By Misha Markina
Images taken from @soleman.uk on Instagram
Everybody likes shoes. Or at least, we all wear them. However, not everybody is obsessed with Jimmy Choo’s and Manolo Blahniks. A lot of us like our trainers. They might not get the same amount of attention in the fashion world and sometimes we ignore the fact that they can go for quite hefty prices, but there is an art and passion outside of what we often see in your catwalk couture. So, I went out to find a local hero who went national – and even international – to find another side to the ‘shoe story’. I spoke to Charlie Martin, aptly titled ‘The Air Max King of Cambridge’, to see how a different way of being well-heeled is imagined and being embraced by new audiences and a new generation.
‘The Air Max King of Cambridge’ also known as Charlie Martin, is a 22-year-old man who lives in Cambridgeshire and specialises in footwear customization and repairs. I interviewed him over the phone to find out why he got into this specific market and if he has made a reasonable profit with his business.
I began the interview by asking how he got into customizing and repairing trainers, and did he always have a love for trainers? He responded:
“Well I’ve always loved trainers since I could remember but especially Air Max’s. I got my first pair of Air Max 1s when I was like seven. Since then I just began collecting them over the years and grew a real passion for it. After a couple years, my collection grew quite a lot and I began to have people messaging me through Instagram enquiring whether I was selling pairs or not.
When that started happening, I used it to my advantage and started trading and selling pairs to grow my collection and make a little profit on the side. Once my collection grew even more, I thought to myself what more could I do? So, I started experimenting on some old pairs I had by creating my own designs and swapping shoe soles around. Through that I learnt how to repair pairs as well, which is where we are now. About a year ago I created a separate Instagram account titled ‘soleman.uk’ which is where I advertise my services and sell the custom pairs I make.”
I followed up by asking if his business, in his opinion, has been successful since starting it a year ago and what’s next for ‘Soleman.uk’? He responded:
“I would say my business has been fairly successful. At the start I got a lot of my business through people in my area and friends but then slowly had people around the UK messaging me enquiries about some of my work. From here I want to grow my business even bigger, and one day maybe even open my own workshop.”
It is clear to see Charlie Martin is good at what he does, and I must say being from Cambridge myself he has really cornered the market with his trade and has a big loyal customer/fanbase.
Charlie Martin's legs and custom Air Max - Taken by Misha Markina for Leeds Creatives
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