Delving into the sneaker community to celebrate the launch of the Nike Air Max 1 ‘Hemp’, we caught up with duo Tasha and Joey, founders of SNKRS ‘N’ HOUSEPLANTS, a community of individuals who are not only obsessive over sneakers but also plants.

Along with Tasha and Joey, we invited down members of the community to attend a terrarium workshop with the folks at London Terrarium for an evening of sneakers and houseplants!

Take a closer look below at the evening as we catch up with Joey and Tasha.

Footpatrol : Joey, Tasha! So good to finally have you both down. How are you?

SNHP: Hey! It’s great to be here. This is a bit of a pinch-me moment, we’ve been followers and fans of Footpatrol for such a long time. We’re great though, been busy but that’s how we like it.

FP: I will be honest with you. I don’t know the SNKRS ‘N’ Houseplants’ origin story and feel we need to share it with the Footpatrol community, so why don’t we start here.

SNHP: It all started during the second lockdown, we both wanted an industry job but we were both being told we didn’t have the experience and we felt that we needed an outlet. Obviously, we were all stuck indoors so you couldn’t wear our sneakers outside, so we thought why not share our love of sneakers by creating our own little platform, our own way into the industry?

Both our homes are filled with houseplants, and we found that there’s a connection between people that collect sneakers and houseplants. As we’re both interested in sustainability as well, we felt that the houseplants side speaks to that while the SNKRS part…well that’s obvious!

FP: Outside of this passion and drive you have for the community. What do you both do on a day to day?

SNHaP: We both work full-time, SNHP is our passion project. Tasha works in partnerships for an ocean impact company and Joey works as a Community Manager at a sneaker company. It’s definitely assisted us with SNHP having an even better understanding of each industry.

FP: It’s been amazing to see the impact you guys are already having in the community. From panel talks and Air Max Day, to supporting small businesses and creatives like, Lauren Fernandes. How important is it to leave this positive imprint?

SNHP: Thank you so much, we’ve had an absolutely incredible year thus far, and we’re incredibly excited to see what’s to come! Having the opportunity to provide others with a platform and support similar to what the community has provided us is a key motive of ours.

We feel that it’s so important to ensure that we help each other succeed. Having the opportunity to hold an event for the community to come and connect is a prime example of this. Community is all about uplifting each other and giving people their flowers where they deserve it!

FP: So outside of what you are already doing with your channel. What is the larger goal that you are both striving towards?

SNHP: We want to continue to grow our platform and create an even bigger, stronger, community of our own. Having the opportunity to bring people together and share a common passion while doing our part to make the planet that little bit greener is what we want to do.

We are currently curating a research project with the aim of hosting an exhibition on why people collect sneakers and their consumption habits. We think it’s important to explore people’s collections no matter how big or small, as it’s all about passion not the number of shoes you own. As interior lovers, we would love to create a homeware collection inspired by SNHP!! It would be great to have our own space where we could curate eco-friendly sneakers, a workshop space and lots of houseplants of course!

FP: Taking a side step from the community. I know you are both big product people and not only that, but also very conscious buyers ensuring nothing goes to waste. Is there a Nike release that you feel has led the charge in making a more conscious effort in sustainability?

SNHP: Definitely, this whole thing ultimately stems from (pardon the pun) our love of sneakers and collecting them. When the Nike Space Hippie collection arrived, it felt that it kickstarted the conversation surrounding sustainability at Nike by debuting Nike Grind. While it wasn’t a super hyped selection, the conversation and gradual innovation it has sparked since are really important.

This year, Nike has been injecting some really intriguing products into the market showing that being eco-friendly definitely doesn’t mean being unattractive. Our favourites thus far have to be the ISPA Link and Terrascape Air Max 90. Additionally, Nike’s 2022 World Cup kits are made of 75% recycled materials which is great!

FP: What are your thoughts on the use of materials like hemp being brought back onto silhouettes like the Air Max 1. Do you think brands should be experimenting with more exciting materials like these?

SNHP: We’re big on materials. The use of Hemp on the Air Max 1, in addition to the Crepe outsole which is also rare for Nike, is really nice. It’s crazy to think it was being used back in 2004 and even now it feels fresh and interesting.

Brands should absolutely be experimenting with more materials. It would be great to see Nike utilise similar materials on other OG silhouettes to encourage consumers to check them out.

A variety of materials, similar to that seen on the Concepts AM1, is always really interesting. Sneakers are wearable art in a way, let’s have fun with them!

FP: Is there a material you would like to see use on a Nike? If so what and what model?

SNHP: It’s all about closing the loop. 100% grape leather would be great! The newest sustainable vegan leather to shake up the fashion industry is grape leather, made with the byproducts of the winemaking process that often go to waste.

The process consumes very little water, and the water that is used can be reused over and over again.

Grape leather is an approach Nike haven’t explored yet, a silhouette like the Air Force1 could be the perfect option!

FP: I got to slip a 2-part corny question in here as its your first time on the Footpatrol socials, top 3 pairs you both own and do you have a go to his and hers pair you wear together?

SNHP: We’re both pretty big Air Max people however we do have varying tastes in what we have in our collections. Nevertheless, the top 3 we both own would have to be (in no particular order): 1. Nike Air Max 1 ‘La Ville Lumiere’ as it was our first campaign, 2. Stüssy Air Max 2013, 3. Patta x Nike Air Max 1.

We tend to wear different pairs, but we still need to get an SNHP Air Max 90 made for Tash that would be the ultimate his and hers sneaker!

FP: Is there a Nike holy grail on the hit list you both are striving to one day add to the arsenal?

SNHP: Joey: The Sean Wotherspoon Air Max 1/97 has been at the top of my list since they came out. My favourite silhouette is the AM97 and corduroy is my favourite material…maybe one day.

Tasha: I’m going with the Nike X OFF-White Rubber Dunk UNC. I love the mixture of detailed styles, such as the visible Air Unit which is often reserved for Air Max as well as combining the Dunk and elements from the Pegasus line. Also, I am a big fan of this deconstructed look and the feature of text and materials used.

FP: That draws everything to a close! Thank you again for spending the time with us and more than anything co-hosting this terrarium workshop for the community. Before we let you go, we like to leave the ending of the interview as an opportunity for you to sign off with any advice or positive anecdotes you would like to share with the community. Is there anything you both would like to share?

SNHP: Thank you so much for having us! It’s been a dream come true and we’re honoured to have been able to bring the community together, here’s to many more!

In terms of advice, we’d say be your true self in everything you do and make sure you do the things you love. If you had said to us 2 years ago, even a year ago, that we’d have met so many amazing people within the sneaker community and made our way into the industry, let alone having the opportunity to provide an experience alongside Footpatrol or being the face of an Air Max campaign, we’d have laughed.

The journey we have been on so far has been incredible and we just want to say thank you to everyone that has, and continues, to support us. The sneaker community can appear to be this huge scary thing but we promise it isn’t. Send that DM, and go to that event!

We can’t wait for what the future holds, see you there! 🪴👟