Oliver Sweeney is now the proud owner of Walk Your Own Lime. What's that we hear you say? We bought the colour lime on Own a Colour as part of their campaign to raise money for children's charity UNICEF. The aim is to name 16.7 million colours. We think it's a great colour for an even greater cause.

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It’s always nice to know where things come from. Sweeneys are made in our trusted, family owned factory in Ancona, Italy. Our commitment to sourcing the best leather, coupled with our expert craftsmanship ensures we can be proud of each and every one of our shoes. Make that your shoes. Here is a behind the scenes look at our Factory.

It's been a busy few weeks here at Sweeney. Nothing changes.

Whilst we've been busy finalising the AW12 collection, and planning the SS13, we've also been working closely with emerging British design talent Matthew Miller on our latest collaborated product.

Described by Vogue as one to watch, Matthew's careful research defines his clothing. His Autumn Winter 2012 collection resulted from a single expedition, starting from the centre of London, and moving out to Epping, in which he noted the unique surfaces surrounding us. Introducing his carefully selected images of destinations along his journey to Oliver Sweeney allowed us to marry our specialist expertise to produce a unique footwear range centring around intricately printed leathers.

The results were first presented at Paris Fashion Week this month, and have been widely applauded by the British Fashion Council, the press and of course the various stores that are now starting to whisper the word 'exclusive' in our ears. We hope you like them too.

We've had a few messages from customers recently about how to rectify their mistakes as they've polished their beloved Sweeneys. You'd think they'd take more care, but judging by the amount of people who've been in touch it seems it can happen to anybody. So; we went to the guys in the know, our store staff (as well as, of course, the mighty Cobbler in Chief himself), and this is what they say:

Ken, our General Retail Manager
Before you begin applying any polish, brush off any dirt. If you have any really stubborn stains, baby wipes are a great solution, particularly on lighter shoes (but make sure you re nourish afterwards as wipes are astringent).
Use polish moderately, and be aware of the different effects it can create. Clear beeswax will lighten a shoe over time so occasionally using brown or black polish will darken it again. Black polish on a tan or brown shoe will add an aged patina if used sparingly.
And for suede shoes, try steaming over a kettle to revitalise, it really helps bring the original colour back.

Albert, one of our City store team
Personally, I wouldn't use anything but black polish on my shoes, no matter what colour the leather. I leave it on for as long as possible, sometimes even months!! But only on the toes, and only when the shoe is clean.

Our Cobbler In Chief

If you experiment and find it goes wrong: the wrong colour polish for example; don't panic. Lift it off with an absorbent cloth or kitchen towel and be patient in fixing the mistake. Layer by layer, add a restoring polish or colour, sometimes coming back to it for several days, until you have rectified it. Making a rash decision can often make a bad problem worse.

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Here are some backstage shots from our recent Spring Summer '12 shoot. Keep checking back for the full campaign to be released soon.

The party season is upon us, so to help you out, here's a few ways you can sharpen up some classic festive outfits from your wardrobe with just a few special touches from Sweeney.