How to care for your SOLEMARK shoes

Genuine leather is a living material. Cared for properly, a pair of SOLEMARK shoes will outlast every fast-fashion shoe in your closet. Here is what we recommend — the same routine the founder follows on his five-year-old pairs.

Daily (under one minute)

Wipe the upper with a soft dry cloth when you take them off. Store them on a shoe shelf, not in a plastic bag. If you can, use cedar shoe trees — they absorb moisture and hold the shape.

Weekly (five minutes)

Brush off dust with a horsehair brush. Inspect the soles for embedded stones or debris.

Every 4–6 weeks (fifteen minutes)

Condition the leather with a neutral or colour-matched leather cream. Apply with a clean cloth, let it absorb for 10 minutes, then buff with a soft brush. This is the step most men skip — and it is the single biggest reason their shoes look tired after a year.

Once a year

If you have worn them often, take them to a cobbler. A small heel repair or a topy added to the sole will add years to the life of the shoe.

What not to do

• Do not wear the same pair two days in a row. Leather needs 24 hours to dry between wears.
• Do not store them in direct sunlight or near a heat source. Both crack the leather.
• Do not put them in a washing machine. Ever.
• Do not use coloured polish on a different-coloured shoe.

A SOLEMARK pair is built to be the shoe you wear for five years, not five months. The care routine is the only reason that promise is real.