The Sole Revival
The Sole Revival designs, produces, and deploys custom branded shoes, apparel, and merchandise for enterprise clients through made-to-order production and on-site event activations at corporate conferences, trade shows, and festivals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Sole Revival does
The Sole Revival is a privately held, Chicago-based custom merchandise and experiential activation company founded in 2014 that designs, produces, and deploys branded shoes, apparel, hats, and accessories for corporate clients. Its core offering combines made-to-order product customization (Pantone color-matched sneakers, painted soles, custom tongue tags and laces, branded apparel, and promotional items) with on-site activation services in which the company's teams travel to client events and customize products in real time for attendees. A secondary sub-brand, Sole Rider (produced via a manufacturing partner in Garland, Texas), extends the model into custom cowboy and trucker hats with burn-and-brand, hat-band, and accessory personalization.
The business operates a capital-light service model with no proprietary software platform or disclosed technology stack; value is delivered through customization craft, logistics orchestration, and event execution rather than digital IP. Go-to-market is consultative enterprise sales — discovery call, mockups, proofs, production, and either on-site deployment or warehouse fulfillment from Chicago with flexible shipping. Pricing is entirely quote-based with a 50-unit minimum and 6–8 week production lead times, and customers are assigned dedicated service and logistics representatives. The customer base spans Fortune 500 enterprises across food & beverage (Coca-Cola, Chick-fil-A, Kellogg's, Patrón), technology (Google, Amazon, Salesforce, Netflix, Comcast, Air Canada), finance (Capital One, Allstate), healthcare (Pfizer, Northwestern Hospital), retail (Reebok, General Mills), and sports (Detroit Lions, FEI World Cup).
Revenue is generated across three streams — custom shoes, on-site activations, and merchandise/apparel — plus the Sole Rider hat line. The company is founder-operated with no institutional investors, no disclosed funding rounds, and no public revenue figures. Ownership is independent and the operating model is described as a small-to-medium remote team supported by warehouse and manufacturing partners, with stated international event activation capability.
The Sole Revival firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Sole Revival
- Legal name
- The Sole Revival
- Website
- https://thesolerevival.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Sole Revival designs, produces, and deploys custom branded shoes, apparel, and merchandise for enterprise clients through made-to-order production and on-site event activations at corporate conferences, trade shows, and festivals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Sole Revival industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Custom Corporate Merchandise and Experiential Marketing Services
- NAICS
- Footwear Manufacturing (3162)
- SIC
- Footwear, (No Rubber) (3140), Leather & Leather Products (3100)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Casual & Lifestyle Footwear (CRAAACAB)
Keywords
Where The Sole Revival is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
The Sole Revival business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Corporate Custom Shoes: Custom shoe design and production for corporate clients, including branded sneakers, slides, boots, and canvas shoes. Shoes can be customized down to Pantone color codes with tongue tags, laces, and soles. Orders shipped from warehouse or produced on-site.
- On-Site Activations: Mobile customization units deployed to corporate events, conferences, and tradeshows. Teams provide interactive experiences where attendees customize products on-site.
- Custom Merchandise & Apparel: Wide range of customizable products including clothing (shirts, jackets, hoodies), hats, bags, drinkware, tech accessories, and promotional materials.
- Cowboy & Trucker Hats: Sole Rider brand cowboy hat customization including burn and brand, custom accessories, hat bands, and travel cases. Female co-founded, crafted by Texas 3rd-generation family hat makers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Quote-based corporate pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
The Sole Revival product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Sole Revival designs and manufactures custom branded footwear, apparel, and merchandise for enterprise clients, and provides on-site customization activation services at corporate events, conferences, trade shows, and festivals. The company customizes products down to Pantone color specifications with tongue tags, laces, and soles, and offers both warehouse-shipped orders and live, real-time customization experiences at client events worldwide.
