The Taft Blog

We get dozens of emails a day and many of them revolve around shoe care.....how do I clean my shoes? How do I condition the leather? How do I lace my boots correctly? Over the last 18 months, we have seen many examples of great shoe care...AND really bad shoe care. We combed through our emails and put together a list of ten simple things that will help prolong the life of your shoes and keep them looking fresher, longer. 

1. Avoid wearing leather-soled shoes in the rain

Leather is not meant to be worn in wet weather. It will become soft and easily damaged when it is saturated with water. Leather is porous and takes on water...and when it does, it can be damaged if you aren't careful. If you know it will be rainy, choose some rubber-soled boots that can handle the moisture. If you get caught in an unexpected rainstorm, hustle home and dry out your shoes. Don't put them by any heat source...just let them dry out naturally and insert shoe trees once you can. This will help prevent the leather from drying too quickly and cracking. 

Here's what happens if you wear your leather soles out in the rain and rough them up a bit...

2. Unlace your shoes when putting them on or off

Laces are there for a reason. Shoes are not meant to be forced on or off. It can create unnatural amounts of stress and tension on the leather and stitching and can lead to problems. Try to unlace your shoes whenever you are putting them on or taking them off...it only takes a few seconds but your shoes will thank you. 

3. If you wear through soles, get rubber taps inserted. This will prolong the life of your sole

If you know you wear through soles really quickly due to your gait or your commute, consider getting rubber placed on the bottom of your soles. This quick $20 fix will buy you some extra runway before your next resole. 

4. Take care of salt stains as quickly as possible

Salt stains are unavoidable if you live in a cold, snowy area with harsh winters. The salt in snowmelt can create white stains on your shoes and will quickly dry out leather. If you notice salty water on your boots, wipe it off right away to avoid salt stains. If you already have salt stains, it's a quick, simple fix. Wipe down your shoes/boots with a cloth and let dry. A quick diluted vinegar solution (two parts water, one part vinegar) will do the trick. Just get some of this solution on a rag, wipe them down, and let dry. The salt stains will be gone. Then be sure to clean, condition, and polish. 

5. Don’t ever use external heat sources to dry or heat the shoes. Leather WILL crack

Leather is just like our skin....if you get it wet, dry, and repeat, your skin will get dry and crack. Ever notice how your skin or lips are more dry in the winter time? Avoid drying leather by external heat sources (placing them by a fire, furnace, or heater to dry them out). This WILL damage the leather and cause the shoes to crack over time. If your shoes get wet, insert some newspaper to soak up some of the moisture and let them dry naturally at room temperature. Rapid swings in temperature are not healthy for leather. 

Here's an example of drying your shoes TOO quickly...

6. Shoe trees - use them!

No real cons or arguments against using shoe trees. There are noticeable, tangible benefits to using shoe trees in all of your shoes. They will help maintain the shape, avoid funky smells and bacteria build up, and avoid creasing. Invest in a pair of shoe trees and use them between each wear. (Plus, the cedar will make your closet smell nice!)

7. Any leather shoe should rest for 24 hours (with shoe trees) between every wear

We are humbled to hear that people wear their Taft shoes every day of the week, but it isn't encouraged. Quality leather shoes and boots need to rest in between each wear. After you wear shoes, they should rest for at least 24 hours (use shoe trees!). This will greatly extend the lifetime of your shoes. Wearing the same pair can damage the leather and severely shorten the lifetime of that pair. This is where the term "shoe rotation" comes from....you need to rotate between a fair pairs to keep them all in good condition. 

8. Keep the leather clean and conditioned (condition every few months to keep the leather fresh)

Most people know about the importance of polishing. Polishing leather helps to make them look shiny and nice. However, more important than polishing is conditioning. Polishing is nice for aesthetics....conditioning is important for the health of the leather. Condition your leather shoes/boots every few months to keep the leather moisturized and looking good. (Lexol is our favorite conditioner)

9. Use two hands to put them on and take them off

It's simple and doesn't take much effort, but it's important. Use one hand to open up the tongue of the shoe and the other to open up the heel. This will avoid any unnecessary stress on the shoe. 

10. If they get wet, try to dry them as soon as possible. Don’t let water sit and dry on your shoes.

Leather and water don't mix. Whenever possible, a quick wipe down to remove surface moisture will do wonders for the durability of your shoes. It can be a napkin, a rag, a paper towel....anything to just get the standing water off your shoes before it is absorbed into the leather. 

