Footwear use and care instructions

To ensure your maximum satisfaction with our footwear please read this manual containing all information and instructions for correct footwear selection, use and care carefully. A leaflet is the part of proof of purchase. Keep it just in case something goes wrong later and you need to make a complaint.

You have to consider the purpose, frequency of use and suitability for a certain activity when buying the shoes. Make sure you know what you need and choose the correct type of shoes, correct shoe size and fitting width. To ensure the correct footwear function and your satisfaction, you have to choose the correct shoe size. The recommended minimum toe allowance for barefoot footwear is 6 – 10 mm (for children models 12 – 15 mm), a sufficient space in the toe box to allow the feet to work properly. Be sure to stand in the shoes you are considering. Pay attention to size differences between your feet, always try the both shoes on and choose the size that fits your bigger foot. Do not forget to consider the footwear purpose, design, materials and care. There are different types of shoes made for different purposes. The practical uses of footwear are determined by used materials, footwear design and care. Do not forget that irregular grain pattern and partial surface variance is the characteristic feature of a natural leather hide. Ill-fitting footwear, incorrect size or width are not the reasons for later complaints.

Type of footwear according to their practical uses

When you are buying shoes, you need to know what activity you want to do while wearing them. It is obvious that one type of shoes cannot be used for all activities. A product appearance can be misleading. For example, not all sporty style shoes are designed to be worn for sports and not all shoes sold in winter are made to be worn in snow.

Outdoor footwear

This footwear is to be worn outdoors as well as indoors. It has a classical design without any prominent fashionable features. Lifespan and comfort are much more important than its visual aspect.

Fashionable footwear

This footwear is to be worn for short periods of time in non-strenuous conditions for walking along the local roads, in means of transport or indoors. It has fashionable features usually affecting its lifespan. It follows the latest fashion trends limiting its lifespan. Such shoes are not for everyday use, they are to be worn only occasionally. If you decide to wear them every day, you have to pay more attention to the condition of outsole and upper and to take a proper care of them.

Trendy footwear

This footwear is to be worn for short periods of time. Materials and design follow the latest fashionable trends. Appearance and aesthetic value matter the most. The use of non-standard constructions contributes to fast wear and tear, its lifespan is limited and may be much shorter than the warranty period. This type of footwear is mostly intended to be worn in dry weather and you must protect it from getting soaked and soiled as well as from other negative, in particular mechanical impacts. It is to be worn occasionally.

Winter footwear

This footwear is to be worn outdoors in winter. It has more thermal insulation properties. Often it has a thermal lining and distinctive anti slid outsole tread pattern.

Children footwear

This footwear must conform to specific requirements characterised by the necessity to adapt to a child's foot having different needs. The footwear must be properly fitting, have the right width and length and an extra room in the toe box, 12 – 15 mm. The children footwear should have a spacious, anatomically shaped toe box. A child's foot grows fast therefore it is necessary to measure it often to avoid orthopaedic damage to a child's foot.

Used materials, care and maintenance

Today a wide variety of materials, leather hides, synthetic materials and textile is used. The basic knowledge of used materials and proper care and maintenance prolong your footwear lifespan. Leather hide – a natural material used most frequently. A leather hide is soft and breathable material, it has very good absorbing properties and can to a certain degree adapt to the shape of foot. A leather hide has its characteristic grain pattern. Due to its variable character it differs from synthetic materials that have a very precise pattern. Important notice – a leather hide is not indefinitely moisture resistant and therefore you must take constant care of it. There are several main types of leather hides:

• Smooth leather hide – a leather hide having a finely textured surface and small pores. Use an appropriate brush or a soft, damp cloth to remove dirt from the shoes and wipe them dry. Impregnate your shoes and polish them to a required shade using a suitable shoe cream. For occasional maintenance you can use self-polishing sponges however they cannot replace a regular care using a suitable shoe cream.
• Patent leather hide – a leather hide covered by a foil creating a varnished effect. Its surface is very delicate and can be easily damaged by mechanical or chemical impacts, water or frost. Remove impurities from a leather hide surface using a wet cloth and apply a varnished hide polishing product on the surface.
• Multi-layer leather hide – a leather hide covered by a foil layer or a plastic layer on the surface. It has similar properties as a patent leather hide. Clean this material using a wet cloth and wipe dry or apply synthetic material polishing products.
• Nubuck and velour (suede) – nubuck is a leather hide that has been sanded on the grain side or outside and velour is a leather hide that has been sanded from the inner side. Never wet wipe the shoes made of nubuck or velour (suede) like a smooth leather but dry wipe using the special abrasive rubbers or brushes. These products freshen up the colours and they can be either coloured or colourless. It is important to impregnate the hair-on leather hides with a suitable product increasing their water-resistance. Never polish these leather hides using a shoe cream. Important notice – the hair-on leather hides are less water-resistant.
• Other leather hides – there is a whole range of other types of leather hides offering mostly colour effects and various finishes. A characteristic feature of most of these leather hides is "the development" of their appearance over time. Hand antiqued leather hide finish is the finish where a contrasting colour is often superimposed on an original colour of leather hide. This contrasting colour is rubbed off from the parts subjected to the greatest wear and tear and an original colour shows through. Another variant of leather hide is mechanically disrupted grain leather. The new shoes have a cracked grain and a different colour of leather hide texture can be seen. When the shoes are worn the grain further cracks and peels off from the parts subjected to greatest wear and the texture of material becomes exposed. The above fundamental changes happen very fast and they become more pronounced with further use. The shoes acquire a patina and characteristic "worn-in" look quite soon. These are desired changes and they can be in no way considered faults. Do not polish or apply a shoe cream on these hides. Use waterproofing sprays. Important notice – do not soak or soil these hides, they can lose their original appearance.
• Sole leather – a leather hide used for making outsoles of formal shoes approximately 2.5 mm thick. We mostly wear such shoes indoors. They are not suitable for everyday use – they are very sensitive to moisture and uneven surface and they are very slippery. Apply suitable products on the leather hide outsoles to give the material a necessary suppleness, to increase its resistance to abrasion and skid. If you decide to wear the shoes with a leather hide outsole outdoors on a regular basis, you have to back it appropriately to reduce the risk of excessive wear and tear or damage. The footwear that has been modified in such way cannot be worn in wet weather.

