Leather Basics 101
You’ve unboxed your go to leather carry piece whether it be something small [like our Tae Card Slip] or something larger like our [Izumi clutch], each piece deserves your love and care.
Each leather accessory you own, will age to its own characteristics over time and is affected by factors such as: the climate where you live, the amount of use of the leather piece, and how you care for it.
The process of your leather piece’s character changing over time is called “patina”. Simply described, patina is the effect the leather shows over time as dirt, contact with your body oils, sunlight and usage will cause it to show darkening, and softing over time.
Thus, naturally with enough wear and tear (and improper care) your beloved leather piece will degrade. Fret not however, there are some recommendations we will suggest to extend the lifetime of your leather.
How to Care for your Leather Piece
Below are some tips we recommend to care for your favourite leather piece:
- Leather originates from an animal hide, thus avoiding over filling/stuffing contents into your leather bag or wallet, will prevent it from permanent over-stretching
- Avoid open sharpie’s, pens/pencils, lipsticks, placed directly into your leather bag or clutch, stains of the sort are unfortunately irreversible for most leather products if the lining cannot be reversed out of the bag
- Especially for those that are everyday users of your favourite leather piece, we would suggest to you to consider using a protective spray on your leather product such as a leather waterproofer/protector spray to combat whatever the climate throws at your leather piece, weather it be the rain or the heat
- Clean your leather piece with a (lightly) damp cloth and if you spot any imperfections, you could rub a very small amount of leather cream/conditioner and massage it into your leather wallet or bag. Applying a leather cream/conditioner to your leather piece will help prevent it from flaking or drying, keeping it soft and velvety to touch
- If your leather bag or wallet becomes wet accidentally, please soak up excess moisture with a dry cloth then let it slowly air dry. Avoid using a hair dryer or speed drying as this will damage the leather’s chemical structure and cause it to crinkle
- In terms of storage, we recommend storing your leather piece in a dust/cloth bag (such as the hemp bags that come with every T&G purchase) or with parchment paper in a cool dry place. Depending on where you live, it may not be possible to control the humidity of the environment, in which case we would recommend to invest in silica gels or moth balls that you can place in your drawers/cabinets (where you will be storing your leather goods) to ensure the environment is dry and cool
- Lastly (but not the very bit least), avoid sharp, abrasive or rough surfaces coming into contact with your leather piece which could leave permanent scratches and to avoid contact with alcohol or other methylated spirits which will damage and dry out the surface of the leather.
Our T&G wallets and bags are made of full-grain, vegetable tanned leather. With care and normal day-to-day use of our products, the leather will develop a natural patina (in comparison to cheaper grade leather does not).
Over time if you see what we have described above where your leather piece has a more softer touch and darkening, this isn’t misuse per se, but rather the patina developing. This is nothing to be afraid of or avoided!
This is what makes every piece of leather product you won unique in its own right! Following the above care tips will only lead to your T&G leather wallet or bag to develop a much more lustrous patina over time.
Applying these leather care tips and your leather piece will serve you well for many years to come.