These are ten quick, simple, painless (and mostly free) tips to help keep your shoes looking great. When you spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of shoes, it's important to put in some work to keep them fresh and help them look their best. A little bit of care goes a long way. 

One of the most common shoe care questions we get this time of year is, “how do I get these white stains out of my leather shoes?” We have a couple useful suggestions on how to get your shoes back in ship shape, but first it’s important to understand why salt stains happen in the first place.

Most people think salt stains are a result of just walking on salted roads in the winter time, but there’s more to it than that. Salt is used in the tanning process of most leathers, so when the shoe gets soaked, any internal salt rises to the top of the leather and can cause the leather to bubble and create salt stains. It’s important to understand this because it’s not just about removing the stain, but also about conditioning the leather and trying to avoid extremely wet conditions. All that being said, here’s our quick-list for getting a handle on salt stains. 

1. Mix two parts water with one part vinegar and use it to dampen a clean cloth. Gently rub the stains with the cloth until lifted. You may need to repeat the process multiple times but in most cases, this will be enough to remove the stains. For persistent stains, a designated Salt Stain remover may be necessary. If all else fails, try taking your shoes to a local cobbler - they’ll likely have access to a wider variety of materials.
2. Once the stains are removed, it’s crucial to condition and polish the shoes. Salt sucks the moisture out of leather, so making sure they get the treatment they need is important. Using a conditioning oil, leather lotion, or conditioning cream will ensure your shoes keep looking their best. Follow it up with the polish of your choice and you’ll be set.  

A couple tips:

Try not to let the salt stains really set in - the sooner you can remove them, the better. If you have been out in rainy or snowy conditions, try wiping down the boots with a damp cloth once you arrive at home. If you want to really hit a homerun, use shoe trees as well...moisture can cause the shape of leather to warp. Shoe trees will make sure the structure and shape of your shoe is unaffected. 

Whenever possible, avoid wearing your leather shoes in extremely wet conditions. Our shoes can stand up to the elements, but they are not winter boots. Any leather-soled shoe will be vulnerable when wet. If you’re going to be in a downpour, spare your leather shoes and opt for a pair of rain boots. Rubber soles are best in wet conditions. 

Leather soles are porous and will absorb water. When they are wet, the leather becomes softer and more prone to being damaged. If you are stuck out in the rain in leather-soled shoes, try to be as gentle as possible. It is very easy to damage your soles when they are wet and soft. 

Of all the things we look for in a great pair of shoes, one of the top concerns is durability. One of the questions we're asked the most at Taft is, "how do your shoes stand up to the elements? I'm worried about how wool and suede will do in the rain and snow."

Designing unique shoes is a priority for us, which often means using lesser-utilized textiles and materials. While this has it's obvious perks, many are unsure how to best care for their shoes. Wool and suede are much more resilient than people think, but we wanted to put it to the test. To show just how durable they are, we left them out in a snowstorm for 48 hours. 

We used a pair of Troy boots and Jack boots, both of which already had a year's worth of heavy wear. We tossed them out in the snow and let Mother Nature have at 'em. 

After 48 hours, the weather had done a pretty good number on the boots. We had a hard time finding them under all the snow and when we did, they were completely waterlogged. The wool, the leather, the soles, everything was drenched, and the shoes were looking pretty sad. 

These boots were soaked and saturated with water....when I squeezed the leather, water would rise up to the surface. 

After removing all the excess snow, we brought the shoes inside to dry out. Remember, these shoes have been worn very very heavily for the past year without any treatment. 

We let the shoes do some preliminary drying, they were so soaked that we had to prop them up at an angle so water could drain out of them. It took several days, but once they were slightly damp, we put shoe trees in each pair of boots to help get the shape back. Once they were completely dry, we set to work polishing them both up.

Here's what we used for the Troy boot:

And here's what we used for the Jack boot:

After using the suede eraser and brush to remove any scuffs from the Troy boot, we taped off the toe to prep it for polishing. For the Jack boot we (super lightly) brushed the wool before taping. 

Painter's tape is ideal here because it isn't too sticky and won't harm the wool or suede. It provides the perfect barrier to ensure the polish stays on the toe cap. 

Before using any polish, we conditioned the toe caps with saddle soap. When boots have been wet for a significant period of time, it's really important to nourish the leather (including leather soles) to prevent any cracking or long-term damage. Saddle soap is basically moisturizer for shoes - you don't need too much, a little goes a long way. 

Once the saddle soap had time to set in, we got to work polishing. 

It wasn't long before the boots really came back to life. 