Product overview
The Sole Revival operates as a service-based corporate customization company offering three core product lines: Corporate Custom Shoes (customized sneakers, running shoes, boots, and slides with brand logos), On-Site Activations (in-person event customization services at conferences, trade shows, and festivals), and Sole Rider Cowboy Hats (custom cowboy hats as a sub-brand, including the 'Traveling Western Bar' experience). The company also offers an extensive customizable merchandise catalog covering clothing, bags, tech products, drinkware, and athletic gear. Services are delivered through warehouse operations in Chicago, IL and Garland, TX, with international event activation capabilities. The company targets corporate clients seeking branded merchandise and experiential marketing activations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sole Rider: The Traveling Western Bar - female co-founded, crafted by Texas 3rd-generation family hat makers, offering custom cowboy hats and hat bar experiences for events worldwide.
Products and services
- Corporate Custom Shoes
Companies that use The Sole Revival
Customer profileNamed customers22 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Sole Revival technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Sole Revival partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- FEI World CupflagshipSole Rider is the Official Cowboy Hat of the FEI World Cup, honoring a renowned competition defined by pursuit of excellence. The partnership crowns finalists with western heirloom hats and invites attendees to customize their own cowboy hats at vendor village events.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Sole Revival competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Gemline: Promotional products distributor and supplier of customizable branded merchandise, bags, drinkware, and accessories directly comparable to the merchandise catalog side of The Sole Revival.
- Custom Ink: Custom apparel and merchandise company with deep customization capabilities for groups, teams, and corporate buyers — overlapping with The Sole Revival's apparel and footwear customization business.
- HALO Branded Solutions: Major direct competitor offering custom branded merchandise, apparel, and corporate gifts via consultative enterprise sales — overlapping with The Sole Revival's corporate client base and custom product catalog.
- 4imprint: The largest publicly traded direct competitor in the promotional products space; supplies custom-branded merchandise to enterprise marketing teams across categories overlapping with The Sole Revival's apparel, drinkware, and accessories lines.
- Boundless: B2B corporate branded merchandise and marketing solutions provider serving enterprise clients with custom products and on-brand activations, closely aligned with The Sole Revival's merchandise and activation offerings.
- Corporate Image (now Marlin): Direct competitor in corporate custom merchandise and brand activation services, serving Fortune 500 marketing teams with a similar product-and-experience hybrid model.
Broad incumbents
- George P. Johnson: Large global experiential marketing agency operating at the same flagship-event tier (e.g., Dreamforce) where The Sole Revival is present, competing for branded activation RFPs.
- Sparks: Established experiential marketing agency producing brand activations and live events for global brands — competes with The Sole Revival for experiential marketing budgets at large enterprise clients.
Emerging players
- Nobletree Custom Shoes: Custom sneaker and footwear maker offering made-to-order and personalized shoes for consumers and brands — comparable in product category to The Sole Revival's custom shoe manufacturing workflow.
- Threadless (custom apparel arm): Custom apparel and print-on-demand platform that has extended into corporate and group order customization, partially overlapping with The Sole Revival's customizable apparel line.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Sole Revival social profiles
Digital presenceThe Sole Revival financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Sole Revival leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
The Sole Revival funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Sole Revival M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Sole Revival
What does The Sole Revival do?
The Sole Revival designs and manufactures custom branded footwear, apparel, and merchandise for enterprise clients, and provides on-site customization activation services at corporate events, conferences, trade shows, and festivals. The company customizes products down to Pantone color specifications with tongue tags, laces, and soles, and offers both warehouse-shipped orders and live, real-time customization experiences at client events worldwide.
Is The Sole Revival a public or private company?
The Sole Revival is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Sole Revival founded?
The Sole Revival was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Sole Revival based?
The Sole Revival is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Sole Revival make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Corporate Custom Shoes are the primary driver. The others are on-Site Activations, custom Merchandise & Apparel and cowboy & Trucker Hats.
Who are The Sole Revival's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Gemline, Custom Ink, HALO Branded Solutions, 4imprint, Boundless and Corporate Image (now Marlin). Broad incumbents are George P. Johnson and Sparks. Emerging players are Nobletree Custom Shoes and Threadless (custom apparel arm).
Does The Sole Revival have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Sole Revival.
What industry is The Sole Revival in?
The Sole Revival's product category is Custom Corporate Merchandise and Experiential Marketing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAAACAB, Casual & Lifestyle Footwear. Its NAICS code is 3162 and its SIC code is 3140.