We all know that leather and water are not best friends. But what if your Swing Love shoes got soaked wet from unexpected rain, like how I soaked mine on the evening of Christmas eve. I tried my best not to cry, and then followed these steps when I got home to save my dear shoes.
Remove excess moisture.
Remove dirt, mud or debris (use a cloth if needed).
Remove laces.
Remove the insoles if your insoles are remove-able. Removing the insoles is very important when your shoes are soaked wet, because there is definitely moisture trapped between the insole and the bottom of the shoes. And especially, it prevents the shoes from getting smelly after.
It depends on how wet your shoes are, you might need to replace wet newspaper with the dry ones, until all the moisture is absorbed. If you don’t have newspaper, using regular paper is fine too, but it might not be as effective as regular paper tends to be thicker. I would not recommend toilet paper as it is too thin, so it might get stuck on the shoes and it’s hard to remove.
Tips: As my shoes were soaked wet, I had to change newspaper six times. I checked every few hours to make sure that the wet newspaper doesn't stay inside the shoes for too long.
When there is too little moisture left in the shoes and the newspaper strategy doesn’t work anymore, elevate the shoes against the wall to let them air dry slowly at room temperature. For somewhere that is very humid like Hội An, you might see mold developed. In this case, just use a piece of dry cloth to wipe it out. And be patient, as this step might take a few days.
Tips: Do not rush the process by placing the shoes near heat source as it will destroy the shoes' shape. Let them feel the air and dry naturally.
Once the shoes are completely dry, apply high-quality leather cleaner and conditioner to help ensure consistency in the leather. After you finish polishing the shoes, let them rest for 30 minutes before putting the insoles back and lacing up.
Tips: Use shoe trees to place inside the shoes once the shoes are completely dry. This helps leather from drying out as well as to prevent wrinkling in the shoes. Bonus if you have cedar shoe trees as they are the best for keeping the shape and bringing a pleasant scent.
I hope that you do not have to use these tips, but I also hope that if your beloved shoes accidentally get wet, these tips will help bring them back to life.
If you have more questions, Swing Love Team is here to help! You can leave a message below or email hello@swing-love.com or chat us on Facebook & Instagram during business hours Monday through Friday.
With lots of swingouts,
Châu & The Swing Love Team.
]]>Hope you all had a lovely NY celebration wherever you were. I usually spend some last days of the year away from social media for self reflection, that’s why my new year post came out a little late. Not many people know, I bought the Swing Love domain name on the last day of 2018, just for fun because I thought leather shoemaking would just be my side hustle project.
]]>Hope you all had a lovely NY celebration wherever you were. I usually spend some last days of the year away from social media for self reflection, that’s why my new year post came out a little late.
Not many people know, I bought the Swing Love domain name on the last day of 2018, just for fun because I thought leather shoemaking would just be my side hustle project. I remember I was on bed with my laptop waiting for the NYE fireworks in a few hours, thinking what I wanted to do for 2019. And I knew I wanted to give my side hustle project a name, then Swing Love was born (it’s the love for Swing dancing ). With zero IT experience and with the help of my boyfriend (who is now my husband, yay!), I bought the domain name, set up the email, created Facebook & Instagram accounts, and finished all that just before midnight for New Year’s Eve.
Fast forward 3 years later, I am now very proud of the process and the progress we make each year, to bring comfortable yet stylish vintage leather shoes for Swing dancing or street walking. Our website also expanded a bit with “Accessories” category to introduce more high-quality handmade products from our local talented craftsmen & craftswomen. Big thanks to @episode.9b and @LiMe (whose linen clothing will be soon on the website) for contributing your skill to Swing Love customers
One of the happiest & most proud moments of 2021 was when Sĩ (our one-and-only shoe master) successfully combined leather and fabric on the shoes. It’s even more special when the fabric comes from Hoa Tien, one of the most famous brocade weaving cradles of Thai people in Nghe An province for more than 100 years. They have been keeping and passing down the tradition of hand-woven brocade and hand-dyed beewax-painted fabric for many traditions. And we were so thrilled to see the positive feedbacks of Chiêng, which has motivated us a lot to continue working on other contemporary designs, where Vietnamese symbols and motifs are represented together with Western shoe making techniques. Also a big shoutout to Hà My who’s been doing an excellent job at quality control and wonderful shoe packaging the last month!
Of course, a big thank-you to all the customers who also value traditional craftsmanship and our slow fashion concept. Thank you for inspiring me / us every day, either with a brand-new color combination on the Doo-bee-da or a totally challenging yet beautiful shoe design. Our shoemaking workshop is happy to be busy handcrafting the perfect shoes for your happy feet .
Last but not least, my thanks go to my dance friends and our Swing dance community, you’ve all been so supportive to a young humble business. There isn’t a better occasion for me to announce our Lindy Circle Program, where Swing dancers / Lindy Hoppers with less means may apply for a pair of proper dance shoes for their happy feet. Check it out here https://bit.ly/lindycircleprogram. If you know anyone who would be happy to see this offer, please feel free to share!
2021 wasn’t “easy greasy” for us all but we made it! 2022 will be a brighter and more fruitful year, where hopefully we’ll get to hug and dance with each other very soon.
With lots of swingouts,