Nothing quite compares with a leather soled shoe. Although numerous attempts have been made over the years to find a possible alternative nothing else can compete with the extraordinary characteristics of well-tanned sole leather. Consequently all the great English shoe brands including Trickers, Crockett and Jones, Churchs, Sanders, Grenson, Lobb and Loake shoes continue to make all their finest shoes with leather soles.
A leather sole will mould naturally to the unique shape of your feet and crucially will allow your feet to breathe. Feet which are suffocated will get hot and clammy and with nowhere for the moisture to go will begin to smell and inevitably in time will actually begin to rot.
Do wear new leather soled shoes on a dry day on their first outing. This will enable tiny grains of grit to get embedded into the leather which will enhance their durability. Also try not to wear the same pair of shoes on consecutive days. This will allow the leather to dry out and retain its hardness and impermeability to water ingress.
The one drawback with leather soled shoes is that they will wear a little faster than a rubber soled shoes. With repair costs ever increasing most of the famous English shoe brands do now offer some styles with a rubber sole, invariably the English made and very good Dainite sole. However when buying these shoes it is crucial to ensure that they do have a solid leather insole running the entire length of the inside of the shoe. Leather insoles are essential to allow your feet to breathe properly and a good thick leather insole will mould nicely to the natural shape of your foot. Avoid any shoe without a leather insole at your and your colleagues’ peril.
Visit bradshawandlloyd.com to view a comprehensive range of shoes from Sanders, Trickers and Loake shoes which have both leather and also rubber soles.
