Before you buy

About leather

Leather may stain

Dyed leather may stain! Be wary of wearing a new dark leather belt with brightly coloured pants. You can also expect that bills and cards take on a little bit of colour if they stay in your card holder for a long time. Not all leathers will stain and I attempt to finish all my leather goods to minimize staining, but if you want to limit the risk, only purchase items that are the colour “Natural” – This means that the leather either hasn’t been dyed or only has a light dye from the tannery.

Leather is a natural product

As everyone knows, leather is a natural product and it comes with a set of unique properties. Most of these properties are sought after – wear resistance, subtleness, texture – but others not so much like scaring and blemishes. Leather used for my products will sometimes feature scaring prominently, as it’s part of the leather. I even run a product line specifically focusing on the raw look of unfinished leather. Whenever products feature scaring or blemishes, images of the product will clearly show these so you can best choose what you think looks good in a leather product.

Leather ages with time and use

Almost all real leather darkens with time and use. A light vegetable tanned leather will with enough time and wear adopt a full and beautiful dark brown colour. For many people the aged beauty of leather is one of the big reasons they choose this material. Unfortunately for those who don’t appreciate this feature, it’s unavoidable. Even a leather dyed dark brown will turn darker over time.

Leather needs care

All leathers needs to be maintained and cared for regularly in order to ensure a long life. Based on environment and use the frequency of care will differ. A nice pair of leather shoes worn daily should be treated with leather care products weekly or bi-weekly. Items used less frequently and in less harsh environments may not need maintenance nearly as often. Lastly, products that you would handle daily, like cardholders or wallets may not need any maintenance due to the natural oils from your skin penetrating into the leather and providing the needed care all on its own.
If in doubt, simply feel the leather. If it feels stiff or dry to the touch, it won’t hurt treating it with a care product.
You can use off-the-shelf oils and waxes made for leather conditioning. I always look for care products that contain coconut oil and beeswax. These are really some of the best things you can apply to your leather in order to ensure that it is properly moisturised and protected from dirt, dust and water.