Materials / Care
Tanneries / Merchants
Leathers are carefully sourced from reputable accredited Italian and British tanneries that work to high ethical and environmental standards, among these are A & A. Crack & Sons, Badalassi Carlo and C. F. Stead. As a maker I am blessed to use these fabulously precious materials in my workshop.
I specialise in artisan leathers simply because they offer instant aged beauty. Expect perfect imperfections throughout. Like knots & grain in real wood, these materials are a canvas of their origin, with marks, wrinkles & scratches worked into each item, embracing the hides individuality to create a unique product which develops rich patina with use.
Barefoot comfort soling
I believe that your shoes should feel just like slippers, all day, every day, and our shoes do just that. After a few wears the leathers will soften and become supple and mellow. There is no plastic inside your Fairysteps shoes! The leather insoles will allow your foot to bed into the sole creating its own unique cradle, offering glove like comfort.
Fairysteps use Vibram, a durable, highly flexible, lightweight, cushioned, soling made in Italy. Four profiles, each distinctive in their own way. FLEX ZERO DROP soling offers an excellent level of bounciness and protection yet still gives a sense of grounding. FLEX WITH HEEL same super comfy material as Zero Drop but with additional layer at the heel. CHUNKY WEDGE that classic vibram sole as seen on famous Redwing boots, and last but not least CHUNKY CLEATED. When the time comes your shoes can be resoled by your local cobbler thus extending the life of your beloveds and avoiding landfill sites.
Why barefoot comfort & not just barefoot?
The footbed on Fairysteps shoes is both generous and supremely comfy, so I call them barefoot comfort, but they arent going to be like some other 100% barefoot shoes with the incredibly wide toe box and ultra thin sole.
Adhesives & Threads
The adhesives I use are the lowest in nasty chemicals (toluene and MEK free) I could find whilst still being highly effective. Stitching threads are British made, superior quality, rot proof and abrasive resistant. My old sewing machines are terribly fussy, they only like to sew with the best.
After care
Always make sure that your shoes are kept well polished to avoid unnecessary wear. Any good polish will do, my preference being a good leather balm. Search 'Leather balm' on google and lots of different makes will come up. Its often made from almond oil, beeswax, lanolin and other natural products. Renapur which is British made can be bought via Amazon.
Polishing your shoes will darken the finish on all leathers apart from the satin finish ones. The *antiqued finish leathers will lighten with wear as the waxes and oils in the leather are displaced. It's a useful indicator that a jolly good polish is needed to replenish both the colour and the finish. If there is any fading then you can use a tinted shoe cream available in shoe shops or online. Polish them each month, make it a date ♥ and love them, they will be with you for a very long time.
Fairysteps are all season shoes. Mine have gone boulder hopping at the seaside and the Moors, as well as running and rambling. As with all leather shoes you should avoid wearing in excessively wet conditions as it may cause stretching. I clean off the mud, pop them somewhere lukewarm (not on a radiator), and when dry I give them a polish. The ribbons even get a wash in the sink with warm water and hand soap. My shoes are then ready for the next adventure.
