We feel very strongly about shoe care here at The Hand and so this Festive Season, we recommended giving the gift of caring by bestowing upon a loved one a present from our selection of shoe care accessories and products. After all, given the amount of labour intensive hours that go into making a fine pair of shoes, it’s only right that they’re looked after properly. In doing so, you’ll greatly increase the life of your shoes (and also gain some needed respite from a stressful day at work or home as it’s remarkably therapeutic) and their inherent value will only grow.
So, here are some gift ideas for the shoe connoisseur for your consideration.
1. Bresciani Knee-high Sock | Navy | Organic Cotton
Socks are one of the all-time great stocking fillers (along with chocolate and a good book). You can never have enough of them, too, and we’ve always looked to the esteemed Italian sock-specialist Bresciani, which was founded in 1970 and is lauded for its high quality construction. We have many colours and patterns to choose from, but you can never go wrong with navy as it pairs effortlessly well with brown and black shoes.
2. Turms Complete Shoe Care Kit for Suede
Founded in 1962, Turms is a world-leading, family-owned shoe care company from Italy. With a wide-range of products – from creams and polishes to shoe horns and brushes – a great introduction to the brand is via its shoe care kit, seen here for suede shoes. This kit includes a wild boar bristle brush, natural shampoo, sponge, rubber brush, suede protector and a travel-friendly shoe horn. What more could you need?
3. Edward Green Custom Shoe Trees
The eighth deadly sin they say is not using shoe trees after a long day of wearing your handmade shoes. That might be a slight exaggeration, but hopefully you get the point! These are from Edward Green and by using them they’ll dry out the linings and leathers, which prevents them from rotting and therefore prolongs their life. Not only that, but they’ll also help your shoes keep their shape. (We also have shoe trees from Gaziano & Girling, Norman Vilalta and Turms.)
4. Edward Green Belt | Country Calf | Rosewood
Every premium shoemaker should also offer a range of belts given the amount of excess leather that circulates their workshop. Furthermore, given the level of quality of leather used by our favourite shoemakers, we would go as far as saying that one should buy belts from top-end craft brands. Take for example, Edward Green, the English shoemaker that’s lauded for its range of beautifully tanned, supple and textured leathers sourced from French tanneries. Pictured here is the country calf belt in rosewood leather – it’s stunning.
5. Turms Leather Shoe Cream | Neutral
Before you even think about polishing your shoes, you need to apply layers (up to three is advised) of shoe cream as it’s the baselayer that allows the magic to unfold. It nourishes and protects the leather by restoring it with those vital minerals and, in turn, keeps it soft and comfortable. Finally, it enhances the leather and allows the polish to shine bright and sign. You can’t go wrong with Turms shoe cream in our book.
Discover our Gift Ideas here and explore our Seasonal Picks here.
