Your white trainers looking a little less, well, white?
We've all been there. You know, that moment when, after wearing our favourite white trainers for a few months that we spent hours trawling the internet to find, we accidentally step into a muddy patch on the sidewalk, or we scuff the sides against the door. (My heart broke a little at the thought of it).
White trainers, as essential as they are to everyone's wardrobe, are also quite difficult to keep fresh. After all, they spend most of the time on the ground, protecting our feet with God-knows what's out there, so it's important to be equipped with the mental and physical tools necessary to maintain and repair your favourite pairs. Not only is that the more sustainable option (so we're not binning our runners at the first sign of distress), but it's also incredibly useful if your fave kicks might be from exclusive collections like designer collabs that make them irreplaceable (ouch!).
Thankfully, there are experts who specialise in bringing your favourite white trainers back to life. Overall, the message revolves around prevention (AKA just use the shoe horn!), maintenance, and regular repair.
Layla Sargent, CEO of The Seam, a service which specialises in personalised repair for clothes and leather goods, shares some general rules to stick to:
1. Clean proactively. When you come back inside after walking in wet weather, or anywhere that might have transferred marks onto your sneakers, wipe them as soon as possible with a damp sponge or cloth. Removing surface dirt before it has a chance to dry on your sneakers is the best way to minimise abrasion, especially on leather, to remove marks.
2. Change the laces. A quick way to spruce up a well-worn-looking pair of sneakers is to change up the laces. You can remove the laces, and most pairs can be washed in the machine along with your normal washing. If your laces are badly stained, swapping them out for a new pair can brighten the overall look of your trainers.
3. Use a shoe horn, or be careful to properly un-lace your sneakers before you put them on. One of the most common sneaker repairs we undertake at The Seam is called an interior heel repair, and it's when the fabric inside the sneaker at the back of the heel has torn or ripped away from the outer. We often repair this type of damage by replacing the interior fabric with leather, for a durable long-lasting fix. To avoid this damage altogether, it's important to take care putting your feet into your shoes!
4. Consider a restoration. At The Seam, we offer sneaker cleaning, as well as restoration. The latter is available for leather trainers and works to colour over any permanent marks and stains that stay behind even after a clean. Our Makers will match pigment to your sneakers, paint over scuffs and stains, and seal the leather to match the original finish. This is a great way to make sneakers from looking worn out to just like new again.
Meanwhile, Alan Lynn, Director of Sneakers ER, which has an outpost at Selfridges adds practical 911 tips for that fateful moment when you dirty your kicks:
- I spilled coffee, or a drink on my white trainers, what should I do immediately?
The key is to immediately dab any liquids off with a microfibre or cloth. The less time it stays on, the less likely it is to cause irreparable damage. Afterwards, clean the area using a detergent like the Sneakers ER cleaning solution. Again, time is of the essence!
2. I scuffed them on the tube, now what?
Mostly everyone will have scuffed the midsole part of their sneakers on the tube or more often department store escalators, so the best product to have at home for this is something called a Deglazer, which is the same as what is used to prepare leather, vinyl uppers or trainer midsoles prior to painting with acrylic paint pens. This is gently rubbed onto the scuff marks and easily rubs off leaving a nice white surface.
3. I need them professionally repaired, how much will it cost me?
Sneaker repairs can start from £20 for heel patches or glue work and up to £120 for complete restorations and most cleans will be £45 with some deals on for multiple sneakers. Considering some styles from limited drops that can't be easily replaced, occasional restoration is definitely worthwhile to extend their longevity.
Now that you know how to care for your white trainers, we've rounded up some classic styles you can shop and wear (forever).
