Can you tell us about the origins of Manchester-Air? What inspired you to start a sole swapping and restoration business?
My mate Brad is really into Nike TNs, and he used to do my sole swaps. He got me into it. I had a pair of rainbows and started getting into this whole thing. I ended up getting rid of all my modern pairs and just started buying older ones. At one point, Brad said, “You’ve bought too many pairs; you need to start doing this yourself.” What started as a crazy lockdown hobby has now completely taken over my life. I’ve even been featured in the Stay Tuned book, and I’m getting interviews all the time. It’s wild.
During lockdown, I was working from home, so I had loads of free time, spare shoes, glue, and a workbench. I used to work for Epic Games—you know, the Fortnite people. We were working on a big project for Unreal Engine. I don’t know if you saw that Matrix demo with Keanu Reeves that came out—it was super realistic. I worked on that with Epic Games, creating the helmets and cameras they used, all from home with plenty of workbench space and free time.
I’m a busy guy—I’ve got kids, dogs, a partner, and everyone’s shoes to deal with. I honestly don’t even know where I find time to sleep these days.
Could you walk us through the process of a typical sole swap? What are the steps involved from start to finish?
Typically, I’ll tell the customer, “You need to send me a shoe that’s crumbled, but that you want to keep, along with a pair of donor shoes.” Obviously, you can’t just go out and buy a spare set of soles from Nike, so you’ll need to search on sites like Vinted or eBay to find something that matches at a reasonable price. Once I’ve got both pairs, I’ll strip them down, sand everything, prep, prime, glue, and line it all up. After a stress test, they’re good to go.
It’s definitely a process. We’re doing it with just four clamps—I don’t have a full pneumatic setup like Nike does, or a thousand teenagers running around to help me. So, it’s not quite the same, but I can still get the job done. I wear my work every day.
The best part is, every morning when I wake up, I put on my 2003 Hyper Blues. I’m probably the only person on the planet lacing them up every day, and I never bump into anyone else wearing the same pair.
How do you ensure the durability and longevity of the sole swaps and restorations you perform?
I always stress test the shoes. If they fit me, I’ll wear them myself, and if the customer is okay with it, I’ll wear them for about half a day to see how they hold up. For some pairs, if I’m not completely satisfied, I’ll have someone wear them for two weeks just to be sure. Every shoe that goes out comes with a warranty. If anything goes wrong, I’ll cover the shipping costs both ways and fix it for free.
I offer this for everything I do—whether it’s a repaint or a sole swap, the work comes with a guarantee. If there’s any issue, you won’t pay a penny. You might have to wait a bit longer, but you won’t be out of pocket at all.
Are there any sneakers that are particularly challenging to work on? If so why?
So, I thought, “Let’s get cracking.” Every time I move, I end up needing extra workshop space and a garage. This hobby is quickly turning into a full-time job. If I were still living in Manchester, it would pay the bills, but after moving down south where my rent doubled, it doesn’t quite cover everything.
Nike TNs are the worst, and that’s where I started. TNs are just a nightmare compared to other models. With the other Air Maxes, like the AM95s, you’ve got that nice, big square toe bumper up front. You line that little square up, and you’re good to go. But TNs? They’ve got plastic torque elements, plastic shanks, and really thin rubber, so they’re the worst ones to work on. But since I started with them, everything else has been a piece of cake, to be honest. I jumped in at the deep end without knowing it, and then as I branched out to working on Tailwinds, 90s, 95s, and Air Max 1s, I found them a lot easier because they’ve got that big square bumper up front. If you can line up that one-inch square, you’re all set.
Do you offer any customization options for customers who want something more personalized? Like alternative soles or changes to the midsole? Is that something you can do?
I’ll make a union between any two Air Max pieces you can dream of. As long as you’re not asking to stick a Samba sole on a TN, I’m good. Any TNs, any Air Max creation you can come up with, I’ll do it. I’ve stuck Air Max soles on TNs, Free Runs on TNs—whatever people ask for. I’ve done Max 95s with 97 soles, whatever people want. Sometimes, it’s a recreation of what Nike has already done with their hybrid range, but yeah, I’ve got three pairs of Air Max 360s here, and we’re just looking at donor options to see what we can do with them because you can’t get those soles anymore.
Can you share a story where a pair of sneakers that was brought back to life against the odds?
I had one customer who was adamant about sending me a pair of TNs, despite my warnings. They were a size 14, original from ’99—pretty much unheard of, with no toe caps or anything. But we managed to keep the toe cap on the donor, put on a new midsole, and then fold the toe cap back up. We managed to pull it off on that one.
But generally, it’s the veins on Nike TNs that cause the most trouble with customers. I’ll tell you right now, I don’t take those on anymore. If the veins are cracked, that’s it—they just won’t survive epoxy glue. They won’t stay attached no matter what. There are certain models, like the Climacools, that I also stay away from for similar reasons.
