Maintenance
Shoe care
A welted shoe will last ten years or eighteen months depending entirely on what you do in the five minutes after you take it off.
After every wear
Brush and rest
Thirty seconds with a horsehair brush lifts the dust that dries leather out. Insert cedar trees while the shoe is still warm — they pull moisture and hold the shape as it sets. Then leave the pair 24 hours before wearing again.
Every 8–10 wears
Cream
A pea of neutral or matching cream on a cotton cloth, worked in circles across the whole upper, left ten minutes, then brushed off hard. Cream feeds the leather; polish only sits on top of it.
When you want shine
Polish the toe
Thin layers of wax on the toe cap and heel counter with a damp cloth, each layer buffed before the next. Five thin layers beat one thick one every time. Never wax the flex area — it will crack.
Twice a year
Condition deeply
A conditioner rather than a cream, worked in and left overnight. If the leather has gone matte and stiff at the vamp, this is what brings it back.
Every 12–24 months
Resole
When the sole wears through at the ball, take it to a cobbler before it reaches the welt. Wait too long and the stitching goes, which turns a cheap job into an expensive one.
Suede is different
Never put cream or wax on suede. Use a rubber or brass suede brush to lift the nap, an eraser block for shiny patches, and a protector spray twice a season. Water marks lift with a damp cloth applied to the whole panel — not just the spot — and brushed once dry.
If they get soaked
Stuff with newspaper, insert trees if you have them, and dry slowly at room temperature away from any heat source. A radiator or a hairdryer will cook the leather and it will never come back. Condition once fully dry.