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Get these five right and leather mostly looks after itself. Everything below is detail.
Lambskin, cowhide and sheepskin behave differently. Check your product page if you are unsure.
Thin, soft and the most delicate of the three. Used in our dresses, tops, blazers, trousers and loungewear.
Thicker, firmer and considerably more durable. Used in our biker jackets, coats, pencil skirts, belts and bags.
Hide on one side, wool on the other. Used in our aviator jackets and shearling coats.
| Garment | What it needs |
|---|---|
| Jackets & coats | Hang on a wide padded hanger, never folded. Empty the pockets — weight distorts the shape permanently. |
| Dresses | Hang, never fold. Support the shoulders. A dress bag in cotton, not plastic. |
| Skirts & trousers | Hang from a padded clip bar at the waistband rather than folding over a rail. |
| Corsets & bustiers | Store flat or hung, never compressed. Air after wearing before putting away. |
| Tops & bodysuits | Hang. Lambskin creases easily and creases in leather set permanently. |
| Bags | Stuff with tissue to hold the shape. Store in the dust bag, upright, never stacked under weight. |
| Belts | Roll loosely or hang. Folding cracks the grain at the fold. |
| Gloves | Lay flat. Reshape while slightly damp if they get wet. |
Rain, marks, creases, mould and smell. What to do, and what never to do.
Blot with a dry cloth — press, don’t rub. Hang at room temperature away from any heat source and let it dry naturally. Condition once fully dry, because water draws oil out as it evaporates.
If it was sea water, wipe first with a cloth barely dampened in fresh water. Salt left in leather stiffens it.
Start with the gentlest thing that might work. A barely damp cloth handles most everyday marks. If that fails, use a leather cleaner made for garment leather and test it somewhere hidden first.
Oil and grease are different, cover with cornflour, leave several hours, then brush away gently. Never use water on an oil mark
Hang it in a steamy bathroom for twenty minutes and let the creases gently relax on their own. Gravity does most of the work. If you must iron, use the lowest setting, no steam, and a cotton cloth between the iron and the leather. Keep it moving. Never let an iron rest on leather, even briefly.
Take it outside before you touch it, so you are not releasing spores indoors. Brush the mould off with a dry cloth, then wipe it with a cloth dampened in weak white vinegar and water. Dry completely, then condition. Then fix the storage, or it comes back. Mould means the garment was stored damp without airflow.
Air it outdoors in shade for a full day. Do not spray perfume or deodoriser directly onto leather — it stains, and it does not address the cause. For persistent smells, leave an open container of baking soda in the wardrobe beside the garment for a week or two. Never seal it in plastic while airing.
More leather is damaged in storage than in wear. This is where care counts.
Most damage happens in storage, not in wear.
New Zealand’s coastal humidity, damp housing stock and unusually strong UV all make storage harder here than in most countries. Our New Zealand leather care guide covers what that means in practice.
Every one of these causes damage that cannot be undone. Worth reading through once.
Every six months for most garments, or every four if you live near the coast or wear the piece often in sun. Conditioning replaces the oils that heat, water and ultraviolet light strip out, preventing cracking that cannot be repaired.
No, never machine wash leather on any setting, and never tumble dry it. Wipe any marks with a barely damp cloth and let it air dry away from heat. For anything more, use a cleaner made specifically for garment leather.
Nothing, provided you blot it dry with a cloth and let it air dry at room temperature. The damage comes from drying it quickly with heat, which cracks it, or storing it damp, which causes mould. Condition it once dry.
Nothing, provided you blot it dry with a cloth and let it air dry at room temperature. The damage comes from drying it quickly with heat, which cracks it, or storing it damp, which causes mould. Condition it once dry.
Hang it in a steamy bathroom for twenty minutes and let the creases relax on their own. If you must iron, use the lowest setting with no steam, a cotton cloth between the iron and the leather, and keep moving.
Only to one that specialises in leather. A standard dry cleaning process can strip the finish and stiffen the hide permanently, and most ordinary dry cleaners will not accept liability for damage to leather garments. Ask before you leave it.
Slightly, and usually only at first. Conditioner absorbs over a day or two and the colour settles back. Applying too much causes uneven darkening, so use a small amount and buff off any excess with a clean soft dry cloth.
Cowhide is firm when new and needs wearing in. Two to three weeks of regular wear softens it as the hide warms and moulds to your shoulders. That break-in period is why the jacket lasts for decades rather than seasons.
Leather softens and moulds to your shape with wear, particularly at the elbow, knee and hip, but it does not gain or lose a size. Heat and improper drying can shrink and stiffen it permanently, which cannot be reversed afterwards.
Looked after properly, a full-grain leather garment lasts decades rather than seasons. Leather improves under wear, developing a patina instead of thinning or wearing through. Conditioning twice yearly and storing it correctly decide whether that is ten years or thirty.
Every EXODUS piece is cut to order, so we can’t take change-of-mind returns. That makes fit worth getting right before anything is cut, not after.
Send us your measurements and tell us what you’re looking at. We’ll check them against that style and come back within one working day — with anything that looks off, and what we’d recommend instead.
