FAQ

Sizing Guide

How to find the correct size for a Men’s Red Wing?

Firstly, it is important to state that Red Wings fit rather big and require a few weeks of break-in time. We recommend to choose a half to a whole EU or US size smaller (depending on if you have a wider or more narrow foot), than usually worn in other brands of shoes. This is due to the fact that the leather of our shoes will stretch and soften within the first weeks of wear due to bodyweight, sweat, and warmth. In addition, you will create your own footbed by wearing the shoe.

Warning: If you need to wear orthotics, please take your usual shoe size. They will prevent the creation of your own footbed.

How to find the correct size for the Women's Collection?

In contrast to our Men's Collection, the Red Wing Heritage Women's Collection fits true-to-size. We recommend to choose your “regular” shoe size.

How do I use the Sizing Chart?

Please utilize the sizing chart provided on our website to find the right size. Please measure your left and right foot from the heel to the longest part of the front. Any toe could be the longest toe. Please take the longest measurement and take exactly the size with the measurement in the chart. A buffer for you to pronate is already added on top during production.

How should they feel and fit, while trying them on for the first time?

A tight and snug fit on the sides is desirable. Here, most of the stretching will occur. Please make sure that the small toe is not being pushed into the actual foot. That is not advisable. Even though they should feel snug it is incremental that your toes have plenty of room in the front-part of the boot, for the length of our boots will not change when broken in. A finger-width of space would be perfect. If you experience a little bit of heel-slip in the first days of wear, there is no need to worry. This will improve or disappear within the first weeks of wear. Furthermore it is very important to wear the “right” sock in a Red Wing Shoe. We suggest opting for a thicker sock that fits tight around the foot without wrinkles, as they will cushion the (at first) hard leather. Our Cotton Cushion sock has proven to be the perfect choice for a safe and comfortable break-in experience.

Exceptions: Our Postman and Work Chukka line fits half a size bigger and not a full size as stated above.

Care Advice

How to take care of my Red Wing boot?

Basics: Due to the fact that our shoes are built with different leather types, it is very important to firstly determine, with which leather type your shoe is constructed. We differentiate between Oil-Tanned, Smooth Finished and Roughout Leather. Below, you’ll find directions for the right care for each individual leather type.

How do I take care of Oil-Tanned Leather the right way?

The major part of our collection is built with an Oil-Tanned Leather. Prominent examples are the 875 Moc Toe, the 8111 Iron Ranger and the 3343 Blacksmith. A detailed overview can be found in the chart below.

As a first step, you should take out the laces. Following, excess dirt and dust needs to be removed from the upper and the welt. This can be done with a damp cloth. After that, the leather needs to dry, before applying any care product.

Directions for cleaning an extremely dirty leather with spots and stains within the leather: If you wish to restore the original color of the leather, because there’s already stains within the leather, then this can be done best with our Foam Leather Cleaner. Take the detergent and fill a couple of sealing caps in a bowl and add some lukewarm water. Use the sponge that comes with the product to stir and move it a little bit in the liquid so that a foamy surface develops. Now, you can use the soaked sponge to rub out the spots and stains on the leather. This requires some time and multiple applications, but it works. After the application, he leather will need to dry a few hours, before continuing with further care applications.

Now, you can proceed with applying oil to maintain the leather. Use our Brush to work in the chosen product. You can choose between the following oils:

Mink Oil: Medium darkening effect. Matt.

Leather Cream: Hardly any darkening effect. Slight shine.

Leather Conditioner: Medium darkening effect. Slight shine.

Boot Oil: Needs to be applied with cloth or paintbrush, because it’s a liquid. Heavy darkening effect. Matt.

Make sure to use just a very small amount of product as our oils nurture the leather a lot. Avoid “over-oiling”, which will cause the leather to be too soft and wet.

Continue with the Welt Brush and apply some oil of your choice on the welt of the boot. This will keep the welt flexible and will guarantee future resolings to be successful. A dried out welt makes a resole impossible.

Now, leave your shoes to dry for a couple of hours, so that the oil can really be soaked up by the leather.

Lastly, you should apply our Leather Protector. Use this specifically for Red Wing Leathers developed protective spray to ensure maximum water resistancy.

Please bear in mind that taking care of your shoes every 6 months usually is more than sufficient. We recommend taking care of your beloved boots in spring and autumn.

How do I take care of Smooth Finished Leather the right way?

