Leather care is mostly about doing less than you think. Most of the bags that come back to us damaged were over conditioned, dried on a radiator or stored badly. Very few were worn out.

The routine

Weekly, if you think of it. Brush off dust with a soft cloth or a horsehair brush. On black and pebbled bags this does more than anything else.

Two or three times a year. Apply a small amount of neutral leather conditioner with a cloth, in thin coats, over the whole bag including the base and the back of the straps. Let it sit twenty minutes and buff off the excess. More often than this and you soften the fibres until the bag loses its shape.

Never. Saddle soap on a finished bag, baby wipes, olive oil, silicone sprays, or anything labelled as a cleaner that foams.

Water

Blot it, do not rub it, with a dry cloth. Let it dry at room temperature away from any heat source. A heat source is what causes cracking, not the water. If it leaves a tide mark, lightly dampen the whole panel evenly with a barely wet cloth and let it dry again, which usually evens it out. On vegetable tanned leather some marking is permanent and becomes part of the patina.

Stains

Ink. Act immediately, blot, do not rub. After a few hours it is permanent on unfinished leather. Do not use alcohol, which strips the finish and leaves a pale patch worse than the ink.

Oil or grease. Cover with cornflour, leave overnight, brush off. Repeat. Do not apply water.

Salt from winter roads. Wipe with a cloth barely damped in a 50/50 water and white vinegar mix, then condition once dry.

Storage, where most damage happens

Stuff the bag loosely with acid free tissue or a clean t shirt so it holds shape. Put it in the cotton dust bag it came in. Store upright on a shelf, never hanging from a hook, which stretches the strap and creases the body. Never in plastic, which traps moisture and grows mould. Never in a hot loft or a damp basement.

When to get it repaired rather than replaced

Stitching that has come undone, a strap that has stretched, a zip that has failed and edge paint that has chipped are all repairable, usually for a fraction of a new bag. A lining that has worn through is repairable but fiddly. Leather that has genuinely cracked through, from heat, is not. Our stitching warranty covers the first of those for life.