Waterproof your shoes before wearing them.
Waterproofing sprays can be used on smooth leather, woven leather, embossed leather, buckskin, and textiles.

Never leave your shoes to dry near a heat source. If your FREE LANCE shoes get wet, do not leave them to dry near a heat or humidity source to preserve the color and material as the heat will harden the leather and make it brittle. Instead, insert a shoe tree and let them air dry. Shoe trees are a useful way of returning shoes to their original shape, reduce creasing, and encouraging moisture to evaporate.

Change your shoes daily. You should change your shoes daily so they can dry for at least 24 hours.

Avoid contact with alcoholic, greasy, or abrasive products, who might alter the leather quality.

To keep your shoes beautiful, it is important to take care of them.

Just like your skin, your shoes need frequent careful attention. With regular maintenance, shoes will keep their original appearance, be protected from moisture, and ensure your feet are beautifully comfortable.

Remove stains with a damp cloth before treating shoes.

Specialist shoe cleaning creams nourish and rejuvenate the leather. They also buff and add a longer-lasting shine. These creams should be applied before polish.

Polishing leaves shoes looking new and nourishes leather, protecting it from everyday wear including scratches. Although polish comes in a variety of colours, black and colourless are the best choices as other shades could affect your shoes colour.

Your shoes shine and appearance are affected by the brush you use. To give your shoes a long life, you will need to find a high-quality brush. This will help remove excess polish and make the leather glow. Chamois cloths will enhance your leather, particularly suede and nubuck.

BUCKSKIN AND NUBUCK

Buckskin is a term used for leathers with a velvety appearance. It should be cleaned with a horse hair brush which re-fluffs the nap. Make sure to waterproof regularly this leather to prevent, reduce staining.

SMOOTH LEATHERS, GRAINED LEATHERS AND STAMPED ANIMAL SKIN LEATHERS

The best way to clean these leathers is to use a shoe cream and polish. This nourishes and restores colour. These leathers can also be cleaned and nourished with a Cleaning Milk, just like other leather goods.

IMPREGNATED LEATHERS

If you polish impregnated leather, its colour and appearance is likely to change. Impregnated leathers age naturally and do not need polishing. They acquire a patina over time which makes your shoes unique. However, some people still want to polish them. If this is the case, you should first use a waterproofing spray to prevent staining. For the best results, use an Impregnated Leather cream which will nourish and waterproof shoes, preventing cracking and leaving them with a clean, renewed, and satiny finish.

PATENT LEATHERS

We recommend you remove surface dirt with a soft and damp cloth. Patent leather can easily absorb other pigments, so be sure to keep your shoes in their dust bag and avoid contact with colored or printed materials, as well as alcoholic liquid or solvents.

GLAZED LEATHERS

We recommend you remove surface dirt with a soft and damp cloth and avoid contact with alcoholic liquid or solvents. To reduce creasing, shoe trees are a useful way.

NATURALLY TANNED LEATHERS

This tanning uses natural substances. We recommend you remove surface dirt with a soft and dry cloth, and to keep your shoes away from a direct source of humidity, heat, or light. Please be sure to avoid contact with alcoholic liquid or solvents.

VINTAGE-STYLED LEATHERS

Several tanning operations were necessary to give this style, which intensifies with use and time. We recommend you remove surface dirt with a soft and damp cloth, and to keep your shoes away from a direct source of humidity, heat, or light. Please be sure to avoid contact with alcoholic liquid or solvents. PONY-EFFECT LEATHERS (PONY/POILS) These leathers should be cleaned with a soft-bristled brush in the direction of the bristles.

EXOTIC LEATHERS

This is a delicate leather, so we recommend you store them away from direct sources of humidity, heat, light, and to avoid contact with alcoholic liquid or solvents. With use and time, the scales can lift or change color, which is a distinctive feature of this type of skin. To clean your shoes, use a soft and dry cloth, and protect them with a specific product.

METALLIC FINISHED LEATHERS

The surface finishing can be erased with time and abrasion. We recommend you avoid contact with alcoholic liquid, solvents, and not apply cleaning product. Simply use a soft and dry cloth.

MIRROR LEATHERS

The material may develop wrinkles with the use and constant flexing, a natural feature, and the leather cannot be restored. We recommend you store them away from direct sources of humidity, heat, light, and to avoid contact with alcoholic liquid. You can clean your shoes with a soft and damp cloth and dry it afterwards.

SEQUINS

The sequins should be cleaned with a soft-bristled brush in the direction of sequins to avoid them turning on the opposite side.

FABRIC AND DENIM

We recommend you remove surface dirt with a soft and dry cloth and to keep your shoes away from a direct source of humidity, heat, and light. Please be sure to avoid contact with alcoholic liquid or solvents.

Free Lance soles are all composed of leather, except “Biker” styles which come in rubber. We suggest you wear your new shoes for two days before asking your cobbler to add natural rubber half soles which enable the shoes to breathe.
These initial two days of wear will abrade the leather to help the half-sole attach.
All models with stiletto heels come with two replacement top lifts which you should use when you notice signs of heel wear, both for your own comfort and to maintain the heel which is likely to be covered in leather.