 When everything was said and done, we couldn't be more proud with how they turned out. (Ignore the indigo fades on my Troys, I personally love them but know they're not for everyone. Remember, these guys both have a year's wear on them with no prior polishing, conditioning, or use of shoe trees)

Without any prior treatment or protection the wool, suede and leather held up remarkably well to the elements. Seeing how well they stand up to such intense treatment (and a full year of wear and tear) should also give you a good idea of just how durable they are with day-to-day wear (hint: super durable). They needed a little love after being left in such extreme conditions, but the brushing and polishing was done in a matter of minutes and the results were really impressive. Despite the refined look of the boots, they were truly built to last. 

-Kory

We are looking for the best and brightest people to communicate with our customers. We do our best to treat them like family and we need you to do the same. We need someone who grasps just how important this role is. One negative experience can deter potential customers, while one positive one can make a life-long brand-advocate. We don’t want this role to be seen as menial or low-level, we cannot stress this enough - customer service is the heart of our business. Your performance directly affects the growth of Taft. This is often the first experience a potential customer will have with Taft and every single word is important. There is no higher compliment we can pay than to allow someone to interact with our customers - we love and respect them, and we want you to as well. 

Compensation starting at $11.00 per hour

If you are looking to join the Taft team, please send your resume and a brief introduction to support@taftclothing.com. 

When searching for the right manufacturing partner, my top priorities were the quality of the product they produced and also the working conditions within the factory. After sampling and visiting a number of factories, I eventually found our current partner in Almansa, Spain. The shoemaking quality is top notch (literally....they make shoes for some VERY expensive and well-known brands) and the working conditions are very, very good. I want to share some of my observations and some of the details about life in the factory. These things are very important to me and hopefully very important to you too. 

Our factory has been family-owned and operated for many, many years. The owners are on the factory floor every day and very involved in the daily operations. Everyone knows all the names of the other workers. They joke, they laugh, they drink coffee together, and they listen to American pop music together. The factory is a very happy, productive place with good lighting, comfortable temperatures, and great equipment to produce the best shoes. I have personally spent many, many hours studying shoemaking and learning about our shoes and have never felt uncomfortable. In the summer time, there is air conditioning. In the winter time, there is heating. The people are happy and enjoy what they do...and it shows in the shoes we produce. 

 Daily Schedule at the Factory 

We produce top quality shoes and offer them at the lowest price possible. Our labor and materials are very expensive, but these are some of the best shoemakers in Europe (and the world) and we are lucky to work with them. I have found that there are two types of factories in the world - those that have "workers" and those that have "artists." I am grateful to have a manufacturing partner that is fully of craftsmen doing what they loves .... it truly results in a better product. 

-Kory

(Please note: We WILL be restocking previous styles....these are just the new ones to look forward to.)

The Rome Boot

The Jack Boot in grey/brown

The Troy Boot in olive

The Troy Boot in black/gold

(Yes...that is gold leather lining)

The Mack Boot in sand

The Outback Boot in ash

The Outback Boot in taupe

The Mack Boot in espresso

The Rook in cherry

The Rook in grey

The Calder in black

The Beck in Cherry

The Kennedy in Sand

If you want a glimpse into our factory, check this out...

A note from Kory:

I am very proud of the new styles that we have coming. I work very hard to design unique shoes and I feel like we have some really killer shoes in this mix. The quality is always getting better and better, and these shoes are even better than our previous styles. We are introducing a new last (The London last) with the Outback boot. It's a bit more rounded and designed for comfort. The Jude Boot and the Outback Boot are made on different lasts and will give a bit different look. The London last is not as aggressive and is built for comfort, where the Jude Boot (Bristol last) is a high fashion, aggressive silhouette. We are also introducing a crepe sole. This is an extremely comfortable type of sole. We sourced a brown estate (specific type of crepe sole) sole unit in a few different colors. Very comfortable, very durable, and looks great. 

I am most excited about the Rome Boot. This is a style I have been working on for a while and finally feel like it is ready. I sourced a beautiful, milled Italian leather for the upper to give it that texture. It takes three different coats of paint (video coming!!) to get that richness in the leather. It really is a work of art and I feel very proud of this boot. I am also really excited about the Outback Boot in grey...you will find me wearing that boot every day with a pair of slim selvedge denim jeans and a flannel shirt this Fall. 

