We all know that good shoes are worth looking after but when you start wearing your new Loake shoes there are some important points to remember. If they have a leather sole then it’s well worthwhile holding off breaking them in until you have a dry first day. Fine grit will then become imbedded in the sole leather and this really improves their durability. Conversely when leather is new it can be fairly absorbent and when water ingresses the leather they can wear relatively quickly. Similarly you should not wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row if the soles have become wet. Give them 24 hours to dry out naturally ie at normal room temperature. Never put shoes on a heat source such as a radiator to dry out. The premium grade of sole leather used in all Loake shoes is actually highly durable when looked after in this way.
Your new Loake shoes will have been given a light wax coating at the factory which will stand them in good stead initially. But if you want to ensure that water doesn’t wick its way along any stitching into the shoe linings then it’s well worth working plenty of good quality wax polish into the joint where the upper leather meets the welt and sole. You should also work the wax into all the stitched seams. Water has an uncanny ability to work its way along stitching and a liberal application of wax polish will provide a superb barrier.
A regular liberal coating of wax polish to the uppers will also keep the leather supple. It is when leather is allowed to dry out that can lead to cracking in the uppers. If you follow these simple rules your Loake shoes will last many years. The goodyear welted construction of the majority of styles allows them to be re-soled any number of times without degrading their uppers.
