So, you've invested in your dream leather handbag and used it day in and day out for several years. As a result, it now looks more 'deathly' than designer. Whether it's got cracks, scratches or dullness your leather goods - be it a passport holder or wallet - deserve to be looking their best.
To find out how to be look after your leather goods, we spoke to Aspinal of London's Creative Director Mariya Dykalo to find out whether you can repair leather and how to do it at home.
How can you tell your leather needs to be repaired?
'Leather is a natural, porous material with the capability of changing with wear over time. It's common to experience signs of change in your favourite leather handbag - often the leather becoming softer, creased or stretched,' notes Dykalo.
'The leather used to create luxury pieces is the finest quality, extremely soft and beautifully finished. The softness of luxury leather does mean it is more delicate, and should therefore be treated with a higher level of care.
'Minor damage to leather can occur through general wear and tear, from scuffs, scratches or marks. It's also common for older leathers to crack after becoming too dry following years without proper care.
'If you begin to notice your leather items are showing visible damage, discolouring or breakages within the stitching it’s time to think about repairing your investment.'
Do different leather items need repairing in different ways?
'Yes, both different leather products and different leather finishes will each show wear and tear, and therefore will need repairing using different methods,' says Dykalo.
'Leather handbags are worn on the outer body, which can mean they take on bumps and scratches. They also take the weight of our daily lives, laptops, gym kits and everything in-between, this constant heavy weight can result in stretching or misshapen leather pieces.
'Leather purses face a similar risk of stretching so it's important to choose the right size to reflect your needs and avoid overfilling. Our purses take such heavy use and can quickly soften, scratch or imprint with wear so we would always recommend storing your purse in the zip compartment or zip pocket lining of your handbag to prevent unnecessary scratches from your keys, for example.
'Patent leather finished products can sometimes become slightly duller in areas which receive high usage or "touch" points, especially if the patent comes into contact with different chemicals such as perfume or hand cream.
'A vegetable tan leather will mark more easily than a chrome tan leather, and a smooth leather finish is more prone to scratching than a pebble or croc print finish.'
What is the best method for repairing leather at home?
Different repairs need different methods, but we found the below YouTube tutorials help to solve a couple of different problems.
If you have a small rip or hole in your leather item, and feel confident in your DIY skills:
If the stitching on your leather item has come loose and you are a confident sewer:
Either way, any at-home leather repair must begin with leather cleaner, and end with leather protection cream.
Dykalo tells ELLE UK: 'Never use water or general at home cleaning products to clean your bag, these are likely to contain chemicals and oils which could result in further staining or discolouring of your leather.'
How to clean and protect leather?
- 'As with any at home treatment, we’d always recommend a test patch on an unseen part of your item first, as different leather finishes and colours can react differently.
- 'Shake the bottle of leather cleaner and spray onto the cloth, work into the leather using a circular motion. The cleaner will absorb any dirt lifted from the leather.
- 'Wipe away the excess cleaner.
- 'To apply the cream, rub sparingly into the leather and leave for 10 minutes.
- 'Finally, buff with a clean cloth to restore the lustre and smooth over any marks or scuffs.'
How to protect your leather goods?
'Though some minor repairs can be done at home, we would always advise prevention is the first step to maintaining the best finish, and longest lifespan for your leather pieces,' advises Dykalo.
What You Need To Repair Leather
JUAYING 33 Pieces Leather Sewing Kit
Evo-Stik Bostik Leather Adhesive Glue
'There are some methods you can do at home to keep any damage to a minimum, and hopefully avoid major repairs altogether.:
- 'Cleaning at home every six to nine months will avoid a build-up of dirt and marks, followed by treatments of protection cream to keep the leather supple, avoiding cracks and repairing minor scuffs.
- 'We would also recommend avoiding placing your handbag on the floor, instead investing in a handbag hook which latches onto a table or bar.
- 'When you first buy a new handbag or luxury leather item, they should come filled with acid-free tissue paper and enclosed within a dust bag – it’s a good idea to keep both of these safe. On the days when you are not wearing your leather or if you are planning to keep in storage, keeping the item filled will help maintain the silhouette by preventing any squashing or folding, which of which will soften the leather and cause premature wear.
- 'You should store your leather away from direct sunlight and heat, ideally, within the original dust bag your leather item came in as these dust bags are often cut to the right size to avoid squashing. If you no longer have the original dust bag, a white cotton pillowcase makes an ideal substitute.
- 'Like perfume, hand sanitiser is an alcoholic liquid which can strip your leather items of their finishes, leather handbag handles and closures are most likely to be worst affected. We would recommend keeping a close eye on leather items you handle with your hands, trying to identify signs of damage at an early stage and treating this with a leather cleaner and protection cream to create a barrier and replenish the moisture.
- 'Rainwater is not good for your leather items...try to avoid rain splashes as much as possible by carrying an umbrella with you and keeping your leather item well covered. If the leather does get wet, dab or blot the leather first with a clean cloth to try and absorb the excess moisture and buff the hardware to avoid any dulling. Then allow the bag to dry naturally in a warm, dry room.
- 'Try not to overfill fill, or squeeze too much into your leather handbags. They are designed to be robust and carry significant weight, however, overfilling will lead to the leather stretching and result in a misshapen handbag plus risk the stitching to come loose or rip.
- 'If you are travelling and need to pack your leather handbags within your luggage, it is advisable to choose a style which has flexibility, that you can easily layer within the luggage. If you do wish to pack your favourite structured handbags safely to avoid any damage throughout the journey, we would advise filling the pace of the bag with small, soft items such as scarves, socks or bikinis. And pack your leather bag within the dust bag to add a protective layer around the leather.'
If people don't want to repair their leather at home, can you recommend any services?
Dykalo says: 'If you don’t want to repair or treat your handbag at home, we would recommend first checking with the designer of your handbag if they offer a repairs service.
'Aspinal of London has a dedicated Repairs Team on hand to repair any wear and tear or breakages, both minor and comprehensive repairs. We have a close relationship with our artisan manufacturers, who will have the leather, edge paint and thread the item was created with, therefore can achieve repairs which look like new. There have been cases where we have repaired leather items that are 20 plus years old.'
'There are also some are some incredible services such as The Handbag Clinic, who have amazing experienced in restoring many different handbag and shoe brands. They cover minor repairs such as cleaning, protection, hardware and stitching to more serious restoration.
'Leather restoration services can be expensive, especially if you wear your leather items on a daily basis, treatments and protection may add up. Often, serious cases of damage can be avoided by taking extra steps to care for your favourite leather piece at home – prevention is the key.'
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