Yanko Traveler Belgian Loafer black deerskin with dark sole

This model is a mix of the traditional Belgian loafers model, also called traveler loafers. It is a comfortable and airy shoe, and a great choice to pack in your suitcase given its light weight. This lightly lined version has an upper made of soft and supple black deerskin. The natural grain character adds a wonderful life to the shoe.

A nice benefit of the sole we use here is that it has a channel that allows for a Blake stitched construction. These rubber soles were designed to provide extended comfort for people who traveled a lot, but their popularity grew so much due to their durability and comfort that people started wearing them all the time. Note that the deerskin leather is a bit sensitive, especially to hits and scratches.

Small in size, see sizing guidance below. To get the best possible fit on loafers, who don't have lacing that can be adjusted, a good tip can be to use self-adhesive leather tongue pads. Works perfect if you for example experience heel slippage, and extra good if you have a low instep. Also if you have slim feet a thin leather insole can be excellent.

Construction:
Blake construction is a traditional construction method where one do a seam through the insole, upper leather and outsole to keep them strongly together. This is done with a Blake sewing machine. The construction gives flexible, comfortable shoes. Can normally be resoled by a cobbler with the right equipment, but a limited amount of times.

All Blake stitched shoes have leather board heel stiffeners (cheaper brands usually use harder plastic heel stiffeners) which adapt to your feet.

Leather:
The Blake stitched shoes we offer use smooth full grain calf leather, quality embossed calf grain leather or fine suede like reverse kudu suede. They are sourced from well-renowned European tanneries, mainly from Charles F. Stead in the UK. The models in patent leather use material from Europe.

Sole:
There are two different types of soles used for the Blake constructed shoes we sell (under the tab Product details and on the photos you see which are used for respective model).

Thin rubber sole - A so-called city rubber sole with a slim profile just like a leather sole, with a rubber composition that offers good grip and excellent durability.

Rubber sole - In most cases these are so-called Traveler soles which is a soft and flexible rubber sole type that are very comfortable.

Which shoe care products to use:
Use Saphir Medaille d'Or Creme Pommadier shoe cream and Saphir Pate De Luxe wax polish in Black for regular care. It can be good to use Saphir Renovateur Crème 1-2 times / year for surface cleaning and extra nourishment. For more thorough yet gentle cleaning we recommend Saphir Medaille d'Or Leather Cleanser. We recommend using cedar wood shoe trees to prevent unnecessary creasing and extend the lifespan of your footwear.

Read more about how to use these products on the respective product pages, or in the shoe care guide linked below.

Basic shoe care:
- Don’t use the same pair for two consecutive days
- Brush / wipe the shoes off after use
- Use shoe trees and shoehorn
- Treat regular leather with shoe cream, treat suede and textile with waterproofing spray
Learn more on these steps in this guide.

Further shoe care info:
Read this thorough guide, which also includes video, on how to clean, nourish and shine leather shoes.