In love with their sneakers, they give them a second life!
Audio 03:26
Sneakers ID is one of the brands in Paris (France) that renovates used sneakers.
© Sneakers ID
By: Léa Pernelle
11 mins
Give a second life to your sneakers!
Continuation of our series on “sneakers” around the world.
The floor today to those who do not want to part with their favorite shoes, even when they are worn.
A solution: specialist shoemakers, enthusiasts who bring sneakers back to life.
A report in Paris, by Léa Pernelle.
Publicity
On a basketball court, wedged between two buildings in Pigalle, in the north of Paris, about thirty players have taken care of their outfit, and especially their sneakers, brand new. “
I always have the right pair for basketball! It's maintenance every day, every day, you have to take care of your shoes as well as your hair!
»
, Say two young people, branded sneakers on their feet. Some wash them with soap and water, others don't hesitate to machine them for an hour or two. To each their own secret to keep their pair on top!
Others prefer to entrust the maintenance of their precious sneakers to service providers, other
sneaker
enthusiasts
or
sneaker addicts
, who improvise themselves as 2.0 shoemakers on social networks. Near the basketball court, a young man proudly shows off his pair of black Balenciaga, paid for 700 euros new. “
Basically, they are not that color, and I paid 100
euros to a service provider found on Snapchat to paint them black for me, but the job was poorly done so I bought a bomb and I did it myself, like cleaning,
”he says.
Coffee stains, wine to clean, colors to revive ... Other sneaker fans prefer to have their favorite pair repaired by professionals in stores, such as at Sneakers ID, rue Guy-Môquet in Paris.
The small sign exhibits some models of repaired pairs, "
before, after
".
Customers bring their used pair there for a quote.
One of the regulars has around forty pairs in total and brings his oldest sneakers to the store.
“
These are my firsts from the Valentino brand, so I would rather have them repaired than buying a new pair, it's sentimental!
",
he explains.
Originally orange and green, they have lost their colors.
Trained on the job
The quote is quick: "
What I can do for you,
explains one of the repairers behind the counter,
is a simple cleaning above all, then a re-pigmentation, and I update everything
".
A great promise for 19 euros for cleaning and 79 euros for renovation.
"
When you buy a pair for 700
euros, you have to pamper it, take care of it, your pair must send
!
He insists.
Here,
sneaker
repairers
are all basketball fans. Batoura opened “Sneakers ID” three years ago with his wife.
ID
as "
identity
" in English. "
When you buy a pair that you have chosen, it is because it corresponds to you. It's an accessory that represents you
, ”he believes
.
He is used to repairing all types of
sneakers
, famous brand or not.
Since then, four other enthusiasts have joined them and trained on the job.
At the back of the shop, the small workshop is stocked with machines, brushes and paint.
Sneakers ID offers three services: cleaning, renovating, and "
customizing
" or personalizing sneakers.
“
The first step,”
says Chris, one of the repairers, “
is to take the laces off and clean them.
Then I take the pair of shoes to rub them with soap.
I stay about ten to fifteen minutes on each foot.
When I have finished, I check the finishes and I put them in a locker to return them to the client
”,
he explains, while keeping the recipe of his products secret.
Ecology, another motivation
Once the sneakers are well polished, the team uses its know-how to renovate the leather and damaged synthetic materials. “
We will use all kinds of techniques, tint or brush the sneakers to restore their shine, it depends. We look at what it looks like and then we try other techniques until we have a satisfactory result,
”explains his colleague.
Besides the sentimental aspect, several reasons lead customers to have their
sneakers
repaired
by professionals.
“
It can cost a lot more to buy a new pair of shoes than to repair a pair that has no holes or whose materials are still usable,
” analyzes Batoura, the boss of the workshop.
Ecology has also become a motivation, because the fashion industry is one of the most polluting in the world.
“
Some prefer to renovate their shoes to give it a second life!
"
Today, Sneaker ID is one of ten Parisian renovation shops created to meet the expectations of a growing market.
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