Summer Soirees with Cherry Blossom

The longest day of the year has only just passed us by, meaning summer has officially begun. Why not take advantage of the longer evenings and brighter days and make the most of it? From holidays, festivals and BBQs to street parties, weddings and just about any festivity you can conjure up, there are plenty of summer events to keep us preoccupied over the coming months and our footwear must be just as prepared as we are. Here at Cherry Blossom, we hope the sun shines and we avoid repeating last year's unseasonably wet summer – that is one déjà vu we can do without. But even if we are unfortunate and this summer proves to be another wet one, at least your summer shoes will be protected from the deluge with Cherry Blossom.

Jetsetters

If you’re setting off into the sunset this summer, either flying abroad or heading somewhere closer to home, you’ll have to think carefully about which footwear you’re taking. Normally, summer holidays are sun-soaked and salt-crusted escapes to warmer climes, involving days spent lounging by a pool mixed with absorbing local culture. Typical kinds of holiday footwear include anything open-toe or slip-on, such as sandals, sliders and flip-flops. We want to make sure our feet are comfortable and can handle the lack of footwear uppers protecting them. One way to do this is to use Silky Fresh Feet before slipping on your Birkenstocks or Crocs. This silken spray can be applied directly to the foot and helps to keep them fresh and dry all day, preventing sweat from rubbing your toes against your flip-flop thong the wrong way! Socks tend to stay at home when venturing off to sunnier environs. This, plus the heat, means you’re going to be working up a stink in your shoes, and there’s nothing more unpleasant, especially when you have to repack your shoes at the end of the holiday and the smell travels into your clothes. But we have a simple solution to avoid this funky situation: just spray Eco Shoe Refresh inside your shoes to remove odours at the source and keep them fresh. Bon voyage!

The Wedding Party

Love is in the air this summer. The loved-up couples that are tying the knot over the next couple of months are praying for dry, sunny weather to bless their romantic day. But one thing you can never do is trust the forecast. Regardless of torrential rain or dehydrating sun, you will have the most stunning footwear on that parquet dancefloor, courtesy of your trusty shoe care bestie, Cherry Blossom. Usually, wedding guest footwear can be categorised into ‘formal leather footwear’, ‘beautiful but agonising high heels’ and ‘emergency backup flats for when the high heels hurt too much’. Going off this, we predict your wedding party shoe care tool kit should include all or an amalgamation of the following life-saving products: Patent Leather Restorer, Shoe Polish, Deluxe Polishing Brush, Heel Grip and Gel Pad. Oh, and Eco Ultra Repel to keep that unexpected downpour at bay. You’ll thank us later.

BBQ Tamers

Brits love a BBQ. Scientists still don’t fully understand this phenomenon but anytime the sun peeks its way through the summer clouds and the word is merely uttered, we all rush to don an apron, serving tongues in hand and are ready to answer the smoky call. The average BBQ wrangler is a fan of sensible, stolid footwear to offer better grip when the going gets tough, such as boat shoes or loafers. Now, BBQs can be a messy business and that footwear needs to stay protected from all sorts: greasy drops of oil, splodges of ketchup and flecks of drool from the hopeful family dog. Your footwear can be defended against all these stains by using Shoe Protector. A versatile, spray-on protector, Shoe Protector shields virtually all footwear uppers against incoming dirt and blemishes. We recommend initially cleaning with Shoe Cleaner to ensure you receive the best protection. You could also use the dog to lick any stains off your shoes but that might be somewhat unhygienic.

Summer Fête Bargain Hunters

Found a scuffed pair of shoes at the summer fête that is just begging to be loved? Although buying second-hand shoes isn’t for everyone, if a pair catches your eye and they aren’t a lost cause, then why not treat yourself? First, they’ll need a clean – that goes without saying. Eco Ultra Cleaner will remove any pesky dirt from the shoes you saved from the bargain bin. The inside of the shoes should also probably be blitzed with Eco Shoe Refresh, eradicating any lingering odours. Once clean and smelling fresh, you’ll be well on your way to restoring a new lease of life to the neglected footwear. Physical impairments, such as scuffs, are simple to sort using Cherry Blossom’s Scuff Cover, an easy-to-use, sponge-on liquid that does what it says on the tin (or bottle): covers scuffs! Reviving the colour of faded smooth leather is also pretty straightforward to rectify. Our Renovating Shoe Cream and Renovating Polish are especially good at restoring the appearance of coloured smooth leather footwear. So next time you see a pair of sad leather shoes on sale for £1 or less at your local summer fête, don’t scoff with contempt – see their potential transformation as a Cherry Challenge!

Muddy Music Revellers

Festival fans rejoice! Summer is here and that means you lot can tire yourselves out from singing to your favourite artists at the top of your lungs in some farmer’s field in a random corner of the UK. If you’re lucky and the weather holds out, wellies won’t be necessary and you might be able to get away with wearing your favourite pair of sneakers, keeping it comfy and cool. If you’re dead set on wearing your sneakers, it would be a smart move to make sure they’re ready for festival conditions. Clean, protect and refresh them with our Sneaker Range before and after the festival to keep them looking and performing their best. Wearing your sneakers non-stop over a long, sweaty weekend will certainly warrant post-festival fumigation (unfortunately Cherry Blossom does not provide this service). It would also be a cunning ploy to pack a box of Sneaker Wipes to keep your sneakers looking box-fresh throughout the event, ensuring splashes of flat beer or discolouring, kicked-up dust don’t interfere with your footwear aesthetic.

Whether you’re spending this summer celebrating with friends, skulking about car boots for the steal of the century or living it large at an all-inclusive on the Med, you’ll need footwear to get you there. And nobody takes better care of your footwear than Cherry Blossom. Clean, care and protect your shoes this summer with Cherry Blossom.