THE UNSUNG HERO OF SNEAKER CARE

THE BENEFITS OF USING SHOE TREES AND WHY EVERY SERIOUS SNEAKER DESERVES ONE

A SHOE TREE IS THE SINGLE MOST EFFECTIVE THING YOU CAN DO FOR THE LONG TERM CONDITION OF A LEATHER SNEAKER. MORE EFFECTIVE THAN POLISHING. MORE EFFECTIVE THAN WATERPROOFING. MORE EFFECTIVE THAN ANY PRODUCT APPLIED TO THE SURFACE. AND YET IT IS THE MOST COMMONLY NEGLECTED ELEMENT OF SNEAKER CARE.

WHAT A SHOE TREE DOES

LEATHER ABSORBS MOISTURE DURING WEAR. FOOT PERSPIRATION, AMBIENT HUMIDITY AND CONTACT WITH DAMP SURFACES ALL ENTER THE LEATHER. AS THAT MOISTURE DRIES, THE LEATHER CONTRACTS. WITHOUT SUPPORT, IT CONTRACTS UNEVENLY, CREATING PERMANENT CREASES AT THE TOE BOX AND ACROSS THE VAMP WHILE THE HEEL COUNTER LOSES ITS SHAPE.

THE DAMAGE IS GRADUAL AND INVISIBLE AT FIRST. IDENTIFIABLE AT SIX MONTHS. IRREVERSIBLE BY TWO YEARS. THE FORM OF THE SNEAKER IS COMPROMISED LONG BEFORE THE LEATHER ITSELF FAILS.

A CEDAR SHOE TREE INSERTED IMMEDIATELY AFTER WEARING HOLDS THE SNEAKER IN ITS CORRECT SHAPE WHILE THE MOISTURE DRIES. THE CEDAR ABSORBS MOISTURE ACTIVELY, ACCELERATING THE DRYING PROCESS. THE SPRING TENSION OF THE TREE MAINTAINS THE LENGTH AND WIDTH OF THE SNEAKER, COUNTERACTING THE CONTRACTION THAT WOULD OTHERWISE CAUSE PERMANENT CREASING.

THE RESULT IS A SNEAKER THAT RETAINS ITS SHAPE ACROSS YEARS OF WEAR RATHER THAN COLLAPSING INTO AN APPROXIMATION OF ITS ORIGINAL FORM.

CEDAR VERSUS PLASTIC

CEDAR IS THE CORRECT MATERIAL FOR A SHOE TREE. IT IS NATURALLY HYGROSCOPIC, IT ABSORBS MOISTURE FROM THE AIR AND FROM THE LEATHER DIRECTLY. IT RELEASES THE MOISTURE GRADUALLY AS CONDITIONS CHANGE. IT ALSO CARRIES NATURAL OILS THAT INHIBIT THE GROWTH OF BACTERIA AND REDUCE ODOUR WITHOUT CHEMICAL TREATMENT. A CEDAR TREE THAT HAS ABSORBED MOISTURE CAN BE LIGHTLY SANDED TO REFRESH ITS SURFACE AND RESTORE ITS HYGROSCOPIC PROPERTIES.

PLASTIC SHOE TREES MAINTAIN SHAPE BUT DO NOT ABSORB MOISTURE. THEY ARE BETTER THAN NOTHING FOR PRESERVING FORM BUT CANNOT PERFORM THE DRYING FUNCTION THAT MAKES CEDAR THE SUPERIOR CHOICE.

THE HABIT THAT PROTECTS THE INVESTMENT

INSERT THE TREE AS SOON AS THE SNEAKER COMES OFF. LEAVE IT FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS OR UNTIL THE NEXT WEARING. THIS SINGLE HABIT, APPLIED CONSISTENTLY, EXTENDS THE USABLE LIFE OF A LEATHER SNEAKER BY YEARS. FOR A HANDMADE SNEAKER BUILT TO LAST DECADES, IT IS NOT OPTIONAL MAINTENANCE. IT IS HOW THE SNEAKER IS MEANT TO BE KEPT.

EVERY PAIR OF 1812 SNEAKERS IS SUPPLIED WITH CEDAR SHOE TREES. THEY ARE NOT AN ACCESSORY. THEY ARE PART OF THE SNEAKER.