Textile

This material is often used for summer or home footwear. Dry clean a textile footwear using a brush and products suitable for textile footwear care to clean, impregnate and freshen up the colours of shoes and to prevent soiling to some extent. Important notice – do not wear the textile shoes in wet weather.

Synthetic materials

(plastic, artificial leather) – these materials often resemble a leather hide but their properties are of poorer quality than natural leather hides, e. g. they have limited breathability, they cause increased sweating. This is easy, low-maintenance footwear. The plastic parts of footwear dyed on the surface are very prone to mechanical damage e. g. when one stumbles. This damage results in colour being rubbed off and appearance of original colour of material. Wash the footwear using a damp cloth and detergent and wipe it dry. Important notice – avoid sudden temperature changes and frost.

Waterproofing membrane

Special materials of this kind reduce water penetration and increase breathability of shoes. To preserve this special membrane feature you have to take care of your shoes on a regular basis. Use lukewarm water and a sponge or a brush to remove coarse dirt. When the surface of shoes dries out, impregnate them using a suitable impregnating agent recommended by the membrane manufacturer. Important notice – a waterproofing membrane is not indefinitely resistant to moisture penetration.

Principles of correct footwear use and maintenance

• The footwear lifespan, good conditions and full function depend on its correct use and maintenance. Use products for footwear care only. Incorrect or inadequate maintenance shorten the footwear lifespan and function. Failure to follow these instructions can result in the shorter footwear lifespan.
• Use a shoe horn, especially for closed in heel shoes.
• Put on and take off the shoes only when they are unfastened, never "ease your shoes off with your feet".
• Use laces, fastening strips, etc. to secure the shoes properly to your feet. If the shoes are poorly secured, the result may be excessive wear of lining, insoles or heels.
• Insert the shoe trees into your shoes after taking them off.
• Alternate footwear often, especially in wet weather.
• Please note that by using the same shoes every day, their lifespan shortens accordingly. The footwear warranty does not mean the footwear lifespan.
• The shoes must be properly dried out and aired out after use (removable insoles must be removed). The inside of the shoes gets damp due to sweating even when worn for a short period of time. You should wear an insole only at the beginning when you are new to barefoot shoes and during winter months, otherwise to achieve the best barefoot walking experience, you should remove it.
• Using inadequately dried out shoes contributes to their excessive wear and tear (especially of insole and lining).
• Avoid soaking to prevent damage to the footwear finish and deformation of its shape.
• Sanding materials used for winter road maintenance have a very adverse impact on the footwear appearance. Aggressive chemicals present in sanding materials affect the texture of materials, lead to appearance of light patches and disintegration of finish of vamp materials. Remove snow and moisture from the shoes and apply a shoe cream afterwards. Important notice – you cannot submit a complaint about the shoes that have been damaged as described above.
• The insole can colour bleed when there is excessive sweating or the footwear gets damp. Deep and dark shades of sanded leather hides (e. g. red or blue) can also bleed colour to some extent.
• Deep and pastel colours of upper materials can get lighter over time. The colour change can be reduced by regular maintenance using a suitable shoe cream.
• White materials can get slightly yellow over time.
• Impregnate and treat the shoes with appropriate shoe care products before the first use.
• Do not use any solvents or other aggressive substances for footwear care.
• No footwear is indefinitely moisture resistant – impregnation only increases its resistance to water (rain, snow).
• All sewn seams and perforations disrupt the material integrity contributing to limited footwear resistance to water.
• Insert newspapers into the soaked shoes and slowly dry out away from the source of heat.
• Do not wash any shoes in the washing machine and do not dry them in the tumble drier. You can considerably reduce their function and lifespan.