Care Guide

Exotic leather is durable and it is precious. Looked after, it improves. The notes below are the ones our advisors give most often.

Every day

Keep a piece away from direct heat and from long spells in the sun. Both dry the skin and lead to cracking.

Avoid heavy rain. If a piece does get wet, let it dry naturally at room temperature, away from radiators and hairdryers. Forced heat ruins leather faster than water does.

Cleaning

Use a soft, dry cloth. Wipe with light circular motions to lift dust.

Do not use household cleaners, alcohol wipes or solvents. They strip the oils out of the skin and leave it brittle.

Conditioning

Use a cream or oil made for exotic skin, applied sparingly with a soft cloth. Regular light conditioning keeps the leather supple.

Over-conditioning darkens the colour and changes the texture, so less and more often beats more and rarely.

We recommend a professional conditioning once a year.

Storage

Store pieces in breathable cotton dust bags. Do not use plastic, which traps moisture and invites mould.

Stuff bags and shoes with tissue paper or use cedar shoe trees so they keep their shape. Keep them somewhere cool, dark and dry.

Rotate what you wear so no single piece takes constant pressure in one spot.

Reading the leather

Grain, pores, scale pattern and tone differ from hide to hide, and even across one piece. That is the material telling you it is real. It is not a flaw, and it is not something care will even out.

More on care

The Journal carries longer pieces on cleaning, conditioning and storage.