If you would like to pay off your plan early, simply email us and we'll send you a link to pay your balance in full.
Once your final payment has been made, your order will ship.
In the past couple of months, we've had a website pretend to be us (they even linked to our social media and contact phone number from their fake website), we've seen people selling made-to-order shoes on Ebay using our photos, and we've had a company use our photos to buy ads on Facebook and Instagram and market to our customers, but have the shoes supposedly available at a price that's 90% off retail. In one of these cases, the seller took the image down when we contacted them. In the other two, it would mean launching an international legal battle we cannot afford, so we just have to hope our customers are savvy enough to recognize a scam, until the offenders get shut down, which does seem to happen eventually.
Here are some things to know:
1) carp-shop shoes are sold on this website (carp-shop.cz), at our brick and mortar store in Los Angeles, at a few special events, in Europe via http://remixshoes.eu, and in a handful of boutiques and shops around the world. The shops that stock our shoes only carry a few styles, so if you see a website that claims to sell everything we have at carp-shop.cz, that's a red flag. If you ever want to verify that a company is selling authentic carp-shop shoes, send us a message and we will be happy to confirm. You can also use tools like https://www.scamadviser.com/.
2) Others are allowed to copy our shoes. It's unfortunate, and we wish they would be more ethical and that our customers wouldn't support them, but there is not a lot of legal protection in fashion.
3) Other companies cannot use our photos, name, logo, copy, etc. without our permission. So if you see that they are doing so, the best thing you can do is report them. For example, if they are using our photos in a Facebook ad, you can report the ad as a scam or violation of intellectual property.
Usually, it's helpful if a lot of people make reports -- flagging a photo, advertisement, Facebook page, etc., or reporting a url to a website that reports on scam websites. If we report it, it only has so much effect, but if 100 people do, it will get taken down a lot faster!
If there's ever a questions, feel free to contact us and ask. We really do not want anyone to be ripped off.
]]>If you would like to pay off your plan early, simply email us and we'll send you a link to pay your balance in full.
Once your final payment has been made, your order will ship.
Moisture and heat are the two things that make leather stretch.
Moisture: Lightly swab the inside of your shoes with rubbing alcohol or a damp cloth. Do not get the shoes soaking wet - just add a bit of moisture to the inside of the areas you want to stretch, just before you wear them around the house.
Heat: Blow dry over the tight spot for about 20 to 30 seconds, far enough away that you don't burn your feet. Then, take a quick walk around the room to loosen the shoe material while it's still hot and flexible.
]]>Smooth leather shoes will benefit from leather protection, cleaning and conditioning products, such as waterproofing spray, saddle soap, leather lotion and shoe creams.
We encourage customers to try any new product in a small area to ensure it doesn't affect the finish before applying to the whole shoe. With a brightly colored shoe, it's always best to start with the most gentle cleaners and work up to stronger ones. If the color of the shoe begins to come off on the rag you are using, stop and try a different method.
Leather lotion is usually the most gentle cleaner. If it is not effective at removing dirt in scuff marks, you can try using a hand wipe or a white vinegar dampened rag. A general rule of thumb is if a cleanser is gentle enough for your skin, it should be okay to use on smooth leather. These same methods can also be used to wipe out the inside of a shoe from time to time.
(While stronger spot removers do exist for leather shoes, we encourage customers to use caution, as the stronger the cleaner the more likely it is to damage the finish.)
Shoe creams are shoe polishes that nourish the leather as they renew color and luster. Meltonian and Tarrago are two shoe cream brands we use in the store that come in a wide range of colors.
In extreme cases when the finish has been completely worn away or deeply scratched, leather paint can be used. Angelus makes a wide variety of shoe paint colors. Be careful to find a matching color and use sparingly. Alternatively, you can consider their leather spray paint to completely re-color the shoe.
Metallic finishes are the most fragile and can show scuffs more easily than other finishes. As such, extra care should be taken with these shoes to avoid damage. Contact with lacquer, perfume, and anything containing alcohol and derivatives can cause damage to the finish.
If scuffs should occur, you can try removing them by gently rubbing with a clean cloth and leather lotion. Plain white vinegar on a soft cloth may also help remove dirt in a scuff.
Metallic shoe cream can help rejuvenate luster.
Metallic leather paint and metallic nail polish can be used very carefully to fill scratches where the finish has been completely removed. Be careful to find a matching color and use sparingly. You can also try metallic leather spray paint to recolor an entire shoe if it has been well-worn.
Nubuck and Suede shoes will benefit from leather protection, such as waterproofing spray, and gentle cleaning with a soft brush. You may try using suede and nubuck cleaning products, though in most cases, light brushing is as effective. We encourage customers to try any new product in a small area to ensure it doesn't affect the finish before applying to the whole shoe.
Three sided brushes with different levels of brush stiffness are designed specifically for cleaning suede and nubuck, but you can also use a soft old tooth brush, and a stiffer wire brush if necessary, if you already have those at home.
For marks on white nubuck, a nubuck eraser can work wonders.
carp-shop canvas styles can be sprayed with a fabric protection spray to help prevent stains from setting.
We recommend spot cleaning with a damp cloth for any dirt or stains.
Some customers have had success washing them in a machine or hand washing by submersion using a gentle detergent for wool or silk. While we can't endorse this method, if you decide to try it, make sure to remove excess water by squeezing with a dry towel and fill the shoes with paper to dry, so that they maintain their shape.
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