FAQ
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AliveShoes gives talented and creative people all over the world the professional resources to design their own custom shoes and launch a shoe line from scratch. We take care of all production and logistics from Le Marche, Italy, the most exclusive shoemaking district in the world.
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AliveShoes is ideal for...
Young designers, stylists, artists, musicians, students and shoe lovers starting from scratch and wanting to challenge themselves and experiment with designing and selling their custom made shoes in the real world.
Professional designers, entrepreneurs and marketing people wanting to grow their designer footwear brand.
Companies with established brands who are looking to extend their product offerings by launching a custom shoes line. -
To join AliveShoes, start by submitting your application. Once you are accepted, you can design and sell your own custom shoes. Use our online tools to design and customize your own amazing custom shoes down to the final, intricate details. Choose from more than 130 bases, including fashion sneakers, sport & activewear, street fashion, fashion sandals, women’s designs, men’s classic, and kids designs. Work with different material types and select from a palette of more than 100 colors and materials. Add your own logos and customize your product packaging to match your brand.
Once you have your customized shoes, launch your campaign to reach your first 7 pre-orders sales. Completion of this goal launches production of your custom shoes and allows you to continue selling through your custom e-shop. Your shoes are manufactured and shipped directly to your customers in 15 to 20 business days. You never have to think about production, shipping or customer service; AliveShoes has got you, your shoes, and your shoppers covered. For each pair of custom shoes sold, you earn $30 profit, which can be easily transferred to your PayPal account.
Following your first 7 pre-order sales, you’ll be awarded your AliveShoes Official Designer Certificate to use as a valuable distinction on your CV or résumé.
Also, at the 7 sales mark, you’ll be able to access our new fashion collective called The Shoe Circle and showcase your design to a worldwide audience and get direct introduction in the world of fashion.
When you've reached 7 sales on one of your shoe designs, you’re granted access to AliveShoes Kids and AliveShoes Fashion Accessories sections.
You’ll be able to design and sell a wide variety of high-quality fashion accessories ranging from bags and purses to designer masks and clothing. An amazing new space to develop your creativity and expand your brand. See the Fashion accessories gallery here>
You’ll be also given access the kids section with 15+ shoe models dedicated to the little ones. Both expansions will boost your brand even further and help you reach more customers. The best part: it is a whole lot of fun! See the Kids gallery here>
As your brand grows and you reach bigger set sales goal, you will gain access to free AliveShoes premium services, including PR boost at 10 sales and Brand boost at 50 sales, to further boost your shoe line. Learn more information about How It Works. -
Once you are accepted through our application process, AliveShoes is for free. The only cost to you is if you choose to upgrade to the platform’s PRO version. For a $99 lifetime fee, you’ll expand your designer toolbox with access to additional features, including styles, materials and customization options. Learn more about the PRO features and add-ons.
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Use our Contact Us section to receive a response within 72 hours or less. If the live chat sign is on, you can also communicate with us in real time.
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AliveShoes main design and production headquarters is located in Le Marche, Italy. We also have three additional offices in Milan, Italy, Amsterdam and San Francisco, California (USA). Visit our about us page to get more informations.
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Of course you can! We are always looking for great talent to join us. For more information about available opportunities, please visit our Careers section.
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Start by submitting your AliveShoes application.
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If we think you are a good fit for the AliveShoes program, we will notify you within 72 business hours.
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If you are not accepted, it means we did not think you current experience or background was a good match with the program. But don’t get discouraged! You can always re-apply at a later stage.
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If you are accepted, congratulations! It means you can now begin to design and sell your own shoes. Upon acceptance, you'll receive an official e-mail and gain access to the platform and design tools.
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If you are already a member, you can log in here.
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You can easily reset your password here.
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Keep track of your progress through Your Dashboard’s check your progress section to stay current on where you’re at in the designing and selling process.
