How to Care for Shoes: Introduction (Series Relaunch)

A pair of high-quality loafers can last you for many years to come, but only if you take good care of them. With proper maintenance and careful cleaning, your loafers could look even better after a few years of wear than they did right out of the box.  As they will develop a nice patina and sophistication that can only be achieved with wear.

Despite a plethora of shoe care resources out there.  It can still be difficult to quickly and easily navigate through the shoe care process, which is why we are relaunching our multi-part series on how to best care for your shoes. This introductory segment focuses on our recommended shoe care products as well as some of the tools that you’ll need to clean a range of leather types, from cow and calf leather to suede to exotic skins like alligator and ostrich.

In future segments we will cover topics like how to clean suede shoes, how to polish cow and calfskin leather, how to get rid of salt stains as well as many other topics.  If there is a particular subject you would like to see us cover, let us know by sending us a note through our contact form.

Almost all of the shoe care products we mentioned in the video and in this article are by Saphir, who offers the best shoe care products available.  We have been using Saphir products on our loafers since we debuted over six years ago and have yet to run into any issues.  To get you started on your shoe care journey, here is a list of some of our recommended shoe care products and tools:

• Réno’Mat: a great cleaning agent for smooth leathers
• Creme Universelle: a gentle leather balm and restorative agent for all non-suede leather types, including exotic skins
• Cream Shoe Polish: available in universal shades such as brown, black and neutral; this polish helps in restoring pigmentation and adds a slight natural shine
• Wax Shoe Polish: offered in black and brown, this polish delivers a deeper and higher level of shine
• Dauber Brush: used to spread creams and polish to various leather types
• Buffing Brush: an all-around general cleaning brush that can also be used with waxes and creams to bring out the leather’s natural shine 
• Omnidaim: a cleaning agent that is ideal for getting dirt and grease stains out of suede products
• Suede Eraser: used to get stubborn stains out of suede leather
• Suede Brush: recommended for daily use to keep your suede shoes looking new
• Cedar Shoe Trees: helps to maintain the shape of your shoes and also keeps them smelling fresh by absorbing moisture

The loafers that we feature in this video are some of our most popular and versatile styles that can be paired with everything from swim shorts to suits. Here is a brief guide to our favorite Jay Butler loafers:

• The Millbank Bit Loafer: what we consider as our power loafer, it’s characterized by a metal bit across the vamp. Unlike other brands, we offer the Millbank within both silver and gold bit options. The Millbank is available in 14 color and leather options including full grain cow leather, suede, ostrich and alligator leathers.
• The Cromwell Penny Loafer: our all-American loafer, you can’t get more classic than with the Cromwell. An easy-to-wear shoe for all occasions, we designed it with a more subtle beefroll style and a pliable leather sole; able to be easily dressed up or dressed down. The Cromwell is available in a diversified range of colors and textures such as black and different shades of brown, as well as different leather types such as perforated full-grain leather and alligator skin.
• The Shipley Tie Loafer: our contemporary take on Italian driving shoe, the Shipley has a unique combination of a driving shoe’s upper paired with a sleek leather sole. We offer the Shipley in various shades of brown.

We will be continuing this series over the coming months.  The next segment will discuss Daily Shoe Care, in other words, what to do with your shoes after wearing them everyday.  If you have any questions about what you read here or watched here, please send us a note via our contact form.