It gets better with you
Vegetable-tanned leather asks for very little: a soft brush, a balm twice a year, and patience. Here is everything we tell our customers.
Every week
Dust, air and rest
Most of the care a bag needs is simply being used, and given a day off now and then.
- Wipe it with a dry, soft cotton cloth or a horsehair brush.
- Empty it from time to time: pens, keys and coins leave marks from the inside.
- Let it rest a day after a long, heavy day: the leather recovers its shape on its own.
Twice a year
A thin coat of balm
In spring and in autumn, feed the leather. Less is more: too much balm darkens it unevenly.
- Brush off the dust.
- Put a pea-sized drop of neutral beeswax balm on a cotton cloth.
- Work it in with small circles, panel by panel, edges last.
- Leave it overnight, then buff with a clean cloth.
When it rains
Water spots fade
A drop of rain leaves a dark mark on new vegetable-tanned leather. Do not rub it.
- Blot the water gently with a dry cloth.
- Let the piece dry slowly at room temperature, away from radiators and the sun.
- If a mark remains, dampen the whole panel evenly with a barely wet cloth: it will dry to one even tone.
At a glance
Do and don't
Store it stuffed and covered
Fill bags with tissue paper and keep them in the cotton dust bag they came in.
No plastic bags
Leather needs to breathe: plastic traps moisture and can cause mould.
Let the sun do its work, gently
A few weeks near a bright window evens out and deepens the colour of natural leather.
No household cleaners
Alcohol, baby wipes and saddle soap strip the oils from vegetable-tanned leather.
Hang belts, don't roll them tight
A hanging belt keeps its line; a tight roll creases the holes.
No hair dryer
Fast heat dries the leather out and can make it crack.
The patina
Scratches are the story
Light scratches on new leather fade when you rub them with a warm thumb: the oils in the leather close them. Deeper ones become part of the patina within months.
Something wrong?
An open seam, a frayed edge, a loose buckle: don't glue it, send it back to us. Repairs are free, for life.