Caring for Your Leather: A Lifetime of Use

When your piece first arrives, it is still finding its rhythm with you. These early months are when the leather is most alive, most ready to shape itself to your life.

• Skip conditioners at first: Our leather arrives naturally nourished from the tanning process and doesn’t need added oils or waxes right away. Over-conditioning too soon can clