Here’s How You Look After Your Goddamn Sneakers

Never be brought to tears by rain on your suede again.

Firstly, spray your shoes with a trainer protector.

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Cover your kicks.

Seriously.

Get something on them.

Daniel Sandison, editor at Hypebeast and Mundial, is an advocate of prevention over cure for keeping your shoes box-fresh. "Crep Protect and Jason Markk both do protective spray, he says. "It's basically the waterproofing stuff that they've been selling in camping shops for years, but repackaged so people like me feel special when we're paying 15 quid for it. It works, though."

But bear in mind that suede trainers require a little more work.

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Suede shoes require care and brushing both before and after wears, making them a high risk/high reward fashion play.

"If I have a new pair of, say, suede trainers, I will give them a coating of protector spray before wearing them," Daniel Rhone, personal shopper at Topman Oxford Circus, says. "Most definitely invest in a good suede cleaner, suede brush, and protector spray. Brush down with the suede brush after you wear them."

Get yourself some good cleaning products.

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Both our Dans recommend Jason Markk's selection of shoe-cleaning products for keeping your trainers looking clean. "Jason Markk stuff is so good that I am half-convinced it is witchcraft," Sandison says. "It's salvaged some pairs from an appalling state."

For keeping your trainers looking fresh, start developing a semi-regular cleaning routine for your shoes in current rotation. As Rhone says, "I would highly recommend the Jason Markk range for keeping your trainers in tip-top condition. The range includes protector sprays, brushes, wipes, and a premium shoe-cleaner. You can't beat having a pack of baby wipes on hand to keep your trainers looking fresh after wear either."

Be careful of your trousers, too.

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Do you ever find blue smudge marks on your white trainers? That's denim bleed, caused by the constant rubbing of your trousers on your shoes.

Best way to beat it? Get better jeans. "You just need to get some jeans that fit properly," Sandison says, "so your trainers aren't swimming in some big wide-leg 501s off the indoor market."

Unwilling to ditch your beloved comfy jeans? Not to worry. Rhone recommends a good wash with a trainer cleaner to get stains out: "I have in the past had the blue rub off my denim on to my white trainers, which I've gotten rid of using a dab of white spirit on a cloth."

Finally, stop hanging out with bad eggs.

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The best way to look after your trainers is, Sandison says, to: "Cut people out of your life who spill drinks a lot. Get rid of them. You've got enough friends."

Slightly harsh, but it pays to be vigilant of where you're taking your precious trainers. "Pre-prevention is key," Rhone says. "Plan ahead where you are going to be going and things like the venue and crowd. Think, Are your limited mint condition trainers going to get a pasting?"

There's little point in taking a precious pair of vintage retros to a sticky-floored nightclub. Stay safe. Be sensible.

Sometimes though, you should just let it go.

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"Sometimes when they're gone, they're gone," Sandison says. "Unfixable. Just bin them, or use them for football or something."

Get milk in suede? Someone drop a meatball mariana sandwich on your fresh pumps? It's OK to admit defeat. Just downgrade them in your current rotation of wears.

A good trainer was meant to be worn, not boxed up and looked at. "People who buy trainers and then whinge about them looking too worn are a bit weird," Sandison says. "You may as well keep them in the box if you're going to be a crank about it."