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Once you gain access to the platform, you can use the available online tools to design your shoes. Start by naming your custom shoes project, choosing a base shoe silhouette, and then selecting colors and materials. Personalize the design for your custom shoes by adding a logo. Don’t have one? Either remove the logo option from your design or use our handy Logo Wizard to make your own. You can also customize your packaging using our Packaging Wizard. When your unique and custom shoes are ready, you can submit your design for 24-hour approval by our footwear team.
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Design from an incredibly vast selection of base structures using our powerful online tools. Create fantastic sneakers, sport concepts, women’s fashion designs, classic men’s styles or kids shoe designs. See an example of styles in our gallery here.
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Reach your first 7 sales with your shoe line and you can unlock the world of fashion accessories. An incredible adventure to bring your shoe line into a full fashion brand. With plenty of accessories structures and the best quality to design and sell together with your shoes. See the Fashion accessories gallery
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Custom shoe designs are normally reviewed within 24 business hours by our footwear team.
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If your custom design is not approved, our footwear team normally offers feedback and advice on how to make improvements. You can then rework your custom design and resubmit it for new approval, if you so choose.
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You can upgrade your account to PRO for $99 (one-time, lifetime fee) and access amazing features to boost your line even further:
Limited edition Materials: Access 15 unique and highly exclusive sneaker soles such as fluorescent, camouflage, gold, silver, marble, glossy, recycled style and more.
Eco-Bio Leathers: Create completely eco-friendly and cruelty-free designs with access to a wide selection of eco-bio vegan technical “leathers” in multiple colors.
Access 500+ extra AI covers: Access a unique collection of striking Artificial Intelligence covers for your packaging and details.
Limited edition Soles: Access 12 unique and highly exclusive sneaker soles such as fluorescent, camouflage, gold, silver, marble, glossy, recycled style and more.
Limited edition Laces: Access an amazing set of 11 Limited edition Premium laces to enrich your shoe designs. From bold fluo combos to minimal and unique patterns.
Limited edition designs: Access 25+ additional premium shoe silhouettes with special constructions and limited-edition options.
Women’s Fashion Collection: Access a wide Women collection with 45+ additional Women’s fashion shoe bases, including elegant pointy high heels, low heels, mid heels, pump, wedges, flats, boots, sneakers and more.
Men’s Classic Collection: Access the full spectrum of design possibilities for Men with 18+ additional Men’s classic shoe bases, including moccasins, dress shoes, sneaker designs and more.
Fashion and Luxury Sandals: Access a unique selection of 12+ fully customisable and ultra-cool fashion sandals, including luxury concepts, comfortable and classic styles.
Street Fashion Collection: Access 11+ street concepts, from unique fashion street modern sneakers concepts to classic street-style shoe bases with vintage touch
Premium Luxe Trainers: Access 20+ premium luxe sneaker design bases, including high-end street sport concepts with a futuristic vibe and an amazing set of luxury fashion styles.
Capsule Collections Access: Access the Seasonal Fashion Capsule collections section, featuring unique and special fashion themes never seen before. Capsules are added regularly to match top market trends and include very exclusive design components and creative new styles.
White label upgrade: Make the shoes entirely yours, removing all AliveShoes logos and images from the insole, the packaging and invoices.
Priority production upgrade: Jump to the front of the production lines. Get your custom shoes made even faster, shipping directly to customers in 6 to 12 business days—half the time of the regular 15- to 20-day production.
Launch Multiple Shoes: Submit and publish up to 10 shoe designs at the same time, instead of just one.
Brand page: Showcase your brand fully in a beautiful custom branded page featuring your own content and your shoes - all in one place.
Create Unlimited Drafts: Create unlimited drafts of your designs (instead of the normal 10) and keep them saved on Your Dashboard.
Upgrade your account to PRO here. -
Once you have submitted and published a design, you can protect it. That means your shoe will officially become a Limited Edition (and have a unique limited edition code) and will be protected so that no one can duplicate that specific shoe design combination and name. The design will also be flagged as limited edition in your shop, so that your customers will be able to see this unique feature, see an example here. The Design Protection upgrade is available for $39 (one-time, life time fee) from Your Dashboard or from your custom e-shop option panel.