Smooth Finished Leathers are rather dry in comparison to Oil-Tanned Leathers, which means you’ll have to take care of them differently. Models that are made with a Smooth Finished Leather are for example the Postman or Beckman Series. A detailed overview can be found in the chart below.

Now you can apply our Shoe Cream. Depending on the base color of the leather, you can choose a Neutral, Black or Brown product. However, Neutral Shoe Cream can be used on any color. Use our Shoe Brush to apply the product on the upper leather. Now, leave the shoes to dry for a couple of hours and then you’ll be able to polish the leather with our Boot Care Cloth. Make sure to do fast and powerful rub-movements as this will maximize the shine.

Now, leave your shoes to dry for a couple of hours, so that the oil can really be soaked up by the leather.

Lastly, you should apply our Leather Protector. Use this specifically for Red Wing Leathers developed protective spray to ensure maximum water resistancy.

The number of applications per year depends on how polished you want your Red Wings to appear. We recommend at least 2 applications per year, but you can also treat your boots every two months if you like it clean & shiny.

How do I take care of Roughout Leather the right way?

The term Roughout Leather basically means suede leather. Styles that are built with this leather type are for example our 8083 Iron Ranger or 8863 Moc Toe. A detailed overview can be found in the chart below.

First, put out the laces. Then, take our Nubuck Cleaner Kit and use the brush to wipe off excess dirt. Make sure to also clean the welt area. Proceed with using the eraser to rub out deeper spots and stains.

Now, leave your shoes to dry for a couple of hours, so that the oil can really be soaked up by the leather.

Lastly, you should apply our Leather Protector. Use this specifically for Red Wing Leathers developed protective spray to ensure maximum water resistancy.

We recommend to treat your Roughout Red Wings at least 4 times per year with the Leather Protector. The Welt should be oiled twice a year and the Nubuck Suede Cleaner Kit can be used according to personal requirement.

Please note that after many years of wear, a Roughout Boots will probably need some Oil. If you think that the leather of your boots tends to be too dry or dried out, feel free to send us a picture to info@redwingberlin.com so that we can give you a clear estimation of this step is necessary now.

Cobbler Service

When do I need to have my Red Wings resoled?

As our soles come in different materials and dimensions it is very hard to communicate exact lifetimes.

Usually it is best to just take a look and inspect your soles. Is the heel or back part of the sole uneven or oblique? Is the profile or tread on the main part of the sole worn down? If your sole is not giving you enough stability anymore or if it became slippery due to a worn down profile, then it’s definitely time for a resole.

In regards to construction, our soles have to be resoled when more than half of the material is worn down at one area of the sole. Heeled constructions have to be renewed or resoled, when nails are starting to show.

However, if you’re not sure if a resole needs to be done, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@redwingberlin.com and include a few pictures of the soles.

How can I get my Red Wings resoled?

You can hand us your Red Wings personally in our Stores in Berlin, Hamburg, or Munich. The staff will help you with your request and will initiate the repair with our workshop.

Furthermore, you can send us your Red Wings for a resole or repair. We accept repairs from within the EU, Norway, Switzerland and the UK.

Just click the menu point “Resoling” in the navigation of this website and download the PDF “Repair Sheet”. Print it out and fill out the form with your requested repairs and your personal contact details. Put your shoes with the filled out form into a box and send it to our Store in Berlin Mitte:

Red Wing Shoes Store West Berlin
Bleibtreustraße 13
10623 Berlin
GERMANY

Once we have received your parcel, we will send you a confirmation of receipt and payment order via E-Mail. Please pay the open amount timely via Bank Transfer. After the completion of your repair we will immediately send back the repaired shoes to your indicated address.

You can find all information and documents regarding a repair via shipment on our website under the button “Resole”.

How long does a resole take?

Four our repair and resoling service we are working together with a master cobbler. As we are offering a service to your where the majority of the steps are manually done and we strive for quality that matches the quality of our boots it takes a while to complete the service. Please bear in mind that this will take at least 3 weeks for customers dropping off their shoes in the stores and at least 4 weeks for customers sending them in. We will inform you in person and on our website how long the current expected waiting time is. We are always experiencing a higher workload during the colder time of the year. Therefore it is advisable to hand in your resoling pairs in the warmer time of the year.

How much does a resole cost?

You can find an overview of the current prices here.

Of course, we also offer small repairs such as sewing seams or renewing eyelets or hardware. For further information on small repairs, please contact our stores or write us an E-Mail at info@redwingberlin.com .