the complete guide to shoe care and repair

THE ANDREW McDONALD JOURNAL

Fine shoes are an investment. With the right care, they will outlast trends, outlast lesser footwear, and improve with age. Here is everything you need to know.

By Andrew McDonald  ·  Master Shoemaker, Sydney

SOLE PROTECTION

There is a simple question every owner of quality shoes should ask the moment they leave the workshop or shop floor: have I protected the sole? Leather soles, for all their beauty, are vulnerable. Within the first few wears on city pavements they begin to wear in a way that is difficult — and expensive — to reverse.

A Topy rubber sole protector is the professional answer. Topy is the world's leading brand of rubber sole reinforcement, trusted by master cobblers and shoemakers worldwide, including in our Sydney workshop. It is a thin, precisely cut rubber layer bonded to the bottom of the leather sole, virtually invisible from the side, that absorbs the wear that would otherwise diminish your shoe.

— Andrew McDonald

What a Topy Sole Does

–    Protects the leather sole from pavement abrasion and moisture

–    Adds grip on wet or polished surfaces — particularly important in Sydney's unpredictable weather

–    Extends the usable life of the sole significantly, deferring costly resoles

–    Preserves the value of bespoke and high-quality ready-to-wear footwear

–    Virtually undetectable when professionally applied

What to Expect from the Application

The process takes around 24 hours in our workshop. The sole is cleaned, prepared, and the Topy is bonded and trimmed to the exact profile of your shoe. When done correctly, you should not be able to tell it is there from the side — only feel the added confidence underfoot.

Topy Sole vs Full Resole — Which Do You Need?

A Topy sole is a preventative measure. If your sole is already heavily worn through to the welt or insole, a full resole is required. Think of the Topy as an annual service — done early, it removes the need for major surgery later. For bespoke shoes where the original sole construction is part of the shoe's character, protecting it with a Topy from the outset is strongly recommended.

II

LEATHER CARE

Leather is skin. It breathes, it absorbs, it responds to its environment. In Sydney's climate — humid summers, dry winters, salt air near the harbour — leather shoes face a particular set of challenges. A consistent care routine keeps them supple, maintains their colour, and prevents the cracking and drying that prematurely ages even the finest calfskin.

The Core Routine

Good leather care requires only a few products and fifteen minutes. The habit is more important than any single product.

–    Brush off surface dirt after every wear with a soft horsehair brush — this prevents particles from embedding into the leather grain

–    Clean with a leather cleaner every few wears to lift salt, moisture and grime — we recommend Saphir Renomat for deeper cleans on quality leather

–    Condition with a leather cream monthly — Saphir Renovateur is the gold standard, feeding the leather with mink oil and lanolin

–    Polish for protection and shine — a quality wax polish adds a layer of protection against moisture and scuffing. Apply in circular motions, allow to dry, then buff

–    Allow to dry naturally — never place wet leather shoes near a heat source; stuff with newspaper or cedar shoe trees and allow to dry at room temperature

— Andrew McDonald

Products We Use and Recommend

In our Sydney workshop, we work exclusively with Saphir products — the professional standard used by the world's finest shoemakers and cobblers. The range includes conditioners, polishes, creams, and specialist treatments for suede, nubuck, and exotic leathers. We stock a curated selection in our workshop for customers who want to maintain their shoes to the same standard we apply.

Dealing with Wet Shoes

Sydney rain can arrive without warning. When shoes get wet, remove the laces, insert cedar shoe trees immediately, and allow to dry away from direct heat for at least 24 hours. Once fully dry, apply conditioner — water draws moisture from the leather and drying without conditioning can lead to cracking, particularly around the toe box and flex point.

III

REPAIR

Every pair of quality shoes will eventually need a heel tip replaced or a full resole. This is not a sign of failure — it is the point at which great shoes distinguish themselves from lesser ones. A well-constructed shoe, built on a proper last with quality materials, can be resoled multiple times over its lifetime. This is precisely why the economics of bespoke and high-quality footwear make sense over time.

When to Replace Heel Tips

Heel tips — the small rubber or leather cap at the very bottom of the heel — are the fastest-wearing part of any shoe. Watch for these signs:

–    The tip is worn down flush with the heel stack

–    You can hear a metallic or hard clicking when walking — this means the tip is gone and the heel itself is on the ground

–    Uneven wear causing the heel to tilt

Replacing heel tips is inexpensive and takes under an hour in our workshop. Do not delay — once the tip wears through to the heel block, the repair becomes considerably more involved and costly.

Full Resole — What's Involved

A full resole involves removing the existing sole and replacing it with new leather, rubber, or a combination, reattached using the same construction method as the original shoe. For welted shoes — Goodyear, Blake, or hand-welted — this is a relatively clean process. For glued constructions it is more complex.

At our Sydney workshop, we assess each shoe individually. We discuss material options — whether to replace with leather sole (traditional, breathable, requires Topy protection), rubber (durable, grip-focused), or a half-rubber combination — and match the repair to the shoe's original character and your intended use.

— Andrew McDonald

Bespoke Shoes & Resoles

For bespoke shoes made in our workshop, we keep records of your last, sole specifications, and construction details. When the time comes for a resole, we can replicate the original as closely as possible, maintaining the character of the shoe you commissioned. This is one of the enduring advantages of working with a maker who knows your shoes from inception.

IV

STORAGE & MAINTENANCE

How you store your shoes when you are not wearing them determines as much of their longevity as how you care for them when you do. The single most important habit you can develop is using cedar shoe trees. They are not optional for quality footwear — they are essential.

Cedar Shoe Trees

Cedar shoe trees serve three functions simultaneously: they absorb moisture from perspiration after wearing, they hold the shoe's shape preventing creasing and collapse of the upper, and the cedar itself has a mild deodorising effect. Use them every time a shoe comes off your foot, ideally within an hour of removing the shoes while they are still warm.

–    Choose trees that fit snugly — too small and they provide no support, too large and they stretch the upper

–    Cedar trees are superior to plastic — they breathe and absorb, plastic simply holds shape

–    For bespoke shoes, a shoe tree made to your last is the ideal — we can provide these from our workshop

Rotation — The Most Underrated Habit

Leather needs 24 to 48 hours to fully dry and recover between wearings. Wearing the same pair every day breaks down the leather faster, compresses the insole, and accelerates sole wear. A rotation of three pairs worn across a week will last significantly longer than one pair worn daily. This is one of the most sound investments a well-dressed person can make.

Storage Environment

–    Avoid direct sunlight — UV fades leather and dries it out. Store in a cool, ventilated space

–    Avoid plastic bags or airtight boxes — leather needs to breathe. Use cotton dust bags or open shelving

–    Avoid humidity — in Sydney's summer, monitor for mould on shoes stored in closed wardrobes. A small moisture absorber in the cupboard helps

–    Store on shoe trees, not stacked — stacking crushes the toe box and heel counter

The Annual Service

We recommend bringing quality shoes to a professional cobbler at least once a year for a thorough inspection and service — checking the welt, heel tip condition, sole wear, and upper for any early signs of damage that are inexpensive to address now and costly to ignore. Think of it as a service for a fine watch or a motor car. The shoes that last a lifetime are the ones that are looked after consistently, not rescued occasionally.

Whether you need a Topy sole, a resole, heel tips, or a full bespoke commission — we are here.

Andrew McDonald has been caring for and crafting fine footwear in Sydney for decades.