Caring For Your Leather During Winter Weather and Beyond

 

You don’t have to check out a fashion show runway this season in New York or Paris to know that leather is in style.  Not only is it in style, but its imitations are too. Even supermodel Tyra Banks sported a pair of red imitation leather pants on a recent Oprah Winfrey Show, calling the newly popular textile “pleather.”

What makes leather such an appealing component of various garments like pants, skirts, shorts, and even shirts, and what exactly is leather anyway?  The answer to its appeal may lie in the material’s durability and sleekness.  Or maybe it’s the fact that leather is nature’s own non-woven fabric made from the skins and hides of animals.  Surely that are as many reasons for its popularity as there are wearers.  Describing what leather is a little easier.

                           Leather 101  

            Leather has a very complex fiber structure that’s also three-dimensional.  The first or top layer is known as the grain layer and it usually holds the hair or wool of the animal.  The second layer controls the leather’s physical characteristics and the bottom layer is called the flesh layer. which is scratched or shaved in a way to produce suede.  The whole preserving process is known as tanning and done by a tanner who tries to create a uniform material from a no-so-uniform product.  And because leather is a natural textile, it possesses what some perceive as imperfection or defects.  If this is a concern for you, be sure to look for close-matching colors and textures between pieces of the garment when you’ve decided to invest in leather or suede.

            Sheepskin is most commonly used for leather clothing because it is not very thick and is easier to work with, but goat, cowhide, pigskin, and calf are also used for various garments depending on clothing and type.  

The Big Purchase  

            You’ve decided to get a little trendy and indulge yourself in a pair of leather pants.  Since your purchase won’t be a cheap affair, you probably want to make sure you’re getting the most for your money so be sure you:

·       Buy from a reputable retailer

·       Read and save any information that comes with your leather, like care instructions.

·       Look for matching colors and textures in the panels of the slacks.

·       And please, whatever you do, don’t get those pants too tight.  You may not be able to fit into them after drycleaning because some relaxation shrinkage is inevitable.

  Maintaining and Cleaning

              Keeping your investment looking its best is as important as the actual purchase.   By knowing how to take proper care of your leather or suede, you’re sure to get long life from it and more importantly, your money’s worth out of it.  Keep these were and care tips in mind:

 

   ·       Store your leather in a cool, well-ventilated place because it can dry out if exposed to dry heat or mildew.

   ·       Wear a scarf to protect the collar area from perspiration, hair tonics, and body oils.

   ·       If your garment gets wet, let it air-dry away from heat

   ·       Take your leather or suede to a professional cleaner as soon as you can if you get a stain on it.

 

When you take your garment to a professional leather and suede cleaner, be sure you point out the stains and provide the cleaner with the information that came with the garment.  If you spill anything acidic like soda or fruit juice, immediately bring your garment to the cleaner who should be able to flush the residue form the skin.  As with any material, if you wait too long to have it cleaned after soiling and the stain has set, it may not be removed safely.  If the cleaner has any questions about cleanability, you may be asked to sign a consent form before cleaning.

After the Cleaning

     Even  though leather and suede cleaning technologies are constantly improving, there will almost always be some changes to your garment after the process.  To give you an idea of the kinds of changes you may see after the cleaning process, check out this list:

·   Variations among the garment’s sections.  Leather garments are made from skins taken from various parts of the animal and usually from several different animals.  Even though the manufacturer tries to match the skins as uniformly as possible, even the best matching may still show some variance in texture, weight, and color uniformity.  All of these conditions may be accentuated after cleaning.

·  Loss of Color.  Be prepared for a slight variance in the depth of color after cleaning because skins from different parts of an animal may have different colorfastness.  Also, some leather dyes my be soluble in drycleaing solvent, resulting in overall color loss and variance with re-dyeing.

·  Loss of oils.  During cleaning, some of the oils used in the tanning process to keep leather supple may also be lost.  Professional leather cleaners have special additives to restore suppleness, but there still may be some change in the feel of the texture.

·  Scar tissue and vein marks.  Tanners often use fillers before dyeing to mask scar tissue or imperfections on the leather.  Cleaning may remove some of those fillers causing the defects to be visible again.

·  Wrinkles.  Skins taken from certain parts of an animal are naturally wrinkled and have been stretched during manufacturing to achieve a smooth appearance.  The agitation of cleaning can relax the leather, accentuating the wrinkles

·  Texture and shading changes.  Manufacturers sometimes combine a smoother skin with a coarser-textured skin and cleaning can make this more noticeable.  Different textures may also vary in how well they absorb the fat liquors and additives in the cleaning process, resulting in some areas being darker that others.  It is a natural phenomenon that is beyond the cleaner’s control.

·  Shrinkage.  Although some shrinkage is likely to occur over time as the skins relax, cleaning may heighten the process.  As you wear your garment, it should loosen up a bit and not feel so snug.  If the skins have been overstretched during manufacturing, they may relax permanently.

·  Damage to thin skins.  Some skins are extremely thin and too fragile for use in apparel and tend to wear exceptionally fast even with normal usage.  The agitation of cleaning will worsen the damage of the skins even more.

·  Stains from adhesives.  Adhesives used to glue seams, hems, and other areas may not be solvent-resistant and when the glues do not dissolve completely, they may seep through the leather and cause stains and dark areas on the garment.

·  Leather trim bleeding and transfer.  Leather buttons and piping on fabric items sometimes cause problems by bleeding and transferring colors into the adjacent fabrics.  All attached trim should be able to withstand the care method on the label.  If this happens, the item should me returned to the retailer.  A drycleaner may choose not to accept a leather-trimmed garment if tests for colorfastness show that the leather dye may bleed or transfer onto the fabric portion of the garment.

·  Oxidation.  Exposure to light and atmospheric gases can cause leather dyes to oxidize over time.  Protected or unexposed areas, such as under the collar or inside labels, will retain more of the original color.

  The Problem with Imposters

            Imitation leather and suede are produced  in a number of ways and are sometimes difficult to distinguish from the real thing.  You may have heard them called pleather, leatherett, or just faux leather.  Most are coated with vinyl or urethane based films while others are made to look like suede.  These coatings and imitations are likely to be vulnerable to self-sticking, blistering, puckering or stiffening in drycleaning so be sure you read and keep the garment’s instructions for best results.