Care is better than cure

Taking care of our shoes is easier than you think. The high-quality materials that we use do not require extensive care at all. Just a bit of our high-end shoe care cream and a brush a day will effortlessly preserve a natural and classic look. When you get a new pair, there’s no need for immediate conditioning or polishing - we ensure they’re ready to wear out of the box. We recommend sitting down at a shoeshine stand once or twice a week to preserve this timeless gift from us to you but if you aren’t in a location where you have that luxury, you don’t have to worry. You can either buy our handy shoe care kit for your home, office or when you’re travelling! No matter what you choose we suggest reading through this guide to learn how you can, and should take care of your shoes.

Remember that leather is a skin. It is important to take care of the leather to ensure it keeps its aesthetics and remains in good hygiene. We know every guy doesn’t have the wardrobe for a different shoe for each day of the week so we try to cater for all men no matter what their style or situation.. (Visit our style guide, let us suggest to you a few pairs you can cycle).
Wooden shoe trees will wick away moisture - which is very important hygienically, to maintain your shoes’ handcrafted shape whilst also removing foot odor and restoring the shape overnight for each new day. Most importantly, wearing leather shoe requires the use of a shoe horn. After all, handcrafted leather shoes like these are made for the finest men...not apes! Keep in mind that the leather can reshape very easily when stretched with a finger to wear, even by just doing it once or twice. Not only does this cause problems when this reshapes the leather and starts irritating the heel and tendon area, and it makes the shoe look awful too.

EXTEND YOUR SHOES LIFE

Time to go the extra mile to get the extra mile out of your shoe. Heel and Toe protectors will double your shoes life. You can purchase them from a local cobbler or order them online from us! The point where your toe pushes you off and the first point of contact from the ground - which is your heel - wears out rather more quickly than the rest of the shoe. The protectors help you go a lot further, wearing out in a year but easily replaceable, extending your shoe life twice as long.

Moisture will not only destroy the shoe but it may also cause bacterial infections and will almost definitely leave a bad odor…… not something a man trying to impress is going to want.

Salt! the arch-enemy!

There is no fix for salt damage, you can only prevent it by wearing shoe covers or minimize it by instantly cleaning your shoe with a wet cloth when you reach your destination. That is the best you will be able to do. We would advise if this happens to take the shoe to a professional to save it! Our shoes are exposed to these harsh conditions in the testing phase, and with the proper care, they have been restored perfectly!

Rubber Sleeves for shoes are life savers and help avert fashion disasters. During winter time, in the snow, never compromise on style by wearing hand down, worn out shoes to the office or to attend meetings. Instead,  buy Rubber Sleeves to make sure you are always the one looking on point no matter what the weather.
Use an Oil based shoe care product to help keep the moisture away from your leather shoes when it snows or rains. A couple of applications throughout the winter may be necessary. Soulle intends on introducing its very own branded and certified Shoe Care Product line in the near future.

How to clean & care for your shoe

The answer to this requires a little background and knowledge so you can make better decisions while buying your shoe care products. Different shoes have to be treated differently. By different, we mean if they are brogued or not. Brogued footwear can collect dust and other material which could destroy the leather and be very unhygienic. So it needs an extra step to keep it looking at its best. Following these steps twice a week will not only keep your shoes looking better for longer, but also, as studies have found, that you will find a new hobby to enjoy while doing so. There is a reason why it is said... you can tell a lot by a man by how he treats his shoes…

Dust off

We recommend you use a separate brush for this, preferably one with sturdy hair so you can scrub off the dust and any material stuck on the shoe. Pay careful attention at the joint of the sole, the welt’s groves, the eyelets where you have the laces, and the broguing. Dust and other material can collect and even cause the shoe to have an odor over time.

Dry off

If the shoe gets wet, it is important that it dries off naturally. Blow drying or putting it next to a heater will ruin the leather causing it to harden, crack and potentially lose its shape. Even if the shoe does not get wet it is always good to air it out…. it’s a hygienic thing to do. Place it near a sunny window but don't leave it in the sun or under direct sunlight. Leaving the shoe out in the open or exposed to sunlight can de-shape the shoe or dry out the leather which could lead to cracking.

Polish

We recommend you use a separate brush for this, one with softer hair and a higher thread count. Apply a little wax on the shoe keeping in mind that it’s always better to use an oil-based wax. It keeps the leather fresh, increases the shoes life and also gives a nice dust proof and splash resistant quality. Allow the leather to breathe in the sun and let the wax be absorbed before you move to the next step. It is highly recommended you rub in the polish with a cloth wrapped around your fingers or your fingers directly. The skin on skin action allows leather to naturally soak up the lotion/cream or polish before being brushed. We recommend you do this for at least 5 minutes.

Shine

Take a soft cloth, we recommend a sheep wool cloth but you can even use the cloth used to polish cars, crunch up the cloth and buff the shoe using gentle rapid strokes. This will give the shoe a noticeable shine but more importantly will remove extra wax that can become a dust magnet. You will notice a difference in the shine if you buff the shoe right away after the polishing or if you allow it to bask in the non-direct sunlight for a while. We guarantee that you won't regret the 10 minutes spent on ensuring your shoes always looks as good as new.

Storage

After taking your shoes off, if you’re not planning to wear them again right away or the next day, it is important to store them properly in the packaging they came in. We recommend you buy a shoe tree, if not stuff the shoe with newspaper and put them back into their box. Good brands will pack the shoes with shoe covers to ensure they have maximum protection in transit and it’s always a good idea to keep them and put the shoes back in them before you putting them away.

This way your handcrafted shoes will always be ready to wear whatever the occasion, plus, you get the added feeling of unboxing your shoe for the first time, every time.

HoW to clean YOUR SUEDE SHOE

Suede Care

Contrary to popular belief, suede is not difficult to maintain and is definitely worth going the extra mile for. You can buy an extra sturdy brush that has a higher thread count, specifically for maintaining suede… we sell them on our accessories page! Unlike Calfskin leather, suede has to be worn and carried very carefully but it’s not as tough as it sounds. Just a regular brushing and light maintenance will do the job! Purchase a suede spray, from the market or from us at Soulle and use it every other day after a thorough brushing. All suede sprays consist of cleaning properties which have the added benefit of being hygienic preventing shoe odor. This is the way you ‘polish’ suede and by doing this regularly the shoes will look rejuvenated and their life span will increase, keeping you looking good for many years to come.