A small shoe repair shop on the east side of England has become a favorite of celebrities and sports stars in the UK who need a fix up on their fancy sneakers, heels and flats.
The Boston, Lincolnshire-based Shoe Lab started January 2020 as a local cobbler specializing in cleaning Adidas Gazelles for £10 ($12). It’s now a UK-wide service that repairs hundreds of Gucci, Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton shoes every week.
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Shoe Lab’s success comes from delightfully satisfying videos depicting the repair process of £5,000 Christian Dior SE sneakers and £900 Christian Louboutin SAS heels to 50,000 Instagram followers. Almost every day, the store restores old Balenciaga icons and tattered Gucci sneakers, drawing praise from celebrities such as singer Kerry Katona and Love Island star Joe Garratt and England cricket captain Ben Stokes, as well as style and fitness influencers with millions of followers.
The work requires high skill and takes a lot of effort. Paints head Andreia Pacheco, who also makes videos on Shoe Lab’s Instagram, says she can spend 20 minutes fixing a single Alexander McQueen logo.
The founders of Shoe Lab operate on the belief that many major luxury shoe brands are not interested in making their shoes the latest, which has created an opportunity for repair shops. Co-founder Luke Goodyear, 30, says he’d never buy a pair of sneakers from Axel Arigato – he says they broke – or from Burberry Group PLC, who tend to run ink.
Andreia Pacheco repaints shoe soles at Shoe Lab in Boston, UK. (Ian Hodgison / Bloomberg)
Co-founder Kye Overton said: “Louboutin sneakers always have breakthroughs. “Last week someone texted me saying 25 spikes fell out,” all from a single pair. That’s about a quarter of the more than 100 nails on new shoes.
Darren Overton, 55, a business partner and Kye’s father, adds: ‘Even though people are paying £1,000 for shoes, like these Diors, the dye can still seep inside. in them. “You would think that if you pay £1,000, the squid won’t run.” (Representatives from Burberry, Christian Dior, Christian Louboutin and Axel Arigato were unavailable for comment.)
Shoe Lab owners have found that the best repeat business comes from Louboutin owners. Customers wear them to town “once, and red comes out,” says Kye. Others will “save a whole year to get them, so they’ll ask for the red protective film on the bottom,” he added. The special sole is of prime importance. “You will never see a girl in Louboutins on social media standing still on social media. They’re all going to do this,” he said, lifting his foot to show the back of the shoe.
Some customers send in dozens of shoes at a time for repair. Much of footwear is loved, worn and well-used — a £5,000 pair of Dior sneakers was repaired after being damaged in skateboarding — but a lot of the work comes from repairing the constructions. the repair is not up to the standards of other companies or the fault of the customer.
A Shoe Lab employee inspects and repairs. (Ian Hodgson / Bloomberg)
Owners of pointed-toe sneakers often try to glue them back with giant store-bought superglue, which inevitably smears and smudges the finish. “That happens all the time,” Kye commented. Putting shoes in the washing machine is another great thing — and an opportunity for Shoe Lab. “It completely ruins the suede,” says Kye, noting the traces of the material as it heals: “We’re going to brush it all back so you can see your fingers brush back.”
Goodyear is particularly excited about the prospect of people wearing their trainers at muddy music festivals and the subsequent demand for his services. But he knew that Shoe Lab’s customers were mainly getting referrals around King’s Road, not charging through Tough Mudder.
The team is bewildered about the company’s growth rate and the total number of shoes they repair each day, which is more than 50 pairs. Kye, a self-described ‘shoe addict’, said he owns £35,000 worth of shoes and makes a stand around the bed designed to display them. “This world has gone crazy. Kids these days want Alexander McQueens for Christmas,” he says. And when they get damaged, Shoe Lab will be there to fix them.
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