HYAMS COLLECTIVES: The Kent Hypebeast
“I’m definitely guilty of getting high off my own supply. A fair few items end up in my own collection!”
Hi George! Thanks for joining us at ‘cene! We have been watching your channels for a while! So, for people who don’t know, what is Hyams Collectives?
We are a resale & sourcing company for all things hype and hard to obtain. We’ve spent years building relationships with people in order to have access to rarest garms and sneakers!
When and why did you decide to start Hyams Collectives? And who is it aimed at?
I will always admit to being a collector before reseller, and still am! I had a huge collection of sneakers and Supreme clothing & accessories, and at the time I was living with my parents taking up a lot of their space.
So that’s when Hyams Collectives was born. At the time I was working for Mercedes Benz and was selling stock out the boot of my company car to people I worked with and friends. Then the name started to get about and the business became what it is! It is aimed at all age ranges, male or female, we have no stereotype of customer.
Love that! So, (pre Covid), how does it work with shopping with Hyams?
Pre Covid we had a small appointment based store in Canterbury, but due to some maintenance issues we had to vacate, so now we operate out of an office in Canterbury that is still open to clients for appointments! We also have a website which outlays how we can source stock and all our available stock for immediate delivery!
Hype fashion is so much about quality, creativity and collaboration, do you have a couple of your favourite pieces you ever sold?
Definitely! We’ve been lucky enough to have some of the coolest and rarest stock to be released over the last few years. A couple of my favourite sales have to be the Jordan 1 x Off White University Blue & also the Jordan 4 x Off White Sail of recent! Virgil Abloh’s collaborations with Nike are always a big hit!
Was it hard to sell them? Do some of of your items end up in your own wardrobe?
Certain items in the higher price bracket can stay with you for a little while, but when you know their worth you shouldn’t settle for a quick sale! Yes, I’m definitely guilty of getting high off my own supply. A fair few items end up in my own collection!
We have seen a rise in vintage/thrift shopping in the past couple of years and we have seen a rise in Hype fashion, do you think the two can co-exist?
I personally do, hype isn’t about having the latest item to release. For me some of the most hyped sneakers you can have is the OG Jordan 1’s for 85’ and 94’. I think styled right, the two genres can come together perfectly!
Do you have any personal pieces that you are particularly proud of?
Yes, I recently acquired the Supreme x Coleman CT200 Mini Bike. This is a personal favourite of mine, and it remains in storage until it finds a new home with a genuine enthusiast.
People who have these collectable pieces store them so well, do you ever get worried bout wearing piece in case it gets stained or ruined?
Occasionally I do, yes, I used to have to buy two of each for myself. One to rock and one to stock! I’ve grown out of that now and make sure I wear everything I own.
We hear about people queuing for days on end, both digitally and physically to get hold of certain limited edition pieces, have you ever done anything like that?
Absolutely, numerous times I’ve waited in queue after queue, outside stores or online! I have my friends sit in the online queues for hours, too! It’s all part of the culture. When you’re a sneakerhead first, it just adds to the fun.
We see you work closely with Sneaker Prep? How did the start?
When we were looking to open our spot in Canterbury, we wanted to work closely with a Footwear Restoration Service. So people had a location they could drop their shoes off to be cleaned. I did market research for quite some time to find the best in business, in the end we found Sneakers Prep (@sneakers_prep) and I couldn’t have been happier to pair with Nixy & Sarah who both take massive pride in what they do. Watching their journey grow has been amazing.
Tell the readers where’s the best place we can find Hyams Collectives online and through social media.
On instagram we are @hyamscollectives and our website is www.hyamscollectives.co.uk!