Learn more about the various types of leather & leather finishes used for our footwear.
NPS and Solovair footwear takes several weeks to manufacture and when combined with the benefits of Goodyear welting and quality materials, can last many years. Here are our shoe care guidelines to help you care for your footwear correctly. Following our tips will help you achieve an optimal lifespan for your purchase. Use the below links to scroll to a particular topic. We recommend all customers read our General Guidelines section.
1) Always clean your footwear ideally after each use by cleaning off any surplus dirt with a brush or damp cloth. You can find all your essential leather maintenance products in our Care Kit.
2) Our footwear is water-resistant but not waterproof. DO NOT wear footwear in prolonged or extremely wet conditions. If your footwear becomes wet, follow our water exposure care tips below.
3) Leather is a natural product and requires a rest period. The general rule of thumb is to allow footwear to rest for double the time they were worn. For example, footwear worn for 8 hours should rest for 16 hours. A rest period allows the leather to breathe and rid itself of moisture. Too much moisture can cause the internal sock liner to shift and lining damage. DO NOT wear footwear over consecutive days. We recommend wearing footwear in rotation.
4) We recommend using shoe trees to help retain shape when footwear is not being worn. Shoe trees are designed to slightly stretch the vamp area of the shoe to allow the leather to dry from natural feet moisture of water exposure without hardening or drying in an unnatural or highly creased state. Without the use of a shoe tree, leather upper fibres are susceptible to breaking down more quickly. Shoe trees can also be used for boot style as boot trees tend to be difficult to come by.
5) Repair soles or defects in good time using a reputable repairer. Continued wear of damaged footwear may result in irreversible damage. If your boots arrive with loose threads, DO NOT pull them as this may result in seam damage. Instead, send an enquiry with images to our customer services team who will be able to inform you if these can be trimmed.
6) It is important to wear the correct size footwear. Too small or too large fitting styles can cause leather to rub along pressure points or crease abnormally resulting in premature damage including holes. We do not compare our sizing to other brands and always recommend following our Size Guide. Where half sizing is not available we advise customers purchase a removable insole to bridge the sizing gap. If you are wide fitting, please contact our customer services team who will be able to guide you with shoe width measurements.
Please note, damage incurred from footwear worn in incorrect weather conditions or from poor shoe care are not considered manufacturing faults.
Explore our Accessories Collection to find all your shoe care essentials ideal for each leather type.
FULL GRAIN, CALF, HI-SHINE, & RUB-OFF LEATHER
For general maintenance, apply a good quality shoe polish or cream using a dry cloth or soft brush for buffing. Please note, being too abrasive with Rub-Off leather may result is colour alterations. Where leather colours such as Burgundy, Oxblood, Navy and Green are hard to match with polish shades, we recommend a colourless neutral polish.
HORWEEN LEATHER
Due to a high grease content, any marks or scratches can be easily buffed away with Dubbin wax.
PATENT LEATHER
We recommend using a soft bristle brush to dislodge dirt and debris. To remove scuff marks, use a pencil eraser. Wipe away any debris or eraser shavings using a damp cloth before applying a patent leather cleaner to renew the shine.
GREASY & GAUCHO LEATHERS
Greasy and Gaucho leathers need to be fed with Dubbin wax, oil or grease for nourishment. Apply sparingly to avoid creating a dull appearance.
VEGAN MATERIAL
For general maintenance, apply a good quality shoe polish or cream using a dry cloth or soft brush for buffing.
SUEDE & NUBUCK
Applying a suede protectant before wearing your footwear for the first time will help guard the surface. A suede brush can be used to remove dust and restore the nap after each use. Suede and Nubuck finishes should be kept away from large amounts of water due to its porous quality.
Our footwear is water-resistant but not waterproof. DO NOT wear footwear in prolonged or extremely wet conditions. To avoid permanent damage after water exposure we recommend the following steps:
1) Remove your wet footwear as soon as possible. Untie and remove any laces leaving them to dry separately.
2) Remove any surplus dirt with a horsehair brush or damp cloth and leave your footwear to air dry. DO NOT place footwear near direct heat from radiators or apply heat using hair dryers. This will cause the leather to become brittle and crack. Good quality leather needs a slow and natural drying process to avoid damage. Extremely wet footwear may need to be stuffed with newspaper to absorb excess moisture.
3) When your footwear is dried, apply polish or wax to replenish the leather. Dried footwear worn in extremely wet conditions may leave salt stains which will require a specialist product to remove.
1) Our soft-suspension soles are made from a PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) compound. We cannot guarantee our soles are 100% slip resistant and recommend customers use discretion wearing footwear on slippery surfaces or in snow/ icy weather conditions.
2) Our Classic and Commando replacement soles are resistant to acid, oil, fat, petrol and alkali.
3) To avoid the possibility of premature sole and leather damage, we recommend customers are mindful that long periods in extremely cold or hot weather conditions or contact with extreme heats (e.g. motor bike exhaust) may affect the longevity of wear.
4) For advice on sole repairs and refurbishment, please read our REPAIRS section.
LEATHER
Unfortunately, once leather has been grazed or deeply scratched the surface damage becomes irreparable. Applying a polish may help to disguise the flaw. To avoid further damage, avoid wearing your footwear in extreme wet conditions.
RE-SOLE SERVICE
We are excited to announce the launch of our new Solovair re-sole service for our UK customers.
Solovair footwear is manufactured to an excellent standard and will provide many years of use, however our soles are made from PVC which is a soft, flexible, and durable material and the upper will always wear much longer than the sole.
Due to this and popular demand, we are now offering an in-house re-sole service at our factory in Wollaston.
Do you have a pair of Solovair boots or shoes that are in need of a re-sole? For £65 we will fully replace the soles as well as collect and deliver the footwear back to you via an Express DHL service.
To find out more and to see the terms and conditions please click here.
For customer's wishing to use an alternative company, replacement soles can be purchased from our Accessories Collection here.
Please note, replacement soles need to be purchased x1 size larger than your standard shoe size to accommodate for sole trimming.
Please contact us if you require further assistance with sole repairs or refurbishments.
