Care for your barefoot shoes made of nappa leather (smooth leather)

Nappa leather is a particularly open-pored, breathable and very supple material. It is the outer side of the animal skin and is often referred to as fine smooth leather. 

Similar to our skin, leather contains fats that keep it supple. However, if you wear them frequently, they will be lost over time. Only if the leather is sufficiently greased and supplied with nutrients will it remain soft and resilient. 

The same behavior applies to fine, smooth leather as it does to stressed skin. She needs a lot of care. If your hands are dry in winter, apply cream to them to prevent cracked areas. 

So that you can enjoy your ZAQQs for a long time, we will give you tips on how to care for your barefoot shoes made of nappa leather.

Which ZAQQ-Barefoot shoes are made of nappa leather?

We have a variety of barefoot shoes made from supple nappa leather. You can find the material information listed for each individual shoe.

For example, our popular low shoe PIQUANT Nappa Black or ours Chelsea boots EQUITY Black Made from fine smooth leather. You will find further barefoot shoes made of nappa leather listed at the bottom. 

Cleaning the nappa leather

The first step is always to dry clean the nappa leather. The best way to do this is with a soft shoe brush. If you don't have one yet, you can also clean your shoes with a dry cloth.

Ours soft horsehair brush is the perfect choice for gentle cleaning.

Moisture and grease for the nappa leather

Since fine, smooth leather is more sensitive to external environmental influences such as solar radiation, moisture or abrasion, sufficient grease must be incorporated into the open-pored material after cleaning.

In order to give the leather optimal care, we recommend Shoe pomade. This rich care not only ensures sufficient moisture, but also refreshes the color of the leather. You can do that Shoe pomade Choose colorless so that you have a suitable shoe polish for all color variations. But they also come in different colors.

To apply shoe pomade, you use either a brush or a dry cloth. A shoe tree can ensure that wrinkles are smoothed out so that these areas can be optimally reached.

After the Shoe pomade has been applied, you should give the leather at least an hour or, better yet, let the shoes rest overnight. This allows the nutrients to penetrate deep into the leather. Place your ZAQQs in a dry place, but under no circumstances in the sun or under the heater.

Through the Shoe pomade the surface of the leather looks matt. If you want to make your ZAQQs shine, you need to polish them with a soft brush. A polishing brush made from real goat hair will serve you very well. This means you can give your barefoot shoes the final shine in no time. 

How often does nappa leather need to be cared for?

There is no hard and fast rule for this, because it obviously depends on how often you wear your barefoot shoes and what weather conditions they are exposed to.

If you wear your shoes every day, you should provide them with nourishing nutrients approximately every two weeks according to the instructions described above.

This means the nappa leather remains soft, supple and abrasion-resistant. With the care cream you can also refresh the color of your ZAQQs.

Impregnate nappa leather after care

Nappa leather is not waterproof due to the open-pored surface, but rather water-repellent. If you don't want to get your feet wet even when it rains, you should definitely waterproof your barefoot shoes regularly.

With that Waterproofing spray you are well advised. It is ideal for all types of leather and provides perfect protection against moisture and UV radiation. But don't worry, your ZAQQs will still remain breathable. When used correctly, the open pores of the nappa leather are not clogged by the waterproofing spray.

To waterproof, we recommend going out into the fresh air or a well-ventilated room. Spray your ZAQQs once completely from a distance of approx. 30 centimeters. This ensures, firstly, that you spray the shoe evenly and secondly, that not only the fine smooth leather but also the seams are covered with a water-protecting film.

Avoid using the spray too often! 

As a rule of thumb, you should only impregnate your ZAQQs after cleaning and caring for them as mentioned above. If you use the waterproofing spray too often, it can happen that the pores become clogged and the breathability of your barefoot shoes suffers.

With these care instructions you are well looked after and will enjoy your barefoot shoes made of nappa leather for a long time.