EJ Ferrer of Sole Clinics Talks Come-Up, Sneaker Restoration and Building Brand

Ericko James Ferrer (E.J.) was stuck in a tough situation. Playing college ball in the Philippines was a great opportunity, but a strain financially. Looking to ease the load, Ericko started his own sneaker restoration company, Sole Clinics.

What was supposed to be a nice way to make some side money for school turned into a booming business for the designer, who’s enjoying the success of his company just after recent opening last Spring. Speaking with XXL’s The Good Life, E.J. Ferrer touches on his company, customizing shoes for the stars and more.  —Christian Mordi (@mordi_thecomeup)

XXL: What is Sole Clinics?

Sole Clinics: We are a company that caters to your everyday sneaker needs, whether you need a custom design, sneaker entertainment or information.

When did you know you wanted to make fashion a profession?

I was always a business minded person. When I was younger I used to buy to sell sneakers to pay for prom and different events. Even though sneakers was a hobby, I wanted to make a profit out of it as well. While playing college ball in the Philippines, I decided to come back home and pursue the American dream. I actually started the company to save up to go back to college the next semester, but the company took off.

Why do you feel sneaker restoration is in right now.

Well I feel like vintage is in right now. I think it is in because the more vintage Jordans are becoming harder to find right now as well at a wearable state. No knock to many shoe repair places, but you can’t walk through the door at many places and be like, “I have these OG Carmine sixes, the sole is talking to me, can you fix this,” and they can deliver. We key on keeping vintage sneakers alive.

I heard you guys say “We are a website built on daily tips and helpful topics for the sneaker community.” What is a common blunder that you deal with regarding shoes that many people overlook.

Many people overlook the fact that many are coming back out many sneakers are being re-retroed and coming out again. I feel at times if it is a shoe, than it is a shoe. A lot of kids want to have that street cred and have the most valuable, but in all honesty they may only have a few hundred bucks. Sometimes its ok to rock the new stuff and slowly build the collection with time.

Tell us a little about your childhood. How was it where you were from and how did that effect your fashion sense or savvy?

When I was a kid I didn’t really care what I wore except for my sneakers. My sneakers had to be fly. As I got older and went to high school and my view on fashion and culture changed I adapted quickly to have the whole look come together.

Can you remember the best deal you ever got for a shoe you flipped?

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a pair of [Air Jordan] Bred 11's from 1995. The guy I got them from was an AAU teammate. We were in the locker room and he was about to wear them to practice. I offered him $10 and he countered with $15 and I closed the deal. This was way before restoration was big, but it was a great deal. I cleaned them up, put them on EBay and sold them for $330.

Is there a “right” way to take care of sneakers to maximize how they’ll last?

There are many “right” ways to take care of your sneakers. Everyone has different practices; some wrap them up between wearing them, some place in the box. I would say if you are fearful that wearing the shoe will destroy it, just don’t wear it. Sneakers in my opinion are meant to be worn, so do your thing.

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When are shoes no longer mendable? Are there types of shoes easier to fix than others?

Many things can be fixed, but holes in patent leather cannot be done. Beat or trashed shoes, we love to work with them, but we like to keep our prices fair. We don’t want to charge more than the shoe is worth, so we try and work with the customer.

So I heard you have a team of “Sneaker Clinicians,” how many do you have on the roster right now and how does one become a member?

We currently have 10 on staff. Eight in California and two in Ohio. We like to work with skilled people who are positive minded individuals. We are always searching for interns and look to add people to our roster.

What is sole swapping? Does that affect the shoe?

Sole swapping is actually our biggest inquiry in the past couple of months. It is a very timely process. Lets say we have a pair of retro Jordan fours where the sole is falling apart. First, we take off all the damaged material. The only thing we need is the replacement sole of the right size. It doesn’t even need to be the same color bottom sole we can fix that. We take the new sole and apply it by re-sowing and gluing them together. It is a very timely process, it takes anywhere from 5 weeks to two months on that.

Have you had any famous clientele come in and ask you to save a shoe for them?

Miguel is one of our big clients. We handled some White Cement IVs from 1999 for him. His stylist hit us and we worked out some cool work for him. We also have done work with rising rap artists out in Ohio named Fly Union. We have worked with many artists and professional basketball players that we cannot mention too in depth because of contracts, but big stars.

Tell us some classic shoes you have fixed in the past

One of my favorite shoes that we handled is the Westchester player exclusive Kobe 1s. They are custom made for Westchester High in California, which is a big high school program that he sponsors. Those shoes are very limited, I think only 30 pairs have been made.

My favorite of all-time that we fixed were a pair of Roc-A-Fella Air Force Ones. Those were sent from a client in Australia. I was blown away when he hit me up. I am a huge fan of hip-hop and my favorite group ever was the Roc. The shoe is valued at well over a thousand dollars, so it was pretty cool to be working on such a prestigious shoe.

How will Sole Clinics affect the sneaker world as the company progresses?

We want to be a staple in the sneaker world not only for the older sneaker heads, but all fans.  I focus energy on embracing the kids that are coming up just as much as the old heads, because I have been in their shoes, and know what it is like to be a “newbie”. The new generation, the ones camping out for what they love. We want to be user friendly to all fans at all levels, because with that comes education and knowledge of the culture. I want to develop a open minded culture. If you love sneakers, you are apart.

What keeps you grounded and your eye on the prize in regards to being one of the next great sneaker companies.

Well I am a big jet-life fan. Curren$y said once “Start your own business mind your own.” That has always been a mantra for me, to stay focused on my team and our growth, and not worry about what others do. I don’t look to my left and right and see what others are doing, I just focus on pushing forward. I stay in my lane.