DEATH of KIWI ..........
- Thread starter malocchio
- Start date
It’s of small help but the Tapir products are excellent Category: Shoe and leather care - Tapir Wachswaren - https://tapir.de/produkt-category/shoe-and-leather-care?lang=en
Yes, unfortunately we have come to the times when the majority of people don't care at all about polishing their shoes with the proper products. Or polishing them for that matter.
My father always had plenty of Kiwi products in our house when I was a kid.
Used up my first tin back then polishing my Army boots…
Started using that type of polish with two different brushes (one for applying the product, the other to polish on the next morning) since the age of 10. My father, being military taught me those things.
So, I managed to get my hand in it by the time I went to the army.
My learning curve was different but I managed - Artillery guys are also not super pickyStarted using that type of polish with two different brushes (one for applying the product, the other to polish on the next morning) since the age of 10. My father, being military taught me those things.
So, I managed to get my hand in it by the time I went to the army.
My go to brand.
Guess I better stock up while I can.
Exactly. My dad loved to shine his shoes!
I really like the Saphir brand. Kiwi was probably the best inexpensive brand though. That’s to bad.
Yes, Saphir is an excellent polish and has better colors
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
I have Kiwi to thank for my healthier lifestyle! When I quit smoking many years ago I shined my shoes whenever I wanted a cigarette. I ended up shining my shoes several times per day for many months - with Kiwi. Even now I find shoe shining very relaxing and often shine shoes that do not need shining, and which I have no intention of wearing - idle hands do the Devil's work and my hands can be very idle at times. In truth though Kiwi is nothing special and other brands are just as good or better. I agree with the comments above that demand for shoe care products has sharply declined in recent years.
We need Bob @johnniegold in this thread
Sadly, the “death of Kiwi” signals another chapter beginning to close in the post-pandemic world. I now look at a closet full of Brooks Brothers suits and beautiful ancient madder and Italian silk ties and they are seemingly there as purely decorative items. A reminder of what has quickly become a by-gone era.
I sold or gifted many pairs of shoes that were once everyday footwear for the office, only to be replaced by more casual footwear that doesn’t require nearly the care or maintenance as a pair of fine leather shoes.
To be sure, there are many shoe care products, such as Saphir, that are more highly-regarded than Kiwi but that is another point.
The “death of Kiwi” signifies another one of the gentlemanly pursuits slowly going by the wayside (as I previously wrote about here at Ivy Style).
www.ivy-style.com
As a tribute to this once iconic shoe care product, here are some of my favorite shoe shine pics.
Finally, to honor Kiwi, I will fly this shoe shine cloth at half-mast in front of my house all week long.
I sold or gifted many pairs of shoes that were once everyday footwear for the office, only to be replaced by more casual footwear that doesn’t require nearly the care or maintenance as a pair of fine leather shoes.
To be sure, there are many shoe care products, such as Saphir, that are more highly-regarded than Kiwi but that is another point.
The “death of Kiwi” signifies another one of the gentlemanly pursuits slowly going by the wayside (as I previously wrote about here at Ivy Style).
The Rituals, The Tradition... It's All Gone - Ivy Style
After a two-Manhattan lunch with the guys, I would occasionally go and sit with “my guy” at Brooks Brothers and go through swatches and order up a couple of MTM suits. One of the tailors, Sal, an impeccably-dressed Italian gentleman, would measure me. Pick-stitching, working sleeve buttons...
www.ivy-style.com
As a tribute to this once iconic shoe care product, here are some of my favorite shoe shine pics.
Finally, to honor Kiwi, I will fly this shoe shine cloth at half-mast in front of my house all week long.
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I wear work boots 90% of the time, and nobody cares if they are polished or not. But I went to my shine box today, and all the polishes were Kiwi. In my memory, where I live, that was the go to brand. I’ll polish my boots tomorrow in tribute.
- Thread starter
- #19
With an arsenal of beautiful shoes like these I would wear the suits often , you have to be what you like to be ...Sadly, the “death of Kiwi” signals another chapter beginning to close in the post-pandemic world. I now look at a closet full of Brooks Brothers suits and beautiful ancient madder and Italian silk ties and they are seemingly there as purely decorative items. A reminder of what has quickly become a by-gone era.
I sold or gifted many pairs of shoes that were once everyday footwear for the office, only to be replaced by more casual footwear that doesn’t require nearly the care or maintenance as a pair of fine leather shoes.
To be sure, there are many shoe care products, such as Saphir, that are more highly-regarded than Kiwi but that is another point.
The “death of Kiwi” signifies another one of the gentlemanly pursuits slowly going by the wayside (as I previously wrote about here at Ivy Style).
The Rituals, The Tradition... It's All Gone - Ivy Style
After a two-Manhattan lunch with the guys, I would occasionally go and sit with “my guy” at Brooks Brothers and go through swatches and order up a couple of MTM suits. One of the tailors, Sal, an impeccably-dressed Italian gentleman, would measure me. Pick-stitching, working sleeve buttons...
As a tribute to this once iconic shoe care product, here are some of my favorite shoe shine pics.
View attachment 1723904View attachment 1723905View attachment 1723906View attachment 1723908View attachment 1723909View attachment 1723910View attachment 1723911View attachment 1723912View attachment 1723913
Finally, to honor Kiwi, I will fly this shoe shine cloth at half-mast in front of my house all week long.
View attachment 1723917
- Thread starter
- #20
In California we have had an excellent line of shoe care products for many decades , ANGELUS ....Many bootblacks used these products when there were shine stands in every big city .... Angelus Shoe Polish - https://angelusbrand.com/
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