How to Care for Hand-Painted Leather Shoes

Hand-painted shoes are unique in the way they are finished. Beginning with a blank canvas of natural leather base, our master craftsmen apply the colour by hand in layers to create a deep, rich and truly individual patina.

With proper maintenance and attention, your Loake shoes will retain their excellent appearance and comfort in wear for years to come. However, it’s particularly important to use the correct shoe products on hand painted shoes. If you’re not careful, it’s easy to remove the painted finish and ruin that distinctive finish. Today, we are sharing a few quick tips on how best to care for your hand-painted leather shoes…

– If you have mud on your shoes, please wash them with a warm damp cloth and allow them to dry thoroughly before applying your selected shoe care product.

– Only water-based creams should be used to moisturise the leather and retain depth of colour. Any wax or cream with too much solvent could strip the painted leather finishes and should be avoided.

– We recommend using the Loake Saphir creams for the Brush-painted and Hand-Painted leathers. We suggest a neutral shoe cream to keep the original colour, and occasional treatment with the appropriate colour if they are fading or need a scuff treating.

General care for our Footwear

1. Always use a shoehorn when putting on your shoes. This will keep the backs strong and sturdy.

2. Try to wear your shoes in dry conditions for the first few occasions.

3. Leather shoes can require a full day to dry out from natural perspiration, so try to give them at least twenty-four hours between wears.

4. Try to avoid excessive wetting. Should this occur, always let the shoes dry naturally and away from artificial heat. Never place them on top of a radiator as the forced drying would make the soles brittle and prone to an increased wear rate. Cedar shoe trees can assist with drying out your shoes, however if these are not available to you, stuffing the shoe with newspaper and laying on their side will allow the air to circulate around the leather sole to help dry naturally.

5. Attaching rubber additions to the soles or heels can affect the pitch and comfort of your shoes. It can also put excessive strain on the construction and lead to premature wear.