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Accessories can make or break an outfit. A quality leather handbag can never fail to impress. Because of the expense of the materials used (as opposed to their cheaper, man made counterparts) leather bags are made with a high degree of tender loving care. Though the lower end designers will try to convince their market that their plasticky produce is as good as the real thing, the reality is that there is no manmade material to compare with the silky suppleness of buttery leather. A good leather bag may be more expensive to purchase than a replica, but will last a lifetime instead of the few months you can expect from the cheap imported version. Plastic bags will always crack and peel with age. Leather handbags, if cared for propery, only grow better with age, the leather growing softer and more buttery over the years.

How to care for leather bags

You should always use a good quality leather cleaner and conditioner on your bag.  These are readily available online or why not visit your local cobbler for recommendations and advice.  Never be tempted to use regular shoe polish on your bag.  This could rub off onto your clothes with potentially disastrous consequences.  Be sure to read the directions very carefully to ensure the cleaner works for the type of leather your bag is made from.  Suede, for example, requires special care.

Using a white cloth apply just a small amount of leather cleaner.  If you use a coloured cloth, the dye could leach from the cloth into your bag, with disasterous results if your bag is light coloured.  With the cleaner, do a colourfast test on a small area of your bag.  Using a white cloth again helps here to see easily whether the bag’s colour is leaching.  Provided no leaching occurs, continue to clean all of the leather on your handbag, following the product’s directions.  You should ideally clean your handbag once a month and always condition it afterwards to ensure the leather doesn’t become parched and crack.

The procedure of conditioning your handbag is similar to cleaning it.  Use a fresh white cloth, rub gently in small circles and be sure to rub the conditioner in well.  This will keep your bag soft and supple. 

Try to avoid any contact with water.  Leather does not dry out well and could develop water stains.  Ideally, you should store your handbag in a dark, room temperature area.  This will stop the leather fading.  You need to be careful of mould – don’t leave your handbag in an area that’s very cold or store in plastic as this could cause the bag may sweat – if any mould spores are present this will cause damage to occur.  It’s a good idea to keep your bags wrapped in white cotton – a plain old pillowcase will do the job perfectly.  One final tip: just as you shouldn’t store your handbags anywhere too cold, you shouldn’t store them anywhere too hot either.  The heat could cause them to dry out.  Well maintained leather has a degree of moisture – this is how they stay supple.