A trainer collector makes worn out sneakers looks brand new in oddly satisfying cleaning videos.<br /><br />Ronnie Arathoon, 27, opened trainer shop Sneek Geek in 2019 and customises shoes for celebrities like Chris Brown and Tion Wayne.<br /><br />He also offers cleaning services - taking battered and broken-looking sneakers, and cleaning, painting, polishing and repairing them until they look brand new.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Ronnie started his business after struggling to find someone to clean his own trainers from his 100-strong collection.<br /><br />And now he charges up to £60 to clean fellow fans' kicks at his shop in Bristol and up to £1000 to customise them.<br /><br />One of his most popular videos show him taking a pair of Nike Air Force Ones and personalising them to give to rapper Digga D.<br /><br />Ronnie said: "I taught myself how to do everything from YouTube.<br /><br />"I had some shoes that needed cleaning and couldn't find anywhere in Bristol that was right - so I learned to do them myself.<br /><br />"I'm a sneakerhead and I knew people would bring their collections to me.<br /><br />"A lot of people spend a lot of money on shoes now. There are shoes in my shop selling for thousands.<br /><br />"If you're spending that money on shoes, it’s worth paying to keep on top of their good condition!<br /><br />"We do get normal shoes in, but most of the time it’s expensive Jordans and limited edition sneakers."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />So he started learning how to customise trainers as well.<br /><br />He said: "Any design you can think of, I can paint onto a shoe.<br /><br />"At school, I thought art was too hard but as soon as I got into customising trainers, it became a passion."<br /><br />Chris Brown bought seven pair of shoes while he was on tour in Bristol.<br /><br />Other celebrity clients include rappers Digga D, Tion Wayne, M1llionz and most recently Popcaan joined his books.<br /><br />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."<br /><br />Ronnie opened his second shop in Edinburgh, Scotland, in November.<br /><br />He said: "There are no real qualifications you can go and get for this.<br /><br />"You just have to let people see your work and if it's good, they trust you."
