The respective Instagram pages of the Cardnell Twins are filled with sneakerhand shots, smoke shots and a constant rotation of their favourite creps. Known around Essex and London for their candid Instagram personalities and matching beards, the Twins follow a convention of breaking the boundaries of fashion. Youth culture is moulding the path for future generations and the current proclivity for streetwear, but where does the interest stem from? What drives the hunger to unearth a new brand, a new trademark that is worth spending hundreds of pounds on, or queuing for hours to obtain? I spoke to Lee and Tom Cardnell to understand their love of streetwear and how they went from selling trainers to repping some of the hottest pieces on the streets.
How did you both get into sneakers, did your jobs influence it or was it the other way round?
Tom: I wouldn't say our jobs have influenced us into trainers. Before we got into working retail we had good knowledge about trainers and the history around brands, however working in a shop gives you more of an insight into what’s coming out in the future, what's in and what's not, so I would say it's 50/50.
Lee: We started off with small collections and then it grew from there.
Did fashion follow?
Tom: Yes. At first I was focusing on buying the best and most exclusive trainers, although I did know about streetwear brands I didn't really get the time to go up there and buy it all, but now I would say I focus more on the fashion side of things!
Lee: I’ve always been into fashion, I just made more time to focus on it and then it just happened from there.
Your styles are pretty similar, do you vibe off each other or would say you’re pretty different?
Tom: We do vibe off some things however I would say my style is a lot more subtle than Lee. If something dropped in a number of colours I would go for basic colours whereas Lee loves the brighter colours like orange and yellow. I'm not saying I dislike it, I just don't think it would suit me.
Lee: We’re more individual but it is a bit of both.
What celebrities do you think are doing the most at the moment?
Tom: Travis Scott, A$AP Rocky. There are a lot of rappers doing collaborations right now.
Top 3 artists of the moment?
Tom: Migos, Rae Sremmurd and 2pac, I’ve been listening to 2pac a lot recently
How does music influence your fashion?
Tom: I don't think music really influences my fashion or style, one day I’ll be listening to Migos, or Travis, but the next I’ll be listening to the beats from Jamie jones, Green velvet or Amine Edge and dance. So it's too different to influence my style. You see rap artists wearing supreme and palace however they will style it differently to how we wear it.
Lee: Music ties into fashion in the sense that artists will do collabs, so A$AP x Guess is a big one.
Top 3 clothing brands?
Tom: Patta, Supreme and I wouldn't call it a brand but have been very into vintage/jazzy shirts at the moment.
Lee: The best are Patta, Asics, Nike, Vans recent collaboration with Peanuts was great too.
How do you guys define streetwear?
Tom: I don't really think there is a definition, it’s changed so much over recent years that I think there are a number of interpretations.
Lee: It’s different to any other style, you can’t compare it to anything else and that’s why a lot of people want it.
Why is it so on trend right now? What’s the influence of skater fashion to those who don’t skate?
Tom: I think it's on trend at the moment but it always will be, just to the fact that everyone wearing it, I don't think you'll go a day without someone wearing supreme or palace, and people will continue to because of the influence of others. The influence in my opinion is seeing influencers wearing the brands, you wouldn't have seen anyone wear it about 5/6 years ago because back then it was only skaters wearing it. For example Supreme even made their first shop wider so people could skate into the shop.
Have you been invited to any exclusive releases?
Tom: To be honest I can't lie I haven't been invited to many, I’ve been invited to an Adidas event once but that's about it really.
Lee: Nothing really counts as exclusive now.
What do you like most about the fashion industry at the moment?
Lee: There are good items dropping now, at the moment there are good specifics out from good collabs. Spring/summer brings out the best pieces, like with the colours but they’ll also bring out stuff you can wear in the winter as well. So jackets and more things like that. Even if you get a pair of shorts or something, you can still wear them in the winter, they’re just released in better colours. There’s also more attention on more items, so you get to see what’s out there.
How does that work?
Lee: The main thing now is that they’re doing split drops so they will release spring/summer but the way they used to do it is in one big drop so everything would release on that day but now it’s all in stages.
What do you dislike the most?
Lee: Prices, that’s everyone’s main thing about the market.
Do you think it will change?
Lee: It will get worse, prices will get higher as it becomes more popular.
What’s the most you’ve spent on a single piece of streetwear?
Lee: £310 on the orange web tracksuit from Supreme
That’s pretty brave to think you can pull that kind of thing off?
Lee: Yeah but it’s adventurous, that’s why I liked it
What’s your average spend on a typical drop day?
Lee: Between £300-£1,000 together, depending on the drop. At one of the recent Patta drops we did around £500 each
How much would you spend on a pair of trainers?
Tom: However much it costs really, if I see a pair I like, I’ll buy it, and I will wear it regardless of price, after all they’re meant to be worn.
How many pairs of sneakers do you have between you?
Tom: Not as many as you’d expect, we do regularly get rid of shoes so I would say 100 plus.
