I have these shoes that I’ve worn for a few years, but they’re actually still quite okay, if it wasn’t for the washed-out color. That makes them look very worn out and battered. The fabric is linen and they used to be a denim-style dark blue. I’d really like to give them back some color so I can keep wearing them, but short of painting them all over with a thick marker, I have no idea how this could be achieved with lasting effect. I mean your standard methods for dying fabric (which I don’t know what they are) are probably predicated on the fabric not being sown to a rubber sole etc. - right? Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
If you use a dye that is designed only for natural fibres, it shouldn’t affect the sole. The insides will end up blue too though. Be careful of common dyes like the Dylon range, they’re designed to work on synthetic materials too, so they’d probably stain the soles.