Article: Why Use Shoe Trees?

About Varnished Pine & Aromatic Cedar

When I first visited León (where our shoes are made), I was concerned about the material and the price of shoe trees. This tree maker's most affordable option, pine, was 1.5x what I was paying for shoe trees before. The price for cedar was so high that I don't even remember it.

So I spent an evening digging through articles and forums about shoe tree material. Aromatic cedar has one clear advantage over other shoe tree woods, and its in the name: aromatic. They smell great. Cedar repels pests and resists rot very well, often used outdoors, with no treatment necessary.

There are claims that cedar is better at managing moisture by absorbing it, but this seems up for debate by people with a stronger grasp on science than myself. After all, luxury shoemakers use varnished woods for their shoe trees, and varnished wood is basically waterproof. It seems that the most important thing is that you use shoe trees, period.

These varnished pine shoe trees are customized to our shoe shape, so that it fits perfectly. This is typically only available with shoes that are $1,000+.