SoleHeeled offers convenient and affordable Manolo Blahnik shoe repairs by Australia’s best craftsmen, with free shipping to your door. This case study outlines how we recently repaired a customer’s Manolo Blahnik shoes.
The shoes
These Manolo Blahnik Lurum shoes were a little worse for wear after a wedding, with the leather soles visibly worn, the satin uppers stained, and one of the crystals missing. When the customer reached out to us for a free diagnosis/quote, we offered to clean and re-dye the satin to black, replace the missing crystal, and repair and protect the soles.
Satin cleaning and colour change
We began by cleaning the shoes to remove any accumulated surface dirt / impurities and reduce the visibility of dark stains that otherwise could not be removed entirely. This helped to ensure that the satin was properly prepped to absorb the pigment we would be adding to it. We then applied across all of the satin a specialist dye in consecutive, thin layers — including in hard to reach areas and between the crystals. We repeated this process multiple times, making sure the satin was completely dry between each layer. We completed the process by treating the satin with a specialist waterproofing agent, both to seal in the new colour and protect the satin and prevent dye transfer going forward.
Protective sole installation
The leather soles on these shoes were heavily worn at the toes, where the leather had thinned and started pulling away from the uppers. We repaired these soles by re-adhering the loose leather into place and then using thin strips of leather to rebuild the leather soles where they had been worn into, levelling them off. We then re-contoured the leather surface and installed a new pair of sole protectors — and in such a way that ensured they sat flush with the rest of the leather soles further back.
The Italian-made sole protectors we used in this case are made especially for leather soles like those on these Manolo Blahnik shoes. They retain their colour while worn, their smooth finish and nude colour blends in well with the leather soles, and the rubber’s composition helps to significantly enhance both durability and grip.
Hardware replacement
One of the large stones on the strap had unfortunately dislodged and gone missing. However, we were fortunately able to specially source an original, Manolo Blahnik stone as a replacement and install that on the shoe.
Have a pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes needing repair or restoration?
Our experienced craftsmen have been trusted by not only generations of Australians but also local and international brands (including NET-A-PORTER and Gucci) with the repair and restoration of luxury designer shoes since 1955. If you have a beloved pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes in need of repair or restoration, ask us for a free diagnosis/quote by completing our online order form — where you can upload photos of the shoes and let us know exactly what you would like done to it, or let us advise you on what the shoes need based on the photos.
SoleHeeled serves all of Australia through its free 2-way shipping service:
Order online: Answer a few questions to get an instant quote and complete your order.
Send your shoes: Drop your shoes off at a local post office for free packaging and shipping to us.
We repair: A team of experienced craftsmen will carefully repair your shoes.
We return: We'll deliver your repaired shoes to you, wherever you are in Australia.
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