i agree but i also think its more ignorance than misconception, folks don't know they can get shoes repaired because there is no one who repairs them anymore the shoe repair store in our town died way back in the 70s. We turned into a throw away culture about then too so even though leather will outlast the soles its a mute point no one fixes them they go in the dump. We are simply taught now days to throw and buy as a culture that's what we do. At least in the US!
Now my dad took care of his shoes, cleaned and polished them, wore over boots in the winter but as a child he got one pair a year for school, then ww2 and the army gave him his first real shoes he could wear anytime he wanted and lessons on how to take care of them. He never owned more than a couple pairs at one time in his life. His pride and joy were a pair of boots my brother had made for him in the Azores in the 70s.