Caring for leather, season by season

Good leather is a natural material, and it asks for a small amount of regular care rather than occasional rescue. This routine takes less than twenty minutes a season.

Spring: clean and condition

After winter, wipe the bag with a barely damp, soft cloth to lift dust and salt. Let it dry naturally, away from heaters and direct sun. Then apply a pea-sized amount of leather conditioner with a clean cloth, working in small circles. Buff lightly. Do this on smooth and grained leather alike; skip it for suede.

Summer: protect from heat and light

Heat dries leather and sun fades colour. Avoid leaving a bag on a car seat or window ledge, and store it in its dust bag when you are not using it. Sweaty hands can darken light handles, so wipe them down after long days out.

Autumn: prepare for rain

Rain leaves marks on smooth leather if it dries unevenly. A light protective spray applied in a ventilated room, tested on an inside seam first, helps. If a bag does get wet, blot it, stuff it with clean paper to hold its shape and let it dry slowly at room temperature.

Winter: store properly

Fill the bag lightly with acid-free tissue so it keeps its form, close the zips, and keep it upright in the dust bag, never in plastic. Leather needs to breathe.

Everyday habits

• Do not overload the bag: strain at the handle joins is the most common cause of wear.
• Keep pens, makeup and keys in pouches inside the bag.
• Rotate between bags so none carries the weight every day.
• For deep stains, a professional leather cleaner is safer than home remedies.

Leather that is cared for does not just last longer; it develops a depth of colour that new leather cannot imitate.