Skip to content

Cart

Your cart is empty

Article: Leather Care. How To Look After Your M.Hulot Bags.

Leather Care. How To Look After Your M.Hulot Bags.

Leather Care. How To Look After Your M.Hulot Bags.

The enforced pause of the last few years has caused many of us to take stock and appreciate the small things, paying attention to our choices in life and their impact. 

At M.Hulot, we aim to make durable, long lasting bags using top grain veg tanned leather crafted by skilled makers here in the United Kingdom. We love Design and Product and with that comes newness, but we also have a commitment to keep rewearing and reusing. With so many bags sent out at Christmas and into this New Year, I thought now would be a good time to show you the best way to take care of your leather goods and prolong their life.

 

Below are the top tips to keep your leather goods looking great.

1. Waterproof Before Use.

- This stops any nasty watermarks and can also lock in any excess dye that maybe sitting on the surface of your bag.

- We recommend Collonil Organic Protect and Care, but any good quality waterproofer will be fine. This can be used a cross a wide range of leathers, suede and textiles. Be sure to hold the bottle upright and approx 20cm from your leather goods for an even spread, and do not be concerned if your light bag becomes darker- it will dry! Do this at least twice before use for full protection.

2. Get Using!

- Veg Tan leather gets better with age and will darken and ‘shine up’ with use gaining patina and character.

- A bit like a new pair of white trainers, the very light nude leathers can start off almost stark in appearance but will very quickly become peachy and warm in tone.

- Embrace the changes, but if you like a more pristine appearance go for black, navy or the deeper colours.

3. Things to Avoid.

-  For darker coloured leathers, wear only with dark coloured clothing for first few wears while the dye settles.

- Being out in the elements adds to the beautiful, ever changing surface of your bag, but if possible do not leave for long periods in the sun which can bleach the natural dyes.

- If your bag is exposed to rain for a long period, do not put next to an artificial heat source and always leave to dry naturally. Stuff with acid free tissue paper when you get in to maintain its shape.

- Avoid biros which can be hard to remove and indigo denim which may bleed onto your bag.

- Do not machine wash or submerge your bag in water.

4. Clean and nourish your bag.

- Wear and tear can leave your bag looking a bit tired so its good to add some moisture and oils back into the skin, evening out any blemishes or surface scratches.

- Regularly clean your bag using a damp (definitely not wet) cloth to remove any surface dirt. This can also be done to the interior of unlined bags where the leather is more suede like.

- Collonil Vegan Cream contains Carnauba wax and macademia oil to condition and revive. Use a soft cloth and apply sparingly in a circular motion, buffing to a shine when dry. 

7. You can clean buckles and studs.

- We use brass and nickel plated brass hardware, which just like our skins does vary in texture and shine. 

- Occasionally the hardware can tarnish, and as your bag ages you may feel this is in keeping with the look, but if you would like to restore some shine this is easy to do.

- Please do pay particular attention to protect the leather body of the bag and the strap and to rinse the hardware thoroughly afterwards, before drying with a cloth.

-For the brass finish we recommend using Brasso to rub and remove any antiquing.

- For nickel plating, wash with water and soap and then use a vinegar solution, but do not soak.

 6. Store Pieces In Their Dustbag.

- Each M.Hulot piece comes with its own calico dustbag. This allows you to store your bag without attracting dust or dirt. For bags with long straps or handles, tuck these inside to avoid any scratches or damage to the leather.

- Never be tempted to store in plastic. Your bag needs to breath and plastic can cause condensation!

Collonil Organic leather care products, are the latest addition to our website. They are solvent and propellant free and using 90% natural ingredients they appealed to me; the perfect partners for our chrome-free leather goods. As well as prolonging the life of your leather goods, there's something therapeutic about really feeling the substance and handle of the leathers and adding something to nourish and protect. 

Anna

Read more

Show Us How you wear M.Hulot!

Show Us How you wear M.Hulot!

There is nothing I love more than seeing our designs come to life. Send us your M.Hulot pictures to be in with the chance of receiving between 15-20% off your next M.Hulot piece. Scroll down to see...

Read more
Worn By: Corrie Williamson.

Worn By: Corrie Williamson.

After the creative and technical process of designing, sampling and producing products, how I choose to present M.Hulot to the world is one of my favourite parts of the job. A photoshoot is the cu...

Read more