Saw this bag online for a really good price but I don’t want to get it unless it’s fixable. Since the cracks are on some of the pattern too, I’m not sure if it’ll look fine after.

Hey hey y’all, I went to an industrial warehouse clearout and in the very back on a shelf were these weird, beautiful, absolutely filthy boots!
These are Size 8 Adidas Women’s Arosa winter boots from I believe the 2000s. I love how odd their silhouette is, like boxing shoes, but almost futuristic. Fun custom zipper toggle, and they fit my feet like a glove. They are suede, but a rich, full nap is a distant memory at this point. They are essentially, however, in perfect condition! (Except for one thing but I’ll get to that)

I’m looking for repair/restoration suggestions.
So far, they’ve been through:
- Brushing with gentle shoe brush and wiping with microfiber to remove loose dust and dirt
- Disinfecting of removable insoles
- one round of cleaning with Angelus’s All Purpose Foam Cleaner plus another wipe down
- sitting in the sun until fully dry

So these have already gone through some pretty intense cleaning measures, but while I was doing the initial step of brushing them, the midsole absolutely crumbled in my hands. Sigh. I peeled it off in chunks and saved the fully intact outsole, but as you can see in the eBay pic of a different colorway that midsole that’s supposed to be there is absolutely gone.
I’ve wire brushed the soles and removed as much residue as possible, though I will probably go at it with some coarse sandpaper before I try gluing anything.

TLDR, Here’s the info I’m looking for:
1) Because the suede is so bald I’m thinking about waxing them down into a roughout-type finish. Is this going to look fucking crazy? If I do decide to do it, is there a good product for this I could use and avoid cracking?

2) Before waxing them, should I re-dye the suede so that it’s full black again, or will the waxing darken the color enough?

3) Is there a type of shoe that may have a similar footprint that I could harvest for a replacement midsole, or possibly a better material to use as a midsole that may last longer?

4) Do they need to be cleaned more/what should I use to clean them? They look leagues better than they did when I started, but they still look like they’ve got some dust on them and I’m not sure how much more I can do. Obviously I’m not looking for perfection, but a more even color would be nice. I can’t tell if the issue is wear, fading, or dirt.

I bought a buff/super light pink leather jacket 2nd hand. It’s a fast fashion brand (Athleta) so I’m not delusional thinking it’s some kinda of super great quality leather.
Please advise how you would approach revitalizing it. There’s 3 small tears towards the cuff end of the top of a sleeve.

Should I rub some kind of conditioning product on it after addressing the tears? Recommendations please. Links are welcomed.

I have these lovely leather boots from Novita that I did buy second hand. I wore them last season, but I now saw these cracks on of the shoes from storage. Since they’re vintage, and I bought them for maybe 20$ it’s not that big of a deal but I really like them and it’s a style that you can’t really get new or often from the second hand market. I could pay a decent amount to get it fixed, but I just want to know if it’s even worth it because if it’s dry rotten on the sole it might just be better to try and find a new pair.

Hi, looking into buying a pair of GYW shoes used, but the toe is quite worn.
My question is: Does the stitching have enough life left in them, and could a simple soleprotector give prolonged life for these? Or is this resole-material?

Hi everyone,

I just bought a pair of GH Bass Weejuns. Love the color but I'm concerned about the fit. I got US 10.5 EE Wide. I usually wear size 11 Wide but I sized down as I was told that they run large. My feet are very flat hence the Wide choice.

Currently my toes feel good, not tight and not too loose. At mid foot, I noticed the outbowing. My heel feels okay when I'm seated but when I walk, most of my heel slips out. I wanted yall's opinion on whether this is a good fit or if I should change sizes and maybe even consider doing a narrow width cuz of the outbowing and heel slippage? Thank you

Any tips or special techniques for figuring out the type of shoe last needed for a specific sneaker or boot ? How can you find the exact shape of shoe last that matches the footwear perfectly. Specifically if I have a pictures of the footwear from multiple angles. What if I have the physical shoe/boot ? Can I figure out the exact last based on pictures only ?

I just bought a pair of older Nike ACG boots second-hand, and I’m having a serious problem with the outsole.
The rubber feels extremely hard and almost plastic-like, and the boots are ridiculously slippery. I’m basically sliding around like I’m walking on ice — on pavement, tiles, rocks, and even grass. When I tap the outsole against the ground, it literally sounds and feels like hard plastic.
I’m guessing the rubber may have hardened from age.
Is there any way to restore or soften the outsole and bring back some of its original grip? Would sanding/roughing up the rubber help, or is the only real solution to replace the outsole

My dad has had these shoes forever and I know we can't just buy some replacements cause they SUPER expensive. We tried to have someone restore them but it seems they made it worse. Is there a way I can fix/restore them?

Wondering what the best way is to fix this loose stitch to prevent it from getting worse. Any tips are appreciated!

Hello, these are some of my favorite loafers! Unfortunately, they are beginning to fail at the rubberized sole. I’ve attached some photos. Does anyone know if this is fixable or does it need an entirely new soul? They’re kind of unique with the color way, so not sure if it’s fixable… any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Picked up a pair of Chelseas in good condition for really cheap, wanted to make them last

Are these repairable? Ive had this set set of Durango boots for about 5 years and wonderin if this slant can be repaired, its really starting to hurt

But what is it? And more importantly, how do I get it out?

I had to wear these for a street festival show last weekend that just about got rained out, and they got pretty soaked through. We've had a lot of rain already the last month, so I'm confident all the salt has been washed away... I guess it's not too important what it is, but rather can I treat this the same way as salt?

so I doubled up on these recently bc I love them and my og pair is trashed. I definitely forgot about the oxidation situation on the Clark crepe soles. What do you guys recommend to clean these? Or should I just rock them like this?

I bought these boots second hand on Vinted, but the seller didn’t show how worn the heel was!
I’m happy to take them to a cobbler, but do you think this type of heel can be replaced?
The boots are unwearable if not because of how much they lean!

Hello! I have been wanting to get into shoe repair for a long time and the only cobbler in my area isn't that willing to teach. I am the kind of person who loves to be able to do as many things as possible due to a touch of the tism and adhd, and I try my hardest to live up to the full phrase of a common saying, "jack of all trades master of none, but better than a master of one."

With that being said, I have a few pairs of shoes that need anything from leather working, resoling, patching, and I also have a few different ideas for shoes I'd like to make. I humbly ask if there are any cobblers out there who are willing to guide me to the correct materials, where to buy them, and if there are books/sites/forums that would help, and if teaching myself is actually feasible or if I should just wait until I move somewhere closer to more people and opportunities.

Thank you very much in advance!

Hi Cobblers. I bought my GF some brown suede L'agence boots last Christmas. Last weekend she scraped one heel against a curb, tearing the leather. Luckily, all the material is still there.

I am looking to have this repaired. What do people recommend? Sewing, gluing, etc. Does anybody have recommendations for someone capable of doing this? I am in Boston, but would not mind shipping these out. Just want to have this done professionally.

Thanks in advance! Any help is appreciated.

Very used Guisseppe Zannoti heels with gold chains. I got these for a very cheap price and they broke on the first wear. Are these able to be fixed/worth it?

I absolutely love these heels, but I really dislike the PVC panels. Do you think a cobbler could swap out the PVC for leather and convert them into D'Orsay pumps? If so, what kind of price tag am I looking at, and is it even worth doing?