Locked-Down Influencers: Ari Petrou

We have spoken to the UK's biggest Hypebeast Ari Petrou to discuss how the lock-down is affecting everyone at the moment, how he is keeping himself busy and all things sneaker-related! Putting a spotlight on how Corona Virus is affecting every walk of life, this chat brings you into the life of one of the UK's biggest influencers.

A few of my favourite sneakers right now would have to be:

I’ve listed these pairs purely on how much I’m wearing them on a daily basis, even if it is just to Tesco LOL.

In 2015/16 I was really trying to get into the sneaker reselling scene as a side hustle on top of my retail job but I couldn’t really afford the sneakers or clothing pieces I wanted. After a year or so of camping out and getting into the right reselling crowd, it really got me loving streetwear. When I finally felt like I had enough money, I started collecting myself.

That's got to be the Off-White x Nike MCA "University Blue. I actually copped these but they turned out to fit almost a full size big. I sold them and made a profit but never actually ended up getting my size due to the resell flying up to a price I didn’t want to pay and I just had to let them go.

To anyone reading this thinking "how do I get through the quarantine?", my advice would be to try and keep as productive as possible. Whether it is working on content as I am doing at the moment, helping out around the house if you live with your parents (you probably won’t understand how much they’d appreciate that during these hard times). Lastly, take this time to self-reflect, it might sound a bit silly but you need to think about how you can better yourself.

It could be your diet, it could mean that you do some exercises in the house. Everyone has space to do push-ups or sit-ups, so there’s no excuse right now when you're stuck at home. The last thing I will say on this question is really just stay mentally strong if you can and try to stay positive!

At the moment I’m still creating 2 YouTube Videos a week over on my YouTube Channel. Luckily, I can still do my “Job” Creating content for brands, etc. Finally, TikTok is also keeping me from being bored at the moment and I see this as a great avenue for anyone to grow a strong social media following.

The industry has become so saturated over the last couple of years this question is difficult to answer, as the steps I took a few years back wouldn’t necessarily work for someone about to start on YouTube, IG and other channels today. You definitely need to find your niche and something that makes you stand out.

At the moment, I am really trying to work out the next steps I’ll take! I am planning for when quarantine season is over and so should you guys!

I really appreciate The Sole Supplier for letting me do this written interview and be sure to check out my Instagram by clicking on @AriPetrou. Stay safe guys!