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Visit Your Dashboard profile section to change your account settings and update password and account information.
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Once your custom shoes are approved, you can launch them online and start selling using your own custom e-shop. Before your shoes will go into production, you must first meet the minimum 7 pre-order sales goals. After this goal is satisfied, you can continue to sell the shoes one- by-one without any further limitations.
AliveShoes will take care of the production, shipment and customer service for your designer shoes, freeing you up to edit your shop, download marketing materials and follow relevant statistics in the options tab of your custom e-shop.
Once your first 7 custom made shoes are sold, you can also redeem your AliveShoes Official Designer Certificate to use as a valuable distinction on your CV or résumé.
Also, at the 7 sales mark, you’ll be able to access our new fashion collective called The Shoe Circle and showcase your design to a worldwide audience and get direct introduction in the world of fashion. To know how more about the process visit the our how it works page. -
You can submit and launch one shoe as standard. You can extend to 10 as part of the pro upgrade and can also extend to 30 more with a launch extension upgrade.
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Yes you can showcase all your shoes in one place setting up your brand page - the brand page is part of the pro upgrade package.
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For each pair of shoes sold you will receive $30 profits.
Same amount of profits will be granted on accessories sales, with some variations depending on the specific accessory product. -
You can receive your profits through PayPal or transform the money into discount coupons. Learn more about profits on Your Dashboard.
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If you don't reach the 7 pre-order sales goal, the people who purchased your shoes will be immediately refunded. The good news is you can always re-launch your campaign and try to reach the goal again.
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Easily access information about the custom shoes you are selling and your profits through Your Dashboard.
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Check your progress through Your Dashboard to stay current on custom shoe sales and statistics.
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Yes, on shoes bought by you, you also receive the $30 profits.
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Yes you can buy your design in bulk and get discounted rates up to 15% off. Check the bulk promos directly at checkout clicking on the button “see bulk promos” just under the quantity tab. Note that this is will be only visible to you as the designer and not to your customers.
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Yes you can find designer discount coupons and other coupons to offer to your clients in the option menu of your online shoe page on the lower-left side, under the tab “coupons”.
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Your custom shoes are priced between $149 and $449.
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It takes 15 to 20 business days to produce and ship your designer shoes to customers. If you are a PRO member, you receive priority production, where your custom shoes are produced and shipped in 6 to 12 business days.
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Our designer shoes are crafted in Le Marche, Italy, also known as “The Shoe Valley” and home to rich shoemaking tradition since 1901. All shoes are of the best quality and handcrafted by a network of selected Italian artisans. Learn more about our Italian Crafting.
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All shoes are created using pristine Italian leather or suede, and in some cases organic canvas is available, too. We also provide special materials, prints, limited edition textiles, cruelty free vegan leathers to PRO account users. Learn more about the materials used in our Italian Crafting.
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We provide US (6-13), UK (3.5-12.5) and EU (36-46) standard sizes. Extended sizes are available on most of the sneaker bases: US (13.5-17.5), UK (13-17) and EU (47-51). To find the perfect fit, please use our conversion tool, which provides a guaranteed 98 percent sizing match.
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Purchases can be made using PayPal, or with the following credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.
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Custom shoes are shipped internationally via UPS, DHL and FedEx. You can track your shipment through Your Dashboard. Deliveries take between three to eight business days, depending on your city and country. Shipments to the EU, UK, CAN and USA are free of charge.
(Note: Custom taxes may apply for all non-EU shipments. Depending on the country, these normally range between 3 to 10 percent of the total purchase value and are due upon receipt of the product). -
We have a 100% satisfaction guarantee and free-returns policy.That means you or your customer will receive a full refund if not completely satisfied with the order. Shoes must be sent back to us within 30 days after receiving the package in pristine, unworn condition to qualify for a refund. Contact us to request a refund and confirm the shipping address. A delivery company will then collect your package with no hassle or cost to you or your customer.
