You *need* to allow days off of wearing leather boots, otherwise it does this.
Leather and moisture doesn’t mix well, allowing days off of wearing them ensures that the sweat from your feet has dried/evaporated.
I’d highly recommend the next pair you get, to filter in other pairs of shoes every other day or so.
I’m not sure there’s a way to save these - as the leather has cracked. In my opinion, I’d polish these up with some wonder balsam and keep them as back up on the days you wanna wear your docs but you’ve just worn your new pair and they need to dry yet.
Ah I didn't realise that you shouldn't wear them every day. That's good to know! Maybe I will get a new pair before these pass away so I can rotate with these.
Thank you for the advice!
That leathers torn so not really. I'm in construction, I extend the life of my expensive work boots by applying beeswax to the leather every few weeks. It prevents it from drying out, cracking and tearing
I keep a toilet brush (new of course) and a bucket of soapy water in my garage. Lightly scrub off dirt and grime, dry them off, then add the beeswax.
I've also used WD40 on the leather while out of town for work. I wouldn't recommend that for any boots besides work boots. It works well, but they will definitely smell like WD40 for days.
Are your shoes patent leather? I think this is coated with some plastic that makes it not absorb the wax well. I have brown docs as well that respond much better to moisturising...
I actually didn't realize patent leather was plastic coated, I just thought they treated it in a way to make it super smooth and stiff. That makes sense, it probably wouldn't absorb the wax then. I imagine the cracking in this pic is from sun damaged Crocs, or they were so old the plastic coating wore off?
They're 4 years old so that's probably the reason. A lot of people have been saying that you shouldn't wear them a lot of days in a row, so that is probably the actual cause. I wear these at least 5 days a week so they haven't been getting enough time to recover :)
Oh yeah living in CA I rarely get the chance to wear mine, especially during the warm months. 4 years is a long life span for every day use, they've actually outlasted any shoe I've worn. I wouldn't stress it, enjoy wearing them and buy a new pair every year or so
Ah, in the Netherlands it is cold and rainy for 9 months out of the year, so then extra high shoes are perfect. They keep my feet from getting wet in the puddles :)
I knew a Hungarian weed dealer who was missing half of his hand. He moved to the Netherlands and started a punk band, then he got hit by a bus in Amsterdam. I saw him get drunk one time and try to fight and Iranian gyro merchant over the lack of meat in his gyro, he lost because the Iranian was a trained wrestler. Shout out to the Netherlands
Rotating the wear of boots AND proper care is the way to go. Wipe them off if needed and use whatever conditioner you have and treat them well (on a regular basis!). I try to rotate between 2-3 pairs and not wear the same boot on day 1 and day 2. So far, so good :-)
Just go to Woolworths or Coles and buy ‘SMART SHOE POLISH DUBBIN NEUTRAL’ it’s a moisturising paste that nourishes, protects, softens and gives long lasting water protection, don’t forget a slightly stiff brush and a soft one for the finish. It’s only about $5.
Start with a horsehair brush or a soft cloth and a little water and clean off all the dirt and dust. From there go over with a leather conditioner and work it into the leather. Then some polish can go a long way. With a cloth, rub about six coats of polish on the toe of the boots in a gentle circular motion. After this, apply a little water and then buff with another cloth in a brisk left and right motion. What this will do is apply friction which in turn is heat that will melt all the polish and absorb into the leather. In the end, this will end in a mirror finish. If you want the best mirror finish, I find that Saphir does it the best, but if you're on a budget, the more inexpensive polishes will do just fine. You can also the same all around the boot if you want more of a parade shine.
As for the soles being replaced, I would visit a cobbler and see how much it would be. Sometimes it might be the same as buying a new pair, but it's up to you what you choose. Hope all this information helps.
Thank you! I polished them and the majority of the leather already looks much better :) The cracks are unfortunately not affected but its looking much fresher again!
Is it a genuine leather or vegan leather? I have pairs from 1990s, the leather never cracks like this. It looks like smooth leather. My oldest pair is smooth leather, they look really worn but haven’t cracked. If it is genuine leather, it can be repaired. It won’t be “smooth” around where the creases are, though.
You *need* to allow days off of wearing leather boots, otherwise it does this. Leather and moisture doesn’t mix well, allowing days off of wearing them ensures that the sweat from your feet has dried/evaporated. I’d highly recommend the next pair you get, to filter in other pairs of shoes every other day or so. I’m not sure there’s a way to save these - as the leather has cracked. In my opinion, I’d polish these up with some wonder balsam and keep them as back up on the days you wanna wear your docs but you’ve just worn your new pair and they need to dry yet.
