Leather and Suede Jacket Care Guide

By J.L. Rocha Collections

Introduction:

Our leathers and suedes are meticulously crafted to develop with time. When you wear and expose your luxury legacy pieces to the elements and usage, a natural oxidation will occur - deepening the colors and definition. This is called a patina: the symbol of high quality vegetable tanned leather. 

This guide will help you maintain and develop your luxury leather and suede jackets for a long and healthy life.

  • We do not recommend you expose your jackets to excessive liquid.

  • We do not recommend use of your jackets in excessive hot or cold weather conditions.

  • Always clean professionally for heavy duty maintenance.

Basic Care Principles:

  • Moisturize your jackets every 6-12 months, utilizing a beeswax, lanolin, or milk oil. We recommend Saphir Renovateur for a blend of all three. Do not over hydrate.

  • We recommend removing dirt and dust from suede products with a suede brush. Utilize bristles for removal, and the soft side for buffing the nap on your suede. Always brush with the grain, do not brush mud unless dry.

  • For minor scuffs and buffs on a leather jacket, conditioning should suffice, cloth cleaning should be done with care utilizing only a damp, not wet, cloth.

  • For hard to remove stains on suede and leather, take your products to your local dry cleaner for a professional leather cleaning.

Leather & Suede Storage

Room Temperature, Away From Sun, Maintain Shape

Optimal Temperature

Leather and suede should be stored at 65°-72° Fahrenheit, around roughly 55% humidity. The optimal temperature for a home is roughly around 40° Fahrenheit, therefore a standard closet should have a positive temperature for your leather or suede if proper finger spacing is maintained.

Moisture Control

We recommend storing your leather or suede jackets with cedar coat hangars. Broad shoulder cedar coat hangars can help keep optimal humidity levels, absorb odors, repel insects and maintain shape of your luxury garment. Closets or storage spaces that are dyer than 55% humidity should utilize finished beechwood hangars coupled with sparing use of cedar blocks.

Maintaining Shape

Maintaining the shape of your jacket is a vital piece of maintenance. While cedar and beechwood hangars can promote appropriate odor and temperature, the correct sizing for hangars is based on your personal size. These are our general recommendations:

  • 15.5" Small Wooden Hangers: Chest sizes 40 and below

  • 17.0" Medium Wooden Hangers: Sizes 41 to 44

  • 18.5" Large Wooden Hangers: Sizes 45 to 48

  • 20.0" Extra-Large Wooden Hangers: Sizes 48+

Jackets should be stored with all fastenings (buttons and zippers) closed.

Conditioning Leather

We recommend moisturizing your leather jacket every 6 to 12 months depending on the following conditions:

  • The exposure to sun both in use and storage.

  • Humidity levels in your environment and during use.

  • Frequency of use.

  • Exposure to excessive heat or cold.

When applying leather conditioner be sure to brush any particulates off with a horsehair brush, apply moisturizing agent evenly, and wipe off excessive moisturizer with a clean microfiber cloth.

Brushing Suede

When using your your suede jackets, stains and usage marks can be removed with a suede eraser and suede brush. We recommend applying minimal pressure and to exercise these methods sparingly, keeping in mind the color of your suede and our organic dyes.

For any stain caused by oils, liquids or food products - we recommend you consult a professional for cleaning.

A message on waterproofing:

J.L. Rocha Collections urges our community to avoid waterproofing your products with any form of chemical solution. Leather contains naturally hydrophobic qualities and when cared for minor exposure to water will not heavily harm your jacket if quickly removed and cared for. Suede should be worn only in suitable conditions without exposure to water.

We highly recommend that any client that still wishes to apply waterproofing agents do so with caution and care - as some solutions may create a change in color variation with our natural dyes.

Final Notes and Outside Resources:

Thank you for reviewing our leather and suede jacket care guide. J.L. Rocha encourages you to allow your jacket to develop with you, care for your legacy piece as you would yourself, and breathe into it the stories that come with your life. Our products are crafted to grow with you with minimal care and moisture needed.

Outside resources:

We have compiled a number of outside sources you can use to determine your best course of action to care for your items. You may review them below: