Welcome to The Dapper Assembly's shoe care library — everything you need to clean, condition, polish, protect and restore fine leather, all in one place. New to shoe care or fine-tuning a mirror shine, start here and work through at your own pace. Every guide uses the genuine Saphir Médaille d'Or products we stock.

New here? Start with the basics

• I'm new to shoe care — what do I do? — the plain-English starting point.
• Your Shoe. Our Care. — why looking after leather matters, and how we think about it.
• Which Saphir products do I need? — cream vs wax vs mirror gloss, explained.

The core routine — step by step

The reliable sequence for dress shoes and boots: clean → condition → cream → wax → protect.

• 1. Cleaning & preparation — get the surface ready before anything else.
• 2. Condition with Renovateur — feed and revive the leather so it stays supple.
• 3. Apply a shoe cream — restore colour and a soft, natural sheen.
• 4. High-shine polishing — build wax on the toe and heel for a glossy or mirror finish.
• 5. Protect your shoes — lock in the work and guard against water and wear.

Choosing products & colours

• Saphir shoe polish guide — the difference between cream, wax and Mirror Gloss.
• Saphir colour chart — every stocked shade, shoppable, plus a brand-by-brand shade guide.
• Saphir Renovateur — what it does — the cornerstone conditioner (and the Macadamia Oil version).
• Shoe brushes explained — horsehair vs applicator, and why the right brush matters.

By leather type & footwear

• Dress shoes, sneakers & boots — how care differs across your rotation.
• Nappa leather — caring for soft, delicate nappa.
• Exotic leathers — croc, alligator and other exotics.
• Sneaker care — keeping your kicks fresh.
• Chestnut RM Williams boots — the best Saphir colour and routine.

Fix & restore

• Remove scuffs & scratches — rescue tired-looking leather.
• Repair & restoration — bring worn shoes back to life.
• Revive dried-up wax polish — don't bin it, fix it.
• Protect from sweat damage — for hot days and hard wear.
• The macadamia difference — deeper nourishment and shine.

Still have a question?

Browse our common questions, or read the latest on the Leathertalk blog.

Ready to shop? Browse the full Saphir Médaille d'Or range — genuine Saphir, fast dispatch across Australia.