You may have noticed we were giving away Angelus Shoe Trees last month. While this is a relatively simple shoe care accessory, to the point that you might skip getting a pair, it’s definitely the MVP if you really cherish your footwear collection.
So let’s talk about the necessities for keeping your footwear nice. Back in the day, every person who owned a decent pair of shoes also owned a shoe horn and some kind of leather conditioner. These items were necessary if you wanted to keep your shoes, which were probably leather, for a long time. Of course, people have more than one pair of shoes now and they’re made from different materials. While you should still keep some kind of conditioner, water repellent, and cleaner on deck, you can probably do away with the shoe horn. There are other ways to keep your sneakers in good shape—shoe trees.
One of the most important items to use when it comes to shoe care is a shoe tree. These have been around a long time, and for a good reason. A shoe tree is a much needed item that doesn’t get as much notice as it should. Essentially, shoe trees are all about maintaining the integrity of whatever you’re wearing on your feet—be it sneakers, boots, dress shoes, and so on (not sandals though, for obvious reason).
As you may have noticed, the size of your sneaker changes over time. If you wear a pair often, they’re going to get stretched out as the lining slowly breaks down. This isn’t a rapid thing, but having a shoe tree inside when they’re not being worn helps maintain the toe box so it doesn’t crease or indent.
The other way sneakers change, and this might sound strange, is they get smaller. That’s real, smaller! Basically, if leather isn’t actively used it will tighten up; if your shoes are leather, they’ll do the same. This is big for all you for collectors out there. You might be sitting on some heat, but they could get tighter over time. To combat this, you would need to either wear them, condition your leather shoes to the leather supple, or pop in a pair of adjustable Angelus Shoe Trees and maintain the correct size.
Angelus Shoe Trees were made with sneakerheads in mind. When they’re not keeping your sneakers in shape, they’re a great tool to have on hand when customizing, painting, or restoring. So if you haven’t done so yet, get a pair. Your sneakers will thank you!