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About Sole Republic
Founded by runners and sneakerheads who were done with loud colourways and shoes that fell apart by spring.
Since 2016
We started with one rule.
In 2016, two runners and a cobbler's apprentice kept hitting the same wall: shoes that screamed for attention, then quit on you in a season. So they stripped the problem down to its frame — black, white, grey. Nothing to hide behind.
What's left has to earn its place on fit, foam and outsole alone. That's still the only rule. Sole Republic is the shoe we wished we could buy: bold, quiet, and built to be re-soled instead of replaced.
Shop the collection2016Founded
120k+Pairs on feet
14Stores
100%Re-soleable
Craft & materials
Made to age, not expire.
We over-build the parts you don't see. Cement-and-stitch construction so the sole can be peeled and replaced. Supercritical foams tuned for energy return. Uppers chosen because they break in, not break down.
Every silhouette runs through dozens of wear-tests before it ships — on roads, courts and ridgelines, not just a lab. If it doesn't survive the test, it doesn't get a name.
Read the JournalWhat we stand on
Our values
Re-sole program
When the tread's gone, send the pair back. We re-sole it and ship it home — not to landfill.
Fair-wage factories
Two long-term partners, audited yearly, paying above the local living wage. No race to the bottom.
Carbon-neutral shipping
Every order ships carbon-neutral, with verified offsets on the freight we can't yet electrify.
Recycled packaging
Plastic-free boxes from 100% recycled board, printed in a single ink. Flat-pack, fully recyclable.
The people
Behind the brand
Theo Nkemelu
Head of DesignLena Brandt
Master CobblerDiego Salas
Head of RetailHow we got here
The timeline
- 2016
First pair, one room
Sole Republic ships its debut trainer from a Brooklyn workshop. Black only. Sells out in nine days.
- 2018
The re-sole program
We launch the industry's first mail-in re-sole service, doubling the life of every pair.
- 2020
Court & trail arrive
The line grows beyond running. One palette, four ways to move — road, court, trail and lifestyle.
- 2023
Flagships open
SoHo, the Arts District and Shoreditch open their doors with in-store gait analysis and fittings.
- 2026
The Monochrome Drop
120k+ pairs on feet, 14 stores, carbon-neutral on every order. Still black, white and grey.
Your move
Find your pair
Shop the full monochrome line online, or get fitted in person at a flagship near you.