Planters without a doubt! I'm enjoying what I've created so far, and it seems a lot of other people are too.
What are your top 3 sneaker purchases of 2022 so far? New Balance 2002R Protection Pack "Rain Cloud" The New Balance 2002R Protection Pack "Rain Cloud" from 2021! I wanted these since I first saw the leaked pictures so I entered every raffle imaginable for them but took Ls after Ls. I ended up paying resell price, but I'm really happy to have them. I'm a big fan of the materials and how they're layered around the shoe.
Nike Air Max 97 "Unlocked By You" The Nike Air Max 97 By You. It has been a while since I created a Nike By You pair with my last being a pair of "Heaven's Gate" Dunk Lows. I also made around nine pairs of AF1 By Yous during the lockdown. This pair of 97s uses a mixture of recycled canvas and suede with a super dark, almost brown-like orange tone contrasted against the neutral uppers. I wore these whilst running my stall in Laces Out this year.
JJJJound x New Balance 990V3 "Khaki" It would be rude not to include the JJJJound x New Balance 990V3 "Olive" after my latest Sneaker Planter release. This is my second pair of JJJJound x New Balance trainers and they never miss when it comes to creating a well-made, earth-toned pair of sneakers. Quality materials and construction throughout as always the case with NB in my experience.
What 3 upcoming sneakers have you got your eyes on?
What do you love most about The Sole Supplier sneaker community? After being a part of the community for so long, I'm s glad to see it's still thriving. It's easy for a lot of sneaker communities to lose their grip on the pages/groups they run but The Sole Supplier community has a solid group of people willing to help and support those just getting into sneakers or those who have been in the game for a long time.
Shoutout to Emily Atkins too! She has helped me and countless others with various things and always does her best to provide the latest sneaker news, raffle links, and plenty more.
