Looking after what you bought.

The short version

Everyday care

• Hang jackets on a broad, shaped hanger. A wire hanger puts the whole weight of the garment on two points and distorts the shoulders permanently — this is the single most common way a good jacket is quietly ruined.
• Let leather breathe. Store it uncovered, or in a cotton garment bag. Plastic traps moisture against the hide and can cause mould and a permanent musty smell.
• Keep it away from direct sunlight and radiators. Both dry the hide and fade the colour, and neither is reversible.
• Do not fold leather for storage, and do not leave it compressed at the back of a full wardrobe. Creases set.
• Empty the pockets before hanging it up. A heavy set of keys left in a pocket for a season will stretch it out of shape.

If it gets wet

Rain is not a disaster. Heat is.

Hang the garment at room temperature, away from any heat source, and let it dry slowly and naturally. Do not use a hairdryer, a radiator, a tumble dryer or a hot car. Fast heat drives the oils out of the hide, which then stiffens and cracks — and unlike a stain, that cannot be undone.

Once it is completely dry, a light application of conditioner restores suppleness. If the leather has darkened in patches while wet, that usually evens out as it dries fully; give it a few days before deciding something is wrong.

Cleaning

For anything beyond a surface mark, use a cleaner who specialises in leather. A standard dry cleaner will often decline leather, and the ones who accept it without hesitating are rarely the ones you want.

Always test any product on a hidden area first — inside a hem, under the collar — and wait for it to dry before doing the rest.

What is normal, and what is a fault

Worth knowing the difference before you worry about either.

• Normal. Variation in grain, shade and texture across a hide and between garments. Slight stretching at the elbows and a softening of the whole garment with wear. A distinct smell when new, which fades. Minor colour transfer from very dark leather onto light clothing in the first few wears.
• Not normal. Stitching that comes away, a zip that fails, lining that tears under normal use, finish that flakes or peels off the surface, hardware that breaks or corrodes quickly.

The second list is a conformity issue and your three-year legal guarantee covers it — see consumer rights. Email us with photographs and we will sort it out; you do not pay postage on a faulty item.

Damage from heat drying, machine washing leather, or a cleaning product used against these instructions is not a manufacturing fault, which is the honest reason this page goes into as much detail as it does.

Made-to-measure and heavier pieces

Everything above applies equally to made-to-measure garments. Because they are cut to you, they are worth a little more care: store them on a proper hanger rather than in a pile, and have them conditioned before storing for a season rather than after.

Questions about a specific garment

If you are not sure what your piece is made of or how to treat a particular mark, ask before experimenting. Tell us the order number and we can look up exactly what it was made from.