Could You Trust Your Grails with Jason Markk?

Jason Markk and his cleaning crew have taken the sneaker world by storm and cemented their name amongst many competitors all while staying true to their ethos of providing premium shoe care.

The Jason Markk cleaning crew are loyal to the scene and you can count on their presence at the large events throughout the year by making kicks from all walks of life look spick n’ span. The demand for them to have a permanent space in the U.K. has been a long time coming, so it’s great to see them finally open their doors and give the community a service I genuinely think we need.

Keeping within brand, the new space on Carnaby Street keeps that premium, minimalist feel going and is nicely attached onto the side of the Size? store. Need to restock on some cleaning juice or drop-off a few pairs?

Come and take a tour with me of the brand’s newest store in London, England.

As well as preview the store, I was asked to bring a beat up pair to be lovingly brought back to life by one of the team. After a quick look at my rotation, it didn’t seem worth bringing any as I’m quite regimented about the condition I keep my kicks in. My other half, not so much…

Which leads me to ask the question: would you trust Jason Markk, or any sneaker cleaning service with your grails?

Some people could look at what JM brings to the market and think, ‘Ugh, who would pay that to have their shoes cleaned when you could just do it at home?’ 

Maybe this is true for an average pair of sneakers, but please see my point here… When you search and hunt and source something that you’re so passionate about, that’s taken so long to find in your size, in that condition, would you trust yourself to give them a deep clean and bring them back to their former glory?

I don’t think I would. Especially with the number of premium materials that we see being used these days. This pair of New Balance 998 Premier that I brought in showcase super soft suede all over entire front half of the shoe. Not only is it knowing the techniques to wash and dry such materials, but knowing how to avoid colours running into each other too which can also be fatal.

I know for sure that I couldn’t have achieved the condition the London crew did.

If you have never dropped your sneakers off to a service like this before and would like a little run-down and reassurance. It is very simple.

After being assigned with one of the Jason Markk cleaning crew, they will log your details (for contact purposes) and those of the pair you wish to have cleaned. They take note of any damage or wear and tear areas as an insurance to their current condition. Then you decide what kind of service you would like – classic clean, deep clean, insole swap, next day turn around etc. There are many options to the service. The next step is to hand ’em over and trust the process!

Once again, you’re not only paying for the cleaning, but the knowledge that comes with it.

I was super happy when I came back for my pair, I know for sure that I couldn’t have achieved the condition the London crew did if left to my own resources. Thank you again to the team and to Jason Markk for letting me peep the new space. The weather in London is rarely reliable, so you know where to hit up if you get caught out the next time you’re here!

You can catch more details and a video tour of the store via my featured IG story here.

Peace.