Men are becoming increasingly interested in wearing more high end footwear. From exotic shoes for men to high end leather wear, men are buying luxury Italian and other shoes more and more. In fact, men’s purchases of luxury footwear increased by 39% between 2009 and 2014. Retail experts say that these purchases make up about 6% of global, shoe market share. These trends do not look they are going to change anytime soon.

With all of the exotic shoes for men on the market, it is important to take proper care of them all. Here are some tips to polish leather dress shoes:

1. Start by cleaning your shoes. You never want to put polish on a dirty shoes. Get a good leather cleaner from the store where you bought them. You need to only use cleaners that were developed to be used on leather. Any detergent or acid containing product will damage the leather. The only kind of soap you can use is saddle soap but you have to make sure you get it all off as even it can damage your leather. Few things age exotic shoes for men faster than using the wrong kind of soap on them.
2. Next you should condition your leather. Take a leather conditioner and apply it when the shoes are still mildly damp. Leather conditioners are great for replacing any natural oils in the leather that the cleaning would have removed. You can get leather conditioner where you bought your shoes or where fine leather items are sold. You will need to let the shoes dry after that. This will take at least one day so you should put in the shoe trees and let them dry out.
3. Once your shoes are totally dry, you can apply the polish. The kind you use is a matter of personal preference. Remember, you need to get a polish that matches the color or is lighter than your high end mens shoes. You want it to get rid of any scratches. It is always a good idea to take one of you shoes to the store when you buy the polish. If you are more interested in the shine, you should go with a wax. If your main goal is to keep your leather shoes flexible and get moisturized, the pastes and creams work a lot better. This is just your personal preference. The only polish you need to remember not to use is the polish in liquid form. It will make your shoes look great for the short term but will dry them out pretty quickly. Let this dry. It should only take a few minutes. Use a polishing brush to get the shoes very shiny.
4. After you have done all of that, you want to keep the shoes looking great for longer. One good preventative measure is to waterproof your shoes. You can get a spray from the leather store that will keep your exotic shoes for men safe from rain, mud, anything you might spill on it or snow. Whatever you face as you walk around in the world will not get to do damage your shoes. This is not something you do just once. You should periodically spray your shoes to keep the waterproofing intact and working to protect them.

None of these tips apply to suede. If you want to clean your suede shoes, you should get a soft brush and use that. Some people opt for “suede erasers” and others use a soft toothbrush. You can also apply some steam to raise the nap on the material. Another way to accomplish this are getting a suede brush. These are made from brass. You can also use spray on your suede to keep it looking its best. Products such as Scotchguard can keep them looking great and prevent damage from water, spills and snow. Many people put the Scotchgard on before they wear the shoes. That prevents a lot of problems later on.

Leather and suede shoes take a little more care and feeding to keep them looking great but anything that is valuable probably does. The proper maintenance will keep your luxury Italian shoes looking and feeling great for a long time.