How to Care For Your Etymology Shoes

Every pair of Etymology shoes adheres to time honoured standards of craftsmanship to extend their longevity and increase comfort with wear. Taking care of your shoes properly will make them last significantly longer ensuring you’re able to enjoy them for years to come.

 

Everyday

Putting them on: When putting on your shoes, always use a shoe horn to avoid cracking and potentially damaging the heel of the shoes.

Brush them: After each wear, gently brush away any dirt or dust using a soft cloth or shoe brush. It will help keep your shoes fresh and clean. When it comes to suede uppers make sure to use a rubber suede brush to help to lift any dirt and debris.

Store with shoe trees: Always store your shoes with appropriate shoe trees to ensure that they regain and maintain their shape.

Let them rest: We suggest rotating between different pairs of shoes every second day throughout the course of the week. Just like you, your shoes need a good rest.

 

Leathers

In order to best understand how to care for your Etymology shoes, it is key to understand the types leathers we use. They can be broken down into two main categories: calf skin leather and calf skin suede.

Calf Skin Leather

The king of leather; it is tanned and made from the hides of young cattle. It is lightweight, soft and durable. Characteristically it can be identified by its smooth appearance and fine pore structure.

Calf Skin Suede

This leather is made from the underside of an animal hide. As a result it is softer, and more supple and can have the appearance of a "furry nap".

 

Upper Care

Proper care and maintenance of your Etymology shoes will help to ensure their longevity in wear. This means that every so often you should nourish your shoes to get the best out of them. The below is a guide designed to equip you with the basics of polishing/nourishing your uppers (the part of the shoe that covers the foot).

Calf Skin Leather

  1. First gently brush the uppers with a damp cloth in order to remove any surface dust and dirt.
  2. Having selected the appropriate colour high-quality cream polish, take a clean chamois style cloth, stretched over your forefinger and apply a small amount of cream polish in small circular motions over the uppers using light to moderate pressure.
  3. Give the cream polish the time to soak in and dry for 5 to 10 minutes.
  4. Once dried, gently brush the uppers in a light back and forth motion using a fine shoe brush, ideally made of horsehair, so as to allow the matte finish to build.
  5. We prefer a matte shine finish, so you’re all done.

'Henna' Brown Calf Skin Leather

To achieve the unique shade of reddish-brown ‘Henna’ on the Ito Penny Loafer - Henna Brown Calf we have hand-applied pigmented shoe creams to nourish and colour the leather. This adds depth to the finish and means that no two pairs are alike. Over time, your shoes will begin to develop their own distinctive character.

Maintaining this finish is no more challenging than caring for any other box calf leather footwear. Simply follow our standard care process but opt to apply a neutral tone of shoe cream and/or polish. This ensures the finish is locked in while keeping the leather buttery soft.

 

Calf Skin Suede

  1. If you find any caked dry stains use a quality suede eraser to rub out and remove and stains using a quality suede eraser. Make sure to use moderate pressure but don’t rub too hard.
  2. While it may sound crazy, it’s now time to shampoo the uppers. Selecting a quality suede shampoo, dilute it with clean water according to the supplier instructions and then taking a soft bristle brush, rub it into the uppers just like you would shampoo your hair.
  3. Rinse off, then insert some absorbent paper (newspaper or paper towels will do the job) and them dry overnight.
  4. Once fully dry, take a suede brush and brush the upper to restore the pile.
  5. Last but not least, head outside. Take a quality waterproofing and suede protectant spray and at about a distance of 20cm to 30cm spray the uppers. Let them dry for 30 minutes or so and there you go.

 

Sole Care

Etymology shoes are designed with longevity in mind. The sole of every pair can be replaced periodically thanks to the Goodyear welted construction.  

Sole Life Tips

Below are some general tips for the maintenance of the leather sole as well as signs for when it may be time to visit your trusted cobbler.

  • When the centre of the sole becomes soft and worn it may be worth considering a resole.
  • Toes should not be worn into the welt. We suggest you visit a cobbler and consider having a metal toe tap countersunk into the tip of the toe.
  • Heels need to be replaced when the back of the rubber top piece becomes worn and thin.

Wet Soles

Leather soles can expand when wet so it is best to avoid very wet conditions especially when wearing your new shoes for the first two or three outings. In the event that your leather soles do become sodden, ensure that you dry them out slowly and naturally, away from direct heat (e.g radiators). Do not use shoe trees immediately and instead stuff them absorbent paper (paper towels or newspaper should do the job) which should soak up any excess moisture and then allow them to dry. Once dry remove the absorbent appear and store with shoe trees.

Don’t forget, leather shoes can often take a day to dry out fully just from natural perspiration, so whenever possible alternate with other shoes.