A trainer collector makes worn-out sneakers look brand new in oddly satisfying cleaning videos. Ronnie Arathoon, from Bristol, opened trainer shop Sneek Geek in 2019 and customises shoes for celebrities like Chris Brown and Tion Wayne.
The 27-year-old also offers cleaning services - taking battered and broken-looking sneakers, and cleaning, painting, polishing and repairing them until they look brand new. People send him shoes from all around the world - which often look fit for the bin - and he spends hours making them look box-fresh.
Ronnie started his business after struggling to find someone to clean his own trainers from his 100-strong collection. And now he charges up to £60 to clean fellow fans' kicks at his shop in Bristol and up to £1,000 to customise them.
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One of his most popular videos shows him taking a pair of Nike Air Force Ones and personalising them to give to rapper Digga D. Ronnie said: "I taught myself how to do everything from YouTube.
"I had some shoes that needed cleaning and couldn't find anywhere in Bristol that was right - so I learned to do them myself. I'm a sneakerhead and I knew people would bring their collections to me.
"A lot of people spend a lot of money on shoes now. There are shoes in my shop selling for thousands. If you're spending that money on shoes, it’s worth paying to keep on top of their good condition!
"We do get normal shoes in, but most of the time it’s expensive Jordans and limited edition sneakers."
Ronnie said the pandemic struck soon after he opened the shop - and initially he didn't have many customers who needed cleaning because nobody was leaving the house. So he started learning how to customise trainers as well.
He said: "Any design you can think of, I can paint onto a shoe. At school, I thought art was too hard but as soon as I got into customising trainers, it became a passion."
American singer Chris Brown bought seven pairs of shoes while he was on tour in Bristol. Other celebrity clients include rappers Digga D, Tion Wayne, M1llionz and most recently Popcaan joined his books.
Ronnie said: "Tion Wayne was my favourite. He was a really nice guy. I flew to Amsterdam to give him his shoes while he was at a festival."
Ronnie opened his second shop in Edinburgh, Scotland, in November. He said: "There are no real qualifications you can go and get for this.
"You just have to let people see your work and if it's good, they trust you."
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