Re5 Customs: Restoring memories, one pair of trainers at a time
Walk down Stoke Road and you’ll spot it instantly: a shop that feels part‑workshop, part‑museum, part‑nostalgia trip. The walls are lined with rare vintage trainers and there is a faint scent of leather and polish in the air. A workbench scattered with brushes, paints, and half‑reborn shoes sits before you. This is Re5 Customs, Gosport’s home of trainer restoration, custom artwork, and hard‑to-find vintage gems.
Behind it are two people whose skills couldn’t be more different, yet more perfectly matched.
Co‑owner Luke Hallis, known to his friends as ‘H’, grew up in Sheffield and moved to Gosport twenty years ago. He served 23 years in the Royal Navy, finishing as a Chief Bosun’s Mate and later a firefighter aboard HMS Prince of Wales.
“I’m your traditional sailor,” Luke laughs. “Ropes, life jackets, emergency gear, that was my world in the Navy, but the last three years were spent firefighting on the carrier.”
When Luke left the Navy aged 44, he wanted to stay close to his daughter and finally settle into civilian life. Gosport become home.
“I’ve always had a fascination with trainers, keeping them clean and looking fresh,” he says. “I was first inspired by a traditional cobbler in Warrington. He took the time to show me the ropes, give me advice, and really encouraged me. That support pushed me to take the craft seriously.”
Luke’s business partner, Jo Poulter‑Ward, is Gosport born and bred, still serving in the Navy, and deeply into arts and crafts.
During the Covid-pandemic, Jo began personalising masks for people on board the ships. “Jo was adding branch badges and ranks to people’s covid masks,” Luke explains.
“I asked if she could print graphics for my trainers,” he says. “We didn’t really know each other at the time, but she was intrigued and that’s essentially how the partnership started.”
Their first project they worked on together was a pair of Pumas that were covered in hand‑designed poppies for Remembrance Sunday. They posted the trainers online and sold ten pairs at £110 each, donated £750 to the Royal British Legion.
“That was the moment we realised we had something,” Luke says.
From garages to a shopfront on Stoke Road
For a long time, the pair worked out of garages and spare rooms, sharing their latest restorations on social media. “Requests started pouring in for cleaning, restoring and customising,” Luke says. “At that point we realised we had the clientele, so why not take the leap and open a shop?”
They viewed three premises before the final fourth spot really stood out. “The store on Stoke Road really shone for us. The road is buzzing with creativity and excitement,” he explains. “On one side we’ve got a spray‑paint artist, on the other a vinyl shop. We love our neighbours, the location, the whole community. It’s a cool place to be.”
Re5 Customs now runs three strands to its business:
- Trainer Refurbishment
“We clean, repair, re‑sole and patch holes. It’s proper cobbler work,” Luke explains. A standard clean start at £18, and deeper work can cost up to £30.
“A client came in today for example with a pair of Christian Louboutin £700 trainers that are covered in metal spikes. She wanted a full clean. Jobs like that don’t faze us,” Luke says. “I’ve been cleaning trainers for ten years, so whether it’s high‑end designer or everyday beaters, we treat them all with the same care.”
- Custom Artwork
Wedding shoes, business logos, kids’ names, colour changes, anything goes. “If you bring the shoe in and tell us what you want, we can make it happen.” Customs start around £70. “Hand‑painting is what takes the time and what costs slightly more.”
His favourite custom so far? “A pair that were based on Sailor Jerry rum. You know, the old‑school tattoos with swallows migrating? Well we did designed them so the swallows are migrating across the shoe. That one took us about six hours to create,” he says.
I ask what custom trainers he is currently working on. “This week I’ve been working on a pair of bridal trainers,” Luke says. “I’ve hand‑painting them, added the bride’s name and wedding date, and finishing them with bows and ribbons on the back. It turns what was an ordinary trainer into a proper keepsake.” I ask how much that costs. “It depends on what the client request and if they are purchasing the shoe from us, but a job like that usually comes in around £100 to £150 for a pair.”
Custom work doesn’t always have to be a big investment, Luke points out. “Prices start from as little as £15,” Luke says. “On a pair of Air Force 1s, for example, we can take the Nike badge off and replace it with a name for fifteen quid. It’s a simple custom, but people love it.”
- Vintage & Rare Trainers
This is the treasure‑hunting side of the business.
“We spend hours trawling auction sites, talking to collectors,” Luke says. “It’s like being an antique dealer, but for trainers.”
Luke explains that some pairs are worth hundreds. “We have worked on one pair that are worth £1,500,” he says. “Nike might only make 500 pairs of a certain trainer, for example, so we will restore them for the customer so they keep their value.”
Luke says they recently sourced a pair of Liam Gallagher limited‑edition trainers that were eight years old and long sold out, for £200. “People come to us for the stuff they can’t find anywhere else,” he explains. “If it’s out there, we’ll track it down.”
As well as trainers, the duo have also branched into vintage clothes. A move that grew naturally from the kind of customers walking through the door. “People who love restored trainers often love one-off vintage pieces too,” Luke says. “It made sense to bring the two worlds together. We started with a small rail, and it just took off.”
I ask who does what in the business. “I handle all the traditional cobbler work,” says Luke. “You know the manual graft, the repairs, the hand‑painting, the finishing touches, and Jo’s the digital brain. She designs everything online, creates the graphics, prints the artwork and makes sure the visuals are spot‑on. Then I bring it all together on the trainer itself. It works because we each do what we’re best at.”
A community built on nostalgia
I ask Luke what makes the shop special and he doesn’t hesitate.
“It’s nostalgia,” he says. “Everyone remembers their first pair of trainers or football boots. It’s like remembering your first gig or your favourite summer.”
That nostalgia has grown into a community, one that now gathers every year at the Re5 Sneaker Festival, which Luke and Jo organise.
“We’re in our third year now,” Luke says. “Last year a thousand people came. This year it’s at Gosport Borough Football Club on 30th May, there will be stalls selling rare trainers, custom artists, vintage clothing, indie brands. It’s a proper community event.”
Traders come from Warrington, Basingstoke, Portsmouth, Liverpool, Sheffield, “And yes, the traditional cobbler who first inspired me is coming too,” Luke laughs.
A shop rooted in Gosport
Luke and Jo keep everything as local as possible. “We support local creatives and collaborate with neighbouring businesses.
“When Oasis reformed, people were going next door to the Vinyl store to buy, What’s the Story Morning Glory, then coming to us for Gazelles and a bucket hat,” Luke laughs. “That’s Stoke Road. It’s a cool place to be.”
Why Re5 Customs matters
“I can’t remember the last time I bought a pair of brand‑new trainers,” Luke laughs. “If you’re after something rare, or a pair you grew up loving, come to us. People scour Vinted and all the resale sites, then bring their finds to us. We make them look fresh and new again. That’s the bit I love, giving old favourites a second life.”
Re5 Customs is more than a trainer shop. It’s a story of two people turning their passions into a business. It’s a celebration of craft, creativity, and community. And it’s another example of how Gosport’s independents are shaping the town’s identity, one restored pair of trainers at a time.
For more information please visit: Custom trainer Repair Products | RE5 Customs
105 Stoke Road, Gosport, PO12 1LR, United Kingdom
Email: re5customsuk@gmail.com
Instagram: @re5customs
Facebook: Re5 Customs
X: @customsre5.
