A leather jacket lasts for decades if you look after it, and falls apart in a few years if you don’t. The routine is simple: keep it clean, keep it conditioned, and store it properly. Here’s exactly how.
Cleaning
Wipe the jacket down with a soft, dry cloth after each wear to remove dust and surface dirt. For a light mark, use a cloth barely dampened with water and wipe in one direction, then let it air dry away from heat. Never scrub a stain; that pushes it deeper into the grain.
For oil, grease or a deeper stain, do not use soap or a household cleaner. Most will strip the leather’s natural oils or leave a dull patch. Take it to a leather specialist, or use a cleaner made specifically for the leather type, since lambskin, suede and smooth cowhide all need different products.
Conditioning
Leather dries out over time, especially with heat, sun and regular wear, and dry leather cracks. Condition the jacket two or three times a year with a proper leather conditioner: apply a small amount to a clean cloth, work it in with light circular motions, then leave it to absorb for a few hours before wearing the jacket again. Test on an inside seam first if you are using a new product.
Suede and nubuck are the exception. They are not conditioned with oil based products; use a suede brush to lift the nap and a dedicated suede protector spray instead.
Drying it out if it gets wet
Light rain will not damage leather. Wipe it down when you get in, hang it on a wide, rounded hanger, and let it air dry at room temperature, away from a radiator, heater or direct sun. Drying leather too fast makes it stiff and can cause it to crack. Once dry, condition it to replace any oils lost in the process.
Storage
Always store a leather jacket on a wide, sturdy hanger, never folded over a hook or crushed in a drawer, so the shoulders keep their shape. Use a breathable cotton garment bag rather than plastic; plastic traps moisture and can cause mildew or discoloration over a season. Keep it out of direct sunlight, which fades and dries the leather, and out of damp basements or attics.
What shortens a jacket’s life
- Machine washing or dry cleaning with regular clothes
- Direct heat: radiators, tumble dryers, car dashboards in summer
- Long term storage in plastic
- Ironing, since leather cannot take direct heat the way fabric can
Do this consistently and a well made leather jacket easily outlasts anything else in your wardrobe. Browse our men’s and women’s leather jackets, each made from full grain or top grain hide built to take this kind of care.