Looking after your shoes

The life of a pair of footwear can be greatly prolonged by taking the time to look after them. The care of footwear basically revolves around ensuring that the upper leather remains supple and protected from physical injuries and that the footwear is not subjected to unnecessary stress when they are put on or removed. The latter is achieved by simply loosening all laces properly and through the use of shoe horns.

Leather, though tanned, still behaves like a living material - its pores open when subjected to moisture and heat. To give time for the leather to recover footwear should ideally be worn on a rotational basis - i.e. not the same pair for days on end. After use they should be fitted with trees and allowed to dry in a natural environment for at least a day.

Polishing is best performed with wax polish when the shoe is still warm from wear. After brushing any dirt off apply the polish in small circular movements, leave to dry, then buff. Cream polish does not provide as good a shine as wax polish and is generally only used when the leather is very dry. To prevent colour corruption, always have a different application and buffing brush for each colour polish used.

Lastly, obvious as it may sound, the footwear should only be used for the purpose for which they are made.