How to Care for Leather Chappals and Shoes
Peshawar leather is tough, but Pakistan's climate is harder on it than most: dust in the dry months, monsoon damp in July and August, and long stretches of sun. A ten-minute routine every few weeks will add years to a pair.
Updated 20 October 2026 · Frontier Shoes, Peshawar
The weekly wipe
Dust is abrasive. Wipe the leather with a dry cotton cloth after wearing, paying attention to the folds where dust collects. For chappals, wipe the footbed too — that is where sweat and odour start.
Conditioning
Every two to three months, apply a thin layer of neutral leather cream or conditioner with your fingers, work it into the leather, leave it for twenty minutes and buff off the excess. Over-conditioning softens the leather too much, so less is more.
For brown and tan leather, a matching cream restores colour. For black, a black cream hides scuffs. Never use cream on patent leather — wipe it with a damp cloth instead.
Monsoon and damp
If a pair gets wet, stuff it with newspaper and let it dry at room temperature, away from direct sun and never on a heater. Leather that dries too fast cracks. Let it dry for a full 24 hours before wearing it again.
Zari embroidery should never get wet: the thread dulls and the leather underneath can stain.
Storage
Store pairs in a dust bag or a ventilated box, not a sealed plastic bag — leather needs to breathe. Use shoe trees or crumpled newspaper in shoes to hold their shape between wears, and rotate pairs rather than wearing the same one every day.
- Dry cloth after every wear
- Neutral cream every 2–3 months
- Newspaper + shade for wet leather
- Dust bag or ventilated box for storage
Repairs worth paying for
A stitched sole can be replaced by a cobbler; a glued sole cannot. If the heel is wearing unevenly, get it repaired early — a worn heel changes your gait and stretches the upper. Ask for the new sole to be stitched, not glued.