Shoe Care

General shoe care suggestions – Box Calf 

The first and best advice we can give is to always think of your shoes as an organic object, subject to the elements and time, just like everything else. 

Please note: The suggestions that follow concern Box Calf only. For any other leather, please refer to our specific suggestions below or contact our experts. 

• Let them rest – After using your Stefano Bemer™ shoes for a day or two, let them rest for a day. We know it’s hard to resist, and we hope these shoes will be an instant favorite, but this is a necessary step to ensure they last! A full day’s rest in a dry environment with their dedicated shoe tree will allow the organic fiber upper, sole and threads to relax and release the humidity they absorbed and stretch them back to their original posture and tension. You should let your shoes dry for 24 hours before wearing them again, especially in damp and rainy environments. 
• Keep them clean – After your shoes rest overnight, brush them off in the morning when they are dry. Use our long crine brush for the upper and a welt brush for the corners between the welt and the upper.
• Moisturize as needed – Leather, like our skin, tends to dry up. We suggest regularly using a moisturizing shoe cream in a lighter shade than your shoes’ color (or even natural, if you wish) to refurbish the original color. If you intend to create some patina on your Stefano Bemer™ shoes over time, you can also use a darker shade. 
• Apply the cream on one shoe at a time with a clean soft cotton cloth wrapped around your fingers. Move in circles and apply pressure over creases and superficial scratches. Remember less is more, so proceed around the shoe with a small quantity of cream to make sure it absorbs nicely into the leather. 
• If necessary, apply another quick round of cream 30 minutes after the first one. 
• After a couple of hours, brush your shoes to remove the clogs of cream and dust that might have formed in the creases and near the welt. 
• Then, use a clean cotton cloth to remove the excess.
• Protect them – While shoe cream moisturizes and refurbishes the color of the leather, our beeswax polish is intended to protect it from the elements. We recommend applying wax once the shoes have been completely moisturized, one shoe at a time. 
• Pro tip –  Since the leather is so natural and open, it may have absorbed some of the wax that was previously applied. Sometimes, you might not need to apply more wax but rather refresh the existing. Just heat up the shoe with a hairdryer for a few minutes and rub it firmly with a soft wool cloth. The heat will soften the wax and bring it out of the leather, enhancing its shine. If this procedure does not give results, clean up the shoes with a clean cotton cloth and some drops of denaturalized alcohol and let them dry up for a few minutes before moisturizing and waxing the leather. Then, proceed with regular maintenance.

-Similarly to the cream, you should use a lighter color unless you want to build up a patina, and, once again, less is more. Apply only what’s needed in consecutive rounds using first a dedicated small round brush (use one brush for each wax color to avoid undesirable color spots) with strong and solid circle movements, and then again with a clean soft cotton cloth wrapped around two fingers. 

-To create a glazing effect on the toe and heel, add a drop of water directly on the cloth and keep moving in circles until the shine appears. Let the shoes sit for a few minutes and then enhance the shine by rubbing them with a nylon stocking in fast round movements.

• Respect them – Sometimes, the word or assistance of an expert is required. If your shoes are not reacting properly to your maintenance routine, please consult a specialist in your area. We recommend using the dedicated cream and wax that were chosen for your shoes. A wide door-to-door range of refurbishing services are available to our clients in order to ensure the most knowledgeable approach is used for your Stefano Bemer™ shoes.
• Go the extra mile – A great amount of attention was poured into your Stefano Bemer™ shoes, and the same should be applied to your shoe-caring routine. Welt nurturing and coloring applicators will preserve the color and elasticity of the welt, sole dye will restore and enhance the brightness of the sole and heel, and flat waxed laces will keep your shoes in good order. 

General suggestions – Suede and Reversed Kudu

Unlike Box calf, suede doesn’t need as many care products. We recommend brushing them often with our stiff bristle brush and our rubber brush to remove spots and to periodically protect them with a color suede spray.

General suggestions – Elephant and Hippo

These skins can be cared for in the same way as our suede shoes. Should they feel dry to the touch, we recommend using our shoe balm.

General suggestions – Cowhide, Waxed Kudu and ChromeXL

If you wish to deepen or change the shade of your leather, you can follow the same suggestions we outlined for Box Calf. If not, you can maintain the integrity of these skins with neutral cream and wax.

General suggestions – Shark, Horse front, Mat alligator, Ostrich, Seal and Cordovan

These sturdier leathers require less maintenance than others, but the routine demands a deeper understanding of what your shoe needs. You can refer to our Cowhide suggestions for general maintenance and to our Box Calf tips to refurbish colors and enhance glaze.

General suggestions – Alligator and Python

The shine on these skins will naturally fade over time as part of the natural development of the leather. Applying cream or waxes will speed up the process. Apart from neutral cream (applied gently with a clean cotton cloth and removed after 30 minutes with gentle movements), we suggest not applying any kind of product and invite our customers to consult our experts for a deeper refurbishment of their shoes.

Last but not least – 

Your feedback on the fit of your shoes is very important to us: whether yours are Silver Sixpence Bespoke©, Blue Bespoke©, Made To Order or Ready to Wear Stefano Bemer™ shoes, improving and enhancing your experience is part of our mission. We like to keep your personal file up to date, so we can meet your expectations even more accurately in the future.

At some point, you may decide that your shoes are ready to carry a professionally made patina. Unless you know and trust a patineur, we will be happy to provide the service directly to your desiderata.

Re-Soling and Re-Heeling should only be considered when these parts show at least  two millimeters of wear. You can also decide to replace your soles with Rubber soles or to add Rubber half soles. For more information, please contact our experts. 

We hope you enjoy walking in our shoes.