Your guide to caring for leather clothing

Leather is the most popular material right now. Everyone wants something made out of leather in their wardrobe:; a skirt, a shirt, a jacket and even pants. This material has in the past only been popular in belts and shoes. While we all know how to care for our leather shoes, the dynamics of caring for leather in clothing are a little different.

If a leather dress of jacket is handled with care, it can last longer you can imagine. If it isn’t fake though. It is important to note that leather is tanned and treated animal skin. It is porous just like your skin. Treat your leather dress just like you would have done with your skin.

1. If a leather garment gets wet, hang it to dry, away from heat. Putting it in a dryer or near a heating vent could cause it to shrink and lose its shape.

2. If you get a stain on a garment, don’t try to remove it yourself unless a leather-cleaning professional has advised you to. Try getting stain removing creams and apply on it. If you try to scratch it off, the material is going to get damaged.

3. Store leather garments on padded hangers and cover with a plain sheet or cloth garment bag. Avoid plastic bags, as they don’t allow the garment to “breathe,” and can promote mold and mildew. Store in a dark, dry place. Sunlight will cause fading.

4. Avoid letting a leather garment touch your skin in areas where it’s likely to come in contact with oils from your body and hair. Similarly, don’t let perfume or hairspray get on your leather apparel. They are hard to remove and the process of removing them can take color out of the outfit.

5. Clean leather regularly. What about those who never clean their leather jackets, believing they improve with age? It’s sort of like not cleaning your sheets.

“The danger is you start removing the color and then it’s harder than ever to get out and restore,” Orlin says, noting it doesn’t matter if the piece is bright yellow, blue or a natural-looking brown. “We usually tell people who call us that we’d like to see the garment first and tell them what the alternatives are.”

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