Care Advice & Leather Information

As with all natural leather products, whether this is suede, nubuck or a smooth / waxed leather, caring for your leather shoes in the correct way is vital and will help to protect and prolong the life of your new footwear. Failure to correctly care for leather products can result in increased and unnecessary wear and the leather drying out. We advise treating your leather footwear before first wear and regularly thereafter, we recommend every couple of weeks to a month depending on how often they are being worn. 

Are Oak & Hyde products waterproof? The simple answer is no! 

Whilst all of our products are made from premium leathers, none have a waterproof membrane and this means they are not waterproof. Leather is a natural porous material, this means water will be absorbed into the leather over time rather than beading and running off of the leather. This does mean it is not naturally waterproof, however leather can be treated to add water resistance and we recommend regular treatment of leather with a quality protection product suitable for the type of leather you are treating. The difference between treated leather and non treated leather is amazing!

Care for premium smooth/waxed leather - clean with Renapur leather cleaner, allow to dry naturally away from any direct heat source. Apply Renapur Leather Balsam to replenish and treat the leather, this can also be applied to stitched areas to help with water repellency. On lighter leathers, this will darken the colour initially but this will lighten again as it dries and soaks into the leather.

Care for suede/nubuck leathers - Use Renapur Suede & Fabric protector before wearing for the first time. For cleaning, use Renapur Leather Cleaner and once dried, treat again with the suede and fabric protector

It is always recommended that any shoe care product being used is applied to a small hidden area before applying to the whole shoe to check you are happy with the finish after applying it.

To view our full shoe care range click here

Leather Information

All our models are handcrafted using premium natural leathers and we feel these only look better as they age. We source our leathers from Leather Working Group (LWG) rated tanneries, supporting sustainable and environmentally responsible leather production. 

Visual characteristics of leathers vary and no two hides are the same, each hide tells a story! High quality leathers will display natural differences, variations, and marks that are a testament of the animals life. These are not flaws or faults in the leather, these are natural markings and signs of authenticity. Quality leather also has a rich, earthy, natural smell - we love this smell! It is impossible to get a 100% perfect and flawless piece of leather unless using synthetic materials or very heavily processed/finished leather. 

Here at Oak & Hyde, we only use high quality leathers, we do not use synthetic leathers on any of our products. If you are looking for a perfectly smooth, unblemished upper, Oak & Hyde is probably not the right brand for you! We do expect there to be these types of natural markings and we believe this adds character to our products. If you are looking for a quality leather product with character, suppleness and durability, Oak & Hyde could be the perfect choice.  

Performance features of leather:

Breathability - As leather is a natural material it allows air and moisture to pass through the fibers which allows the foot to breathe and wicks moisture away from the foot.

Durability - Leather is a very durable material and when cared for correctly, lasts really well.

Comfort - The beauty of leather is the comfortable fit it can provide, leather with wear softens and moulds to the shape of your foot resulting in a comfortable fit that feels like it fits your foot shape naturally.

Aesthetic appeal - leather ages beautifully and is full of character, unique to each hide, no two pairs of boots will be exactly the same. In our opinion, leather actually looks better with age.