With TNs, 90s, 95s, and Air Max 1s, as long as they don’t have those tricky plastic overlays, they’re usually workable. I make sure to get as many photos as I can before I even accept a job. Otherwise, the next thing you know, you’ve got a problem on your hands, or you’re just dealing with return postage.
How do you see the sneaker restoration industry evolving, and what role do you hope Manchester-Air will play in that future?
Well, I think social media has it all under control. All the big players are on there, right? I mean, Nike offers those Nike ID customizations, which are all well and good, but they’re limited. For example, with TNs, you can’t even get a gradient fade on your Nike ID, which is funny for a shoe that’s known for its gradient fade.
If you check out people like Clean by Easy on Instagram, have you seen that? The custom shoes they create are next level. I mean, Nike isn’t even coming close to that level of creativity. So, it’s a bit of a football match between the big brands and the independent creators. Social media and the independent artists will always run the game because Nike gives us these base models, and they’re making billions off those anyway. Meanwhile, people are adding their own touch and making a bit extra on top.
Some customizers are charging $45,000 for a pair of shoes. These big names are doing custom work for celebrities, sticking crystals and all sorts of embellishments on a pair of Air Force Ones, and raking in 45 grand. I don’t make that in a year. It’s like those big rope laces and drilling out the holes on your Air Force Ones—just crazy stuff. If you ask me about the real artists, the ones who truly stand out, it’s those who can airbrush and add intricate details. I’m self-taught, so while I can handle gradient fades and custom work, I’m not great with drawing or detailed airbrushing. It’s a whole different ball game, especially when it’s not your own shoe. That makes a big difference.
Given the environmental impact of fast fashion, how does Manchester-Air approach sustainability in its restoration practices?
I do my best to donate all my uppers. I’ve sent some to outreach projects in America for kids to customize their own shoes, and I’ve sent others to Holland to be resold. I try not to waste anything—like framing all my old tread plates and selling them. I’m committed to minimizing waste wherever I can.
But, as just one person, some stuff inevitably ends up in the landfill. For example, rare TNs—you might see only two or three pairs come back, and considering how many were made, it’s clear that 99.8% of all shoes end up in the bin.
There’s no money in it, I’ll tell you that. If you had a pair of trainers and wanted them sole-swapped to make a profit, by the time you’ve paid for the donor sole, paid me, and probably spent a couple of hundred quid on the uppers, you’re not going to get that money back on a sole-swapped pair. You’ve got to do it for the love of it—it’s a passion project.
The only person making any real money out of it is me, honestly. Unless you’re getting the uppers and donor soles for free and only paying me under 100 quid, you might make a bit of money, but not much.
How does Manchester-Air engage with the sneaker community? Are there any events or collaborations you’re particularly proud of?
Well, I’m the proud admin of the biggest TN group on the planet, on Facebook. We run that, and it’s pretty busy—we’ve got over 350,000 members, and it’s international, so we’re constantly policing it. I’m also active in Air Max 90 and Air Max 95 groups. It’s not just about plugging my work; I’m there chatting with people and getting involved in discussions.
Some of the other groups can be a bit strange, though, especially in the sneaker community. I’m not really into the Adidas scene at all. It’s very much tied to that football and Stone Island culture, so I don’t really vibe with it. There’s definitely some shade between the Adidas and Nike guys—it’s a bit like PlayStation versus Xbox. You pick a team, and that’s just the way it goes.
I’ve stuck with my team—I can’t even remember the last time I had a problem with it. I remember the first pair I bought with my own money back in 2008, and I’ve always had a pair of Air Max ever since.
What advice would you give to sneaker enthusiasts looking to get into the restoration or customisation space?
I did have a Discord where I had all my sole swap guides written out, and it was free to join. But after loads of people joined, it got a bit overwhelming, so I shut it down. Now, I’m thinking of doing it again, but this time with PDFs. I’m planning to put together a sole swap guide, and since there are people out there charging for this stuff—no one charged me when I was learning—I’m going to make it free. I’ll just upload the PDFs to the Facebook group with 300,000 members, so everyone can access them.
My advice? Stick with it. It’s doable, it’s achievable, but make sure you practice on your own pairs before you start working on customer pairs. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself in deep water quickly. It’s really easy to take on too much work, get buried, and then get stressed out trying to get it all done. Take your time—focus on one job at a time. Don’t accept too many jobs at once, or you’ll end up like me, overwhelmed and taking weeks to get everything done.
Also, build up a client base of people you actually want to work with, not just anyone who comes your way. Otherwise, you’ll end up dealing with people sending you flip-flops and asking for a pair of custom Air Max 95s in return. Some requests are just ridiculous.
Looking for help on a customisation or restoration project, reach out to Jordan here : Here
