OffSpring Kings Cross: My Experience
As a result of the forever growing popularity, London arguably remains the epicentre of sneaker business, culture, and community. This consistently results in new franchise and independent shops opening all over the city, such as a new and highly popular Offspring located around the incredibly busy Kings Cross area.
Founded in 1996, Offspring shops as a brand are identifiable for their clean aesthetic which is supported by a collection of sneakers that are not necessarily as mass produced or as often seen compared to the stock of their competitors. While the brands and their silhouettes remain the same. The sneakers themselves were predominantly of collaborations and editions we don’t typically see sitting in a UK retail shop. This made for an interesting look around with more than one pair catching my eye.
Leading the race of editions stocked that we don’t often see was Nike, primarily in the form of TNs and Air Max 1s displayed in the centre of the shop. While they are far from ‘exclusive’ only few TNs on show for retail price could be identified as something typically see in a retail shop with the majority were shoes that typically have to be sought out by a sneakerhead who has the intention to purchase. The vast options of TNs, and the volume of sizes in which each was available, is clear proof of the resurgence in popularity the shoe has seen in recent years. There was a clear dip in popularity over recent years due to the previous resurgence in popularity of the Nike Dunk. With both shoes at the forefront of sneaker culture, generic editions of both shoes are now some of the most easily accessible sneakers on the market.
As we can come to expect, Nike Jordan’s, Dunk’s and Air Force’s take centre stage in Offspring too; also with a mixture of the classics and harder-find versions. While none would be considered ‘rare’, there is a vast variety of each available in a diverse range of colours. Something I have also come to notice is vaguely seen stocked in a shop. I can also assume that most pairs presented on the shop floor are heavily stocked in all sizes. I asked for the Jordan 1 Retro High OG ‘Lucky Green’ (pictured at the front) and the Jordan III Palomino (pictured below), both in a size 12, not only were both available, I then asked what else on the Nike wall was available in a size 12 and was told the majority was stocked in store.
To summarise, the Offspring King Cross store is a financially dangerous way to kill some time while waiting for your train. The clean aesthetic of the store coupled with the extensive options makes almost everything appealing and instantly added to my wish list. In its entirety, the store exemplifies what is a sneaker shop has to stock, and identify as, should it want to compete with the hundreds of competitors in London. By being sat on the same street as a Nike outlet, and a Carhartt WIP store, the location and busyness of Kings Cross Station does nothing but make this shop even more appealing to a consumer.