Favourite pair:
Tom: I think my favourite pair would be my infrared 6s, I hardly ever wear them, as there a little big, but yeah would definitely say them
Favourite sneaker companies?
Tom: Usually I'm strictly a Nike guy, Nike always bring out the best models but yeah one of my favourite Brands is Karhu, I've been wearing them for a while now, recently Kayne wore a pair so people jumped on the hype, but you can still walk in and buy a pair anywhere, there also at such a good price point. I also love new balance, I think they’re such a good looking shoe in most models but I also look at quality and how they’re made, and by far they are the best in quality. In regards to retailers it has to be Size?, Footpatrol and OffSpring, there are some up and coming retailers like 18montrose in kings cross that have a great selection so watch out for them.
Thoughts on resellers?
Tom: I understand why people re-sell, it's the market right now and they can make an absolute fortune, but when they start bringing a whole squad, I think it's ridiculous. When you’re queuing hours on end to then not get a pair because the 30 people in front are with 1 person, I think it's a joke and not fair for the people that actually want to wear the shoe or piece of clothing.
Lee: The main thing I hate about fashion is resellers. You can’t fault them because they’re doing what they can to make money. Like I’ll be in a queue and someone will say to me “can you cop me this?” but I don’t really agree with it so I would say no, even though I could make money off it.
A lot of people disagree with it surely?
Lee: Yeah of course. You could say it’s a bit petty, you don’t agree with it because you haven’t got what you want but they have it. It’s everywhere now, like some people I know do it, and I’m good friends with them. People do it as a part time job or on the side of uni but for me, I’d rather wear a pair of Asics than a pair of like, 98’s that you’d have to pay resell. They only release online so they’ll go in seconds, and you have to pay resell price.
What would you like to do career wise?
Lee: Something in styling or buying. Maybe brand management.
Tom: Right now I would just like to work within Footwear, most probably design or potentially buying for a company or something.
Tom, you’ve recently started doing unboxing’s on your Snapchat, do you have any plans to expand to a YouTube channel?
Tom: First of all I did it it as a joke, and got one reply maybe on the first, but then as I did them over and over I kept getting a fair few people looking and commenting. I mean I have thought about it, but it's a big commitment to have to do it regularly especially how sneaker heads are on there at the moment it will most probably take a while to get recognised, but I’ll always have the thought in the back of my head to start it so we will see.
Would either of you go into modelling for streetwear?
Lee: Yeah I would do that. Photography and videography I’ve always wanted to do but I just need more time. I know you have to make time but once that time is there, and I’m in the position I want later on I’ll do it.
What releases do you make sure you attend? You’re quite often seen at Supreme drops right?
Lee: The way they’ve done it now, you get an email on the Monday and then you have to go to a sign up to get your place in a queue. They literally send it at 8am on a Monday and people are at the place where Supreme have said it will be, like in 30 minutes. Most of the time it’s in London so I don’t have time, mostly I’ll go the Friday or the Sunday after because nine times out of ten depending what drop it is they’ll still have most bits in it on the final sale.
Tom: I always make sure I attend Patta drops, it's a must, the only brand I really fuck with. I do the odd Trainer drop but there making big amounts at the moment, so it's not too hard to secure a pair regardless of what it is. I sometimes do Supreme and Palace but the drops are pretty out of control at the moment, it won't even be a good drop but there will still be 1000 plus, so yeah just mainly Patta!
How do you guys feel about the recent collaborations with high fashion? Eg palace and Adidas, Supreme and Louis Vuitton?
Tom: Fair play to the brands, they’re doing what they have to do to make money. When Supreme collab with anyone it’s 9 times out 10 fire, recently I have been questioning the stuff Palace have brought out with Adidas. But yeah brands have to make a name for them self so collaborating with them is a good thing; it also brings a different spin to streetwear and the culture.
What do you do in your free time?
Tom: We're normally with pals, or at work. When we're not we're up in Central always looking at what's new and what's up and coming
How important is Instagram to you?
Tom: I don't really think it's important to me, I think to get big on there you have to involve yourself with the right people. Recently I’ve been doing fit pics, but I would do that regardless if I had thousands or a couple of hundred followers.
Do you see yourselves doing more with social media on a whole?
Lee: Yeah I’d be up for it, I just don’t really have time. There are people I work with that want to do shoots, but we never have the same days off so it’s hard to sort it.
How would you define your style?
Tom: In one word: swagz
Lee: Pieces that aren’t overly hyped, anything that I would wear better than someone else so something that’s odd or difficult in the sense that not everyone can pull it off.
What are you wearing right now?
Lee: Patta top, Patta hat, Patta bag and Nike Lab Footscapes
Tom: Patta tracksuit bottoms, Patta tee, Air Max 1 Jewels
Check out The Twins' pages @leecardnell @tomcardnellxo / Instagram
Photo credit: @jhxnchristian