It has been an amazing, overwhelming, exciting first year for Taft. I launched our shoes last November and the reception has been amazing. I felt a lot of pressure to follow up our first releases with something really special, and I feel like we did it. Thank you all so much for the love, support, and excitement about Taft. Going the direct-to-consumer route has its challenges, but it is paying off. We can offer you top, top quality at a beautiful price point. This is a brand I have built for the people...I want everyone to have access to top quality. Thank you for an amazing year and here's to many more to come!

With love and gratitude, 

Kory

In March we flew out 6 of our favorite bloggers to celebrate the launch of our Spring collection. When we first imagined Taft Weekend, we knew we wanted everybody to stay in the same home, all of us under one roof. Thanks to HomeAway, our vision worked out wonderfully and we all stayed under one (beautiful) roof in Park City, Utah. The neighborhood was quiet, and the home had all the amenities we needed. Housing that many people in one place while making sure everyone could have their own space was no small task and HomeAway met it with ease. When we were lounging around the house,we spent the weekend eating delicious food, breathing mountain air, and strolling around Main Street. Our goal of the weekend was to get some honest feedback on the shoes from a group who really knows their stuff. Everybody wore Taft all weekend long and the reviews couldn't have been better. Here's a little recap of what our weekend looked like..

The following is a guest post from Brett Poschmann of The Poshman Blog. Brett was not paid to endorse any Taft product and the views expressed in this post are solely his. 

The first product I ever received from Taft was a pair of their no-show socks. This was about a year ago and they have become my go-to no-show sock during the warmer months. The sticky inserts in the heel make sure that they won't fall off the back of your heel (the biggest problem when wearing no-shows). So when I heard that Taft was creating a shoe line I was naturally excited. 

Ever since Taft released the new shoe line I have been dying to get my hands on a pair. The boots and shoes are really affordable because they cut out the middle man. No distributor, no big box mark ups mean that they can keep the pricing affordable. I picked the Jude boot because I haven't really seen anything else like it. I've been wanting suede Chelsea boots forever and these tick all the boxes. The contrasting elastic looks great against the beige suede, 100% would pick them again. 

My biggest apprehension was the colour. Now I'm not a messy guy but I have been known to spill a coffee here and there. Sooooo, I made sure that before I took my Judes out on the town that I protected them. I use Jason Markk to protect my shoes and it works pretty well. Just cover it in a coat, let it dry and repeat 2 more times to create a good barrier around the boot or shoe. With suede or any light-coloured shoes it is very important to protect them if you want them to last. 

The first time I slipped these bad boys on they were a little snug on my fairly wide feet. After walking in them for about 15 minutes the buttery suede had molded to my feet and the boots felt like I'd owned them for years. I decided to pair them with some light denim and my windowpane double-breasted jacket to create a slick look. You could easily pair these with dark denim or just about anything else in your wardrobe, they are very versatile. 

Hope you guys like this post, let me know in the comments section if you have any Taft products yourself and what you think!

-Brett

You can read more about Brett and his style on his blog at theposhman.ca and on his Instagram account @theposhman. 

Be sure to turn on the HD and full-screen this baby :)

TAFT Our Shoemaking Process from Taft Clothing on Vimeo  

We wanted to show you inside the factory a bit and share some of the wonderful people that make your shoes. This is a lifelong craft and we are lucky to have them. 

Let us know what you think in the comments section. Thanks for your support. 

-Kory

Thanks to the amazing response we have had to our shoe release and the Reddit article that was published about us, we have had a killer fourth quarter this year. We are still very new and small (yep, still just a one-man show) but we have had some amazing things happen. Because of this, we wanted to give back in whatever way we could. As a young father of two children, I understand the worry and concern of caring for children...especially at this time of year. We set aside some profits and decided to help a few families out with Christmas. 

A quick summary of the four families we were able to help with Christmas:

• A single mother of two beautiful little girls
• A young couple with a newborn baby in Chicago
• A family in Texas that just lost their workshop in a fire
• A single mother that works three jobs to care for her little babies

We overnighted four checks to each of these families on December 22nd to arrive in time to purchase some last minute gifts for their children. I have followed up with them to see what we were able to do with the money. Here is what that money was able to buy:

1. Seven sets of Christmas pajamas
2. Two LeapFrog educational tablets to help with spelling, vocabulary, and math
3. One RC truck (that can handle the Texas terrain)
4. Two Barbie dolls
5. A number of articles of clothing for both girls and boys
6. A much-needed accessory for a bassoon
7. A baby swing for the newborn
8. Stockings full of candy

We are so grateful for all of you that have made this possible. We love giving back and this year we were able to help brighten others' days because of your support. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you very much. 

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!

TAFT