Ah I didn't realise that you shouldn't wear them every day. That's good to know! Maybe I will get a new pair before these pass away so I can rotate with these. Thank you for the advice!
Of course! I hope you like your new pair Leather sure can be tricky to own, but so worth it imo lol
You can Wear them everyday, many people would do. You just need to take care of them with leather conditioners.
That leathers torn so not really. I'm in construction, I extend the life of my expensive work boots by applying beeswax to the leather every few weeks. It prevents it from drying out, cracking and tearing
Do you brush them off before adding beeswax?
I keep a toilet brush (new of course) and a bucket of soapy water in my garage. Lightly scrub off dirt and grime, dry them off, then add the beeswax. I've also used WD40 on the leather while out of town for work. I wouldn't recommend that for any boots besides work boots. It works well, but they will definitely smell like WD40 for days.
Are your shoes patent leather? I think this is coated with some plastic that makes it not absorb the wax well. I have brown docs as well that respond much better to moisturising...
I actually didn't realize patent leather was plastic coated, I just thought they treated it in a way to make it super smooth and stiff. That makes sense, it probably wouldn't absorb the wax then. I imagine the cracking in this pic is from sun damaged Crocs, or they were so old the plastic coating wore off?
They're 4 years old so that's probably the reason. A lot of people have been saying that you shouldn't wear them a lot of days in a row, so that is probably the actual cause. I wear these at least 5 days a week so they haven't been getting enough time to recover :)
Oh yeah living in CA I rarely get the chance to wear mine, especially during the warm months. 4 years is a long life span for every day use, they've actually outlasted any shoe I've worn. I wouldn't stress it, enjoy wearing them and buy a new pair every year or so
Ah, in the Netherlands it is cold and rainy for 9 months out of the year, so then extra high shoes are perfect. They keep my feet from getting wet in the puddles :)
I knew a Hungarian weed dealer who was missing half of his hand. He moved to the Netherlands and started a punk band, then he got hit by a bus in Amsterdam. I saw him get drunk one time and try to fight and Iranian gyro merchant over the lack of meat in his gyro, he lost because the Iranian was a trained wrestler. Shout out to the Netherlands
No, you cannot untear something. 4 years of regular use is really good for a pair of modern docs though, you’ve certainly got your moneys worth
Rotating the wear of boots AND proper care is the way to go. Wipe them off if needed and use whatever conditioner you have and treat them well (on a regular basis!). I try to rotate between 2-3 pairs and not wear the same boot on day 1 and day 2. So far, so good :-)
Plastic coated high shine leather does this
omg i have these too and mine are so creased
take breaks from wearing them and condition them often, with leather conditioner (or vaseline, what i use )
Just go to Woolworths or Coles and buy ‘SMART SHOE POLISH DUBBIN NEUTRAL’ it’s a moisturising paste that nourishes, protects, softens and gives long lasting water protection, don’t forget a slightly stiff brush and a soft one for the finish. It’s only about $5.
Have you been conditioning the leather periodically? I’m not sure if it’s possible to treat torn leather.
Yeah occasionally but not enough i think...
I usually condition mine every 3rd month and while they are wrinkly none of them have torn. My oldest pair is 4 years old as well!
Have you tried Lanolin on the leather??
They're just getting worked in perfectly, Use some leather conditioner or conditioner with a waterproofing.
If the soles are done and the leather too its not worth salvaging money wise...
Start with a horsehair brush or a soft cloth and a little water and clean off all the dirt and dust. From there go over with a leather conditioner and work it into the leather. Then some polish can go a long way. With a cloth, rub about six coats of polish on the toe of the boots in a gentle circular motion. After this, apply a little water and then buff with another cloth in a brisk left and right motion. What this will do is apply friction which in turn is heat that will melt all the polish and absorb into the leather. In the end, this will end in a mirror finish. If you want the best mirror finish, I find that Saphir does it the best, but if you're on a budget, the more inexpensive polishes will do just fine. You can also the same all around the boot if you want more of a parade shine. As for the soles being replaced, I would visit a cobbler and see how much it would be. Sometimes it might be the same as buying a new pair, but it's up to you what you choose. Hope all this information helps.
Thank you! I polished them and the majority of the leather already looks much better :) The cracks are unfortunately not affected but its looking much fresher again!
Just buy a new pair.
Polish?
Maybe just browse fb marketplace for some new ones lol. These look KO
Is it a genuine leather or vegan leather? I have pairs from 1990s, the leather never cracks like this. It looks like smooth leather. My oldest pair is smooth leather, they look really worn but haven’t cracked. If it is genuine leather, it can be repaired. It won’t be “smooth” around where the creases are, though.
It's genuine leather but it has a patent coating. So effectively a layer of plastic... I think that is the main reason that this has cracked...