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, these are lost over time due to frequent wear. Only if the leather is sufficiently lubricated and supplied with nutrients it remains soft and resistant.
Fine smooth leather is the same as stressed skin. It needs a lot of care. If your hands are dry in winter, moisturise them to prevent chapped areas.
So that you can enjoy your ZAQQs for a long time, here are some tips on how to care for your barefoot shoes made from nappa leather.
Which ZAQQ barefoot shoes are made of nappa leather?
We have a wide range of barefoot shoes made from supple nappa leather. You will find the material details listed with each individual shoe.
For example, our popular PIQUANT Nappa Black low shoe or our EQUITY Black Chelsea boot are made from fine smooth leather. Below you will find a list of other barefoot shoes made from nappa leather.
Cleaning the nappa leather
The first step is always to clean the nappa leather dry. This is best done with a soft shoe brush. If you don't have one yet, you can also clean your shoes with a dry cloth.
We can highly recommend the Collonil cleaning brush from our own experience.
Moisture and grease for nappa leather
As fine smooth leather is more sensitive to external environmental influences such as sunlight, moisture or abrasion, sufficient grease must be worked into the open-pored material after cleaning.
To give the leather optimum care, we recommend 1909 Crème de Luxe from Collonil. This rich shoe polish not only provides sufficient moisture, but also refreshes the colour of the leather. You can choose the 1909 Crème de Luxe colourless to have a suitable shoe polish for all colour variations. It is also available in blue, light brown, bordeaux-mahogany, medium brown and black.
To apply the shoe polish, use either a brush or a dry cloth. A shoe tree can ensure that creases are smoothed out so that these areas are also optimally treated.
Once the shoe polish has been applied, you should give the leather at least an hour or, even better, leave the shoes to rest overnight. This allows the nutrients to deeply penetrate the leather. Place your ZAQQs in a dry place, but never in the sun or under a radiator.
The shoe polish makes the surface of the leather look matt. If you want to make your ZAQQs shine, you need to polish them with a soft brush. The Collonil polishing brush, which is made from real goat hair, will serve you well. It will give your barefoot shoes the final shine in no time at all.
How often does nappa leather need to be cared for?
There is no fixed rule for this, as 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 treat them with nourishing agents approximately every fortnight as described above.
This will keep the nappa leather soft, supple and abrasion-resistant. At the same time, the care cream also refreshes the colour of your ZAQQs.
Impregnating nappa leather after care
Nappa leather is not waterproof due to its open-pored surface, it is only water-repellent. If you don't want to get your feet wet in the rain, you should waterproof your barefoot shoes regularly.
You are well advised to use the waterproofing spray "Waterstop Reloaded from Collonil". It is ideal for all types of leather and provides perfect protection against moisture and UV radiation. But don't worry, your ZAQQs remain breathable. The open pores of the nappa leather are not clogged by the waterproofing spray when used correctly.
We recommend that you go out into the fresh air or into a well-ventilated room for waterproofing. Spray your ZAQQs completely once from a distance of approx. 30 centimetres. This will firstly ensure that you spray the shoe equally and secondly that not only the fine smooth leather but also the seams are coated with a water-protective film.
Avoid using the spray too often!
As a rule of thumb, only impregnate your ZAQQs after the above-mentioned cleaning and care. If you use the waterproofing spray too often, the pores may stick together and the breathability of your barefoot shoes may suffer.
