The Vibram London Academy

Give good shoes a second sole.

London's Vibram Academy on City Road. Traditional shoe repairs and custom Sole Factor resoling, by trained craftsmen who have been at it since 2016.

4.4 from 321 Google reviews
SOLE
FACTOR
Your colour · Vibram grip
A resoled black leather Oxford shoe fitted with a bright blue Vibram Sole Factor sole, displayed against the Academy's wall of coloured Vibram soles.
A genuine Vibram resoleChoose the colour, keep the shoe
321Customer reviews
2016Serving City Road since
100%Genuine Vibram soles
What we do

A workshop for shoes worth keeping

From a fresh Vibram sole to a new heel, a cut key or a watch battery, the Academy handles the everyday repairs that keep good things going. Prices are quoted in the shop once we have seen the job.

The Sole Factor

Custom Vibram resoling

Swap a worn sole for a genuine Vibram one, in the colour and tread you choose. Grip, comfort and a new lease of life for a favourite pair.

Traditional shoe repairs

Stitched and glued repairs to leather and rubber, using components from Vibram and leather sourced from the UK and Germany.

Heels & soles

New heels, half-soles and toe-taps fitted properly, so your shoes sit level and wear evenly again.

Key cutting

Cylinder, mortice and dimple keys cut with precision equipment. Automotive keys can be programmed and cut while you wait.

Watch repairs

Battery changes with Swiss Renata cells and new straps in Austrian-made Hirsch leather, sorted over the counter.

Shoe care & footwear

Polishes, laces and insoles, alongside Vibram FiveFingers and Furoshiki footwear and cleaning kit for what you already own.

The Sole Factor

Pick a sole. Keep the shoe.

Sole Factor is the Academy's own idea: bring in a pair you love and choose from Vibram's range of soles, colours and treads to make them yours again. It is the reason people cross London for City Road.

Tap a colour to see the idea, then bring the real pair in and we will talk you through what suits them.

Ask about a resole

Illustration only. Available soles, colours and treads depend on your footwear, so pop in and we will show you the real options.

Our work

Real repairs, off the bench

A few pairs and the shop itself, photographed at the Academy. Every picture below is Vibram Academy's own, straight from their Google listing, no stock photos anywhere on this site.

A pair of leather walking boots seen from behind, freshly fitted with chunky black Vibram lugged soles by the Academy.
Boots resoledWalking boots given fresh Vibram lugs, ready for the next hundred miles.
The Vibram London Academy shopfront on City Road, with the wall of coloured Vibram soles and the Sole Factor create bench visible through the glass.
Inside the AcademyThe wall of soles and the Sole Factor bench, 215 City Road.
A brown leather hiking boot with a genuine Vibram sole, the orange Vibram logo stamped on the heel.
Genuine VibramThe orange stamp that says the sole is the real thing.
A black Oxford dress shoe resoled with a bright blue Vibram Sole Factor sole, shown against the coloured sole display wall.
Sole Factor in blueA smart Oxford reborn with a bright blue Vibram sole.
A traditional orange repair ticket on the workshop bench reading Shoes worth wearing are worth repairing.
The old ticket“Shoes worth wearing are worth repairing.” Still the motto.
The full Vibram London Academy shopfront on City Road, black frontage with the yellow Vibram octagon sign reading Shoe Repairs, the Vibram Sole Factor Revolution.
215 City RoadThe black and yellow front, opposite Moorfields Eye Hospital.

All photos are the Academy's own, from their Google Business Profile.

About the Academy

Vibram's home in London

The Vibram Academy opened on City Road in 2016, in the heart of Shoreditch and directly opposite Moorfields Eye Hospital, a short walk from Old Street. It is where Vibram's soles, and the craft of fitting them, meet the public.

Frank, Lee and the team are traditionally trained craftsmen. They will resole your walking boots, put a new heel on your work shoes, or build something one-off through Sole Factor, and cut a key or change a watch battery while you are there.

“Shoes worth wearing are worth repairing.” The line on every repair ticket
The Vibram London Academy on City Road: a black shopfront with a large yellow Vibram octagon sign and a window display of colourful soles.
In their words

What customers say

“Resoled my 17 year old Zamberlans with Vibram. Awesome service. Great quality work.”
Donald R.
“These guys took someone else's terrible repair work to my boots and made them good. Friendly, great job, recommend.”
Geoff H.
“Not only did they fix the strap, they secured the other straps, and all for no charge. Really some of the best customer service I've had.”
Marielle R.

Reviews from customers on Google and Yelp. Rated 4.4 from 321 Google reviews.

Find us

On City Road, opposite Moorfields

Drop your shoes in on your way past. We are on City Road in Shoreditch, EC1V, a few minutes from Old Street station.

MOORFIELDS EYE HOSPITAL OLD STREET CITY ROAD SHOREDITCH · EC1V
215 City Road, EC1V 1JN · opposite MoorfieldsOpen in Maps →

Opening hours

Monday8:00 – 18:00
Tuesday8:00 – 18:00
Wednesday8:00 – 18:00
Thursday8:00 – 18:00
Friday8:00 – 18:00
Saturday9:00 – 17:00
SundayClosed
Checking hours…