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Yes, all information about the shoe process is also valid on accessories, where orders, shipping, and delivery act in the same way as the shoes.
Please note that among accessories the face mask is not medical grade, not CDC or FDA approved and it is not a PPE. It is a fashion item to be used to embellish and cover your face. If you are looking for medical protection It is advised to be worn over a medical-grade mask.
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Yes, AliveShoes can help designers grow and extend their brands. Your first goal is to reach 7 pre-order sales to begin production of your custom shoes, ship the products to your customers and redeem your AliveShoes Official Designer Certificate to use as a valuable distinction on your CV or résumé.
Also, at the 7 sales mark, you’ll be able to access our new fashion collective called The Shoe Circle and showcase your design to a worldwide audience and get direct introduction in the world of fashion.
As your brand grows and you reach bigger set sales goal, you will gain access to free AliveShoes premium services, including PR boost at 10 sales and the Brand boost at 50 sales, to further boost your shoe line. Learn more information about How It Works. -
Track your progress through Your Dashboard’s check your progress section to stay current on the design process and your custom shoe sales and statistics.
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Designing and distributing your custom shoes is a remarkable achievement, and one that deserves recognition in the footwear industry. That is why, when you sell 7 pre-orders of your designers shoes, you’ll be awarded the AliveShoes Official Designer Certificate to use as a valuable distinction on your CV or résumé.
Located in Le Marche, Italy, also known as “The Shoe Valley”, AliveShoes is among the most elite footwear network on the planet. No school or other curriculum activity can match or surpass our one-of-kind experience and offerings. -
You can download your certificate through the Check Your Progress section of Your Dashboard.
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The Shoe Circle is an international fashion collective.
The Shoe Circle website will showcase the best of the best from the platform, and is all about the most unique designs made in the platform and the best stories from designers. An A-level international fashion exposure and a great introduction to the world of fashion; learn more about the circle here.
Once you reach 7 sales with a custom shoes design, you'll be able to submit it to join the fashion collective.
The Shoe Circle is not only a website. We do organize amazing extra projects to get your designs even more visible. Big media partnerships, Runway shows, Concept stores, Events and more. Designs that have reached 15 sales can be submitted for free to join The Shoe Circle Extra projects; learn more about the extra projects here -
When you've reached 7 sales on one of your shoe designs, you’re granted access to AliveShoes Kids and AliveShoes Fashion Accessories sections.
You’ll be able to design and sell a wide variety of high-quality fashion accessories ranging from bags and purses to designer masks and clothing. An amazing new space to develop your creativity and expand your brand. See the Fashion accessories gallery here>
You’ll be given access to the kid's section with 15+ shoe models dedicated to the little ones. A big and very interesting new market to expand your shoe line. Both expansions will boost your brand even further and help you reach more customers. The best part: it is a whole lot of fun! See the Kids gallery here> -
PR boost is a professional service aimed to increase the visibility of your custom shoes. Once you reach 10 shoe sales with one of your shoe designs, you'll be able to submit more information about yourself and your shoes, including additional pictures of your designer shoes, all directly on Your Dashboard. Your designer shoes project will be shared with our network of top public relations contacts, helping you to gain more visibility for yourself and your brand. This type of exposure often leads your design being visible in magazines and international press, or leads to building relationships with bloggers, or seeing your product worn on the feet of influencers and celebrities! Get more information on the PR boost here.
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Brand boost is a professional service aimed to further develop your brand, your products and your marketing. Reach 50 total shoe sales with your custom shoes for access to one of the planet’s best shoe teams for refining branding, design and marketing. Our elite shoe development network in Italy will guide you in creating a custom shoe capsule collection, a refined online brand shop and a professional photo shooting and manufacturing video of your shoes. Get more information on the Brand boost here.