Lithic Goods

Constructed in the worlds first Fair Trade Certified Shoe Factory, these Oliberte Mogado Hi’s are socially responsible and helping to shape the future of ethical shoe production. They have a rugged aesthetic, but are very comfortable, with a thin, nearly flat sole and a soft pliable leather upper. After about 2 months of wear I decided to punch a few more lace holes and clean them up in the same method I outlined in How To Clean Desert Boots post using saddle soap and leather preservative. The results can be seen in a side-by-side below.
I then strapped them on my feet as my sole pair of shoes on a road trip from Austin, TX to San Francisco, CA that included hikes in Big Bend, Grand Canyon (shown), and Sequoia National Parks. They were actually great for camping since they can be easily slipped on and off and used as slippers when untied or laced up and day hiked in (I wouldn’t use these for real hiking, as their thin soles don’t have enough support or rock protection). Through all the abuse they have held up great, looking better with use than they did new, and I’m still wearing them daily. They’re very informal, so probably best used on weekends or in casual office environments.
Ethical Note: While I have written this post objectively, these shoes were purchased at a discount and I stand to benefit if Oliberte succeeds.

I’ve had these boots for a year and have worn them hard; daily in NYC, as well as on short hikes in Austin, TX and Portland, OR. They’re not the ideal hiking boot, but when traveling, they are so light and versatile it’s too easy to wear them to work, the airport, and have them as the only shoe on a trip. During this year of abuse, the only care they’ve received was a new pair of laces after the original pair gave out on my walk to the office. With winter approaching, it was time to clean and restore them before the salt water puddles resume their assault on the dried, porous leather. The technique used here is quite simple and successfully brought my boots back to life. As visible in the photos they were thoroughly scuffed, but after a quick clean are, once again, presentable. Saddle soap was used because of the amount of dirt caked onto the shoes and the length of time gone without cleaning. However, it mostly cleans, so always use a conditioner after cleaning with soap. These boots have been worn frequently in the rain, which pulls oils from the leather, so they were pretty dry going in. I’ve selected Allen Edmonds Leather Lotion as the conditioner to add oils back into the leather and prevent drying or cracking. All it takes is a damp cloth, saddle soap, a dry cloth, leather lotion, and a bit of elbow grease.

Step 1.
Remove laces and use a damp cloth to gently wipe off surface debris. Gently, because you don’t want to scratch the surface of the leather with the dirt currently on the shoe. This is the same concept as when you’re washing a car, so wipe in a direction where the small scratches that inevitably do occur won’t be noticeable (this is usually parallel with the existing scratches).

Step 2.
Thoroughly rinse the cloth of debris and give a good squeeze to return to damp status. Rub the rag in saddle soap and apply a thin film to the leather uppers. The saddle soap is a translucent whitish color, you want to put on enough to let the leather soak up some of the soap, but not so much as to have clumps of the translucent soap visible. It won’t hurt if you over do it, but it’s wasteful. Let it soak in for a few minutes and wipe off any excess along with this second round of surface debris.

Step 3.
Apply more saddle soap as needed and buff it into the shoe. This is also the time to scrub away any serious build up of dirt or dye. I’d worn a new pair of dark blue chinos, which deposited dye onto the leather, but with a bit of scrubbing it was possible to remove the blue from the shoe.

Step 4.
With your shoe clean and lightly oiled from the saddle soap, it’s time to add the lotion that will condition and penetrate into the leather to maintain the leather’s flexibility and prevent water from being able to soak into the leather. Do this with a clean, dry, cotton cloth. Lightly buff the shoe to a dull sheen, aware that the color will be darker than it was originally.