SHOE CARE
A Gentlemen’s Calling Card
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Proper shoe care involves much more than just regularly cleaning your shoes.
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Once you have purchased a sophisticated, perfect-fitting, high-quality men's shoe, then the most difficult part is already over. Quality men's shoes arrive in mint condition. If you wish to keep them that way for many happy years to come, you will need to brush up on your shoe care know-how.
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Shoe care begins with correctly putting shoes on and taking shoes off. An improper approach can damage the shoe and thereby significantly diminish its lifespan. Furthermore, when you take off your shoes after a long day in the office, you should immediately store them with a shoe box.
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None of the above is new knowledge, as a look at shoe history confirms. Just as classic types of men's shoes have hardly changed over the years in terms of shoemaking, production-method and construction, dress code and shoe care have also remained largely unchanged. Leather expertise is equally storied. Leather is a natural material that protects our feet from the environment while helping to ensure a perfect shoe fit. It all comes full circle, since a perfect fit in turn significantly supports foot health.
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How to Put Shoes On
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It is very easy to ensure the durability of premium men's shoes. To prevent your shoes from accruing damage and to increase their longevity, simply take care to gently put them on and take them off, using a shoehorn and your hand, respectively.
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Those who rely on quick and easy solutions usually do up their lace-up shoe a single time, and then never undo the laces. These men take off their shoes by dipping the toe of one shoe into the heel of the other and forcing their foot free. In order to put the shoes back on—with difficulty—they use their pointer finger. Aside from the fact that this method is damaging to all kinds of shoes (since this destroys the counter, which is vital for preserving the stability of the shoe, in addition to damaging the heel seam and wearing out the shaft), doing this is particularly detrimental to quality shoes and should generally be avoided, since it significantly curtails shoe lifespan.
To correctly put men's shoes on, you should start by loosening up the lacing a bit, then using a shoehorn to put the shoe on. There are countless types of shoehorns on the market. Whether you select one made of metal, wood or synthetic material, and whether it is long or short, are ultimately questions of personal preference. The only universally important details when it comes to shoehorns are stability, an ergonomic shape, and a lack of sharp edges.
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Generally speaking, you should use your hands to take shoes off. Undo and loosen the lacing to protect the shoe and prevent the leather from unnecessarily stretching out. Next, remove the shoe from your foot with your hand.
How to clean your leather shoes
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The leather on your men's shoes will thank you—proper shoe care keeps it shiny and extends its lifespan. Shoe care replenishes oils and fats to the leather, and minimises further oil and fat loss. All it takes to ensure that the leather on your men's shoes retains its elasticity, suppleness, and shine is repeating the proper shoe care process every two to three weeks.
How much leather has to go through to reach you.
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Shoe owners need to bear in mind that leather is a natural material that requires a given level of nourishment to remain in peak condition. During the tanning process, all of the water- and fat-containing elements are removed from the leather. During the subsequent finishing stage, oils and fats are restored to the leather. Nevertheless, daily wear and exposure to the elements continually deplete shoe leather of oil and fat. As a result, the leather loses its flexibility and stiffens, while dirt particles settle in the pores. Finally, in the absence of care, leather becomes brittle—as a consequence, the shoe does not stand a chance of lasting long.
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In order to do this process justice, men's shoe owners need both a thoroughly outfitted shoe care set as well as an understanding of how to go about cleaning their shoes correctly.
How to care
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You should wipe off or brush your men's shoes after each wear to prevent dirt particles from accruing and to preserve an elegant appearance. You need polishing brushes made of horsetail hair, or soft cotton polishing cloths. If you are planning on an extended break from wear, you should apply a thin layer of shoe cream to the shoes in question and store them in a cloth bag.
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Furthermore, you should have a separate applicator brush for every shade of cream. If you use the same brush to apply different shades, you can end up distorting the colour of your shoe leather.
Occasionally, you can apply a mixed emulsion instead of shoe wax to further nourish the leather and revive its colour. Use a rag to thinly apply the emulsion, allow it to absorb for a few minutes, and then polish the shoe with a polishing brush.
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Every few months you should direct your attention to the leather sole. Use a brush to evenly apply a special leather sole oil to the sole. Repeat this procedure until the oil is no longer immediately absorbed into the sole.
