Creams in bottles or jars, colored or colorless shoe polishes and waterproofers, chamois, brush or scrubber... Are you unsure which maintenance product and accessory to choose to keep your shoes spotless?
Discover our guide to essential men's shoe accessories, we explain everything here...
Creams, milks and polishes
The Luxury Delicate Cream (liquid or paste format) is ideal for more robust leathers because it allows it to penetrate deeper into the leather. This nourishing, wax-based milk is designed to moisturize and condition leather. Remember, leather is a living material and needs to be nourished two or three times a month to prevent it from drying out and cracking.
It's best to choose a colored cream that matches the color of your pair, especially for shoes with a patina. A colored cream will revive the patina of your Finsburys and keep them looking like new. However, a colorless cream is useful if you have many pairs to maintain and want a universal solution.
Cleansing milk should be used no more than once a year. It helps remove any impurities, dirt, and excess cream or polish that may have accumulated on your shoes. Do not use cleansing milk on shoes with a patina, as it may damage the patina.
Luxury shoe polish is the product that will allow you to protect your pair of shoes. Considered the shoe's makeup, the color you choose for your polish will allow you to create different shines. For example, on a dark-patinated shoe, applying black polish will bring out the patina. It's important to polish your shoes regularly to ensure they are properly waterproofed.
The brushes
Brushes allow you to remove dirt accumulated throughout the day, polish or apply creams and polishes.
The medium horsehair shoe brush allows for gentle polishing of your shoes to make them shine.
The brass brush is the essential accessory for maintaining suede shoes. Indeed, suede becomes dusty throughout the day, so it is important to remove dirt from the material and comb it to restore its original appearance.
The paddle, made of solid wood and pure horsehair, is ideal for applying cream to every nook and cranny of the shoe and making the polish even.
The chamois cloth , preferably 100% cotton, allows you to gently massage the leather of the shoe and ensure complete care of the leather . Its soft texture helps to dust the leather, apply care products (cream, polish) but also to shine your shoes.
The polishing glove , made of genuine lambskin, is essential for obtaining an immediate and impeccable shine. It allows you to easily polish the pair of shoes and give a more pronounced shine than the shoe polishing brush.
The waterproofer
Waterproofing sprays are exclusively for suede calfskin. They should never be used on the smooth leather of your shoes. They are available in black and brown to revive the color of your shoes, or in a colorless version for use on any color of suede calfskin.
Shoe trees
When making a shoe, it is constantly assembled on a template to give it its final shape. However, this volume must be maintained so that the leather does not sag. As we explain here , the shoe trees are essential for the good fit and longevity of your city shoes. Indeed, it has many virtues. In particular, it allows you to:
- Stretch the leather to maintain the original shape of the shoe
- Minimize unsightly wrinkles after a day of walking
- Absorb moisture (rain for example) or perspiration
- Repel moths and odors
For maximum and optimal optimization, a shoe tree should be made of unfinished wood, preferably red cedar, and adapted to the size of the shoe. A varnished shoe tree will lose its absorbency, just like a plastic one. Finsbury also recommends using "full" shoe trees . There are in fact "tensioner" or so-called "forefoot" shoe trees which only attach to the front of the shoe and not the entire foot.
Can't put on your shoes properly? Think about shoehorn !
Discover our crocodile-effect care kit for only €129, available in store only.
