Leather has been used for centuries in the production of garments, shoes, bags, and accessories. It is a living material that evolves over time. It might be quite tricky to properly take care of this particular material, mainly because it ages so unique from others. Classified by type of leather, I will give you tips to take care of your leather bags to age in the best conditions.

I am Clara, and I was born in a craftsman/woman family. Since 1927, my family and our team have made handmade leather sandals in our workshop in Saint-Tropez (France). Maybe you have heard about it. “L’Atelier Rondini” is the oldest house in Saint-Tropez making the French Tropéziennes sandals. Leather has, therefore, no secret for me. 

The beautiful thing about good quality leather is its way of aging beautifully over time. It does make a secondhand purchase possible and attractive. So when you take care of your leather items, it brings to it more value. For my eyes, leather beautifies day after day. Seeing time pass on your good quality and well-kept leather is fantastic. Edges are softening, and colors are fading, bringing more character to the piece. For example, let’s take a full-grain leather bag like Kaia Handbag by Yves Saint-Laurent in brown gold leather. With time, this leather will take on a beautiful patina. It is quite funny, even our clients are sometimes requesting to have “old” leather already. Indeed, the color it gets over time thanks to the patina (predominantly brown/natural leather) becomes exquisite.  

So let’s talk now about leather care!

Is your bag in smooth / box leather? 

For smooth or box leather, I would advise you to use nourishing leather cream. I recommend Saphir and Famaco, the two best French brands in terms of leather care. The Saphir universal cream polish is great, but if you are looking for the best cream quality, I suggest the Napa cream by Saphir Médaille d’Or.

How to use the cream? 

Firstly, test it on your leather bag’s hidden area to check the cream’s reaction to the leather. If the result is satisfactory, apply the cream evenly to all straps. It is an all-in-one care product for cleaning, shining, and protecting. Very efficient.

Is your bag in metalized leather? 

It will undoubtedly need extra attention. To keep its shiny aspect, you should avoid bringing it on the beach (metalized leather and sand are definitely not very good friends). Also, avoid contact with beauty creams, after-sun oils, and mosquito spray on this leather. You can also use nourishing leather cream, but be careful with the cream quality; metalized leather is very delicate. 

Is your bag in suede leather/suede/nubuck? 

This is leather whose grain has been very finely sanded. Do not hesitate to waterproof the leather regularly to protect it. If the leather has been stained, you can use a foam cleaner for this leather type, sometimes also called “shampoo”. It will be available at your cobbler’s or you can see it on Famaco or Saphir’s website. You can also use a simple crepe brush to remove stains.

Finally, the nourishing leather cream is to apply depending on your use of the bag. Every time you see the leather losing its shining aspect, you can apply the cream, but be careful, using it too much won’t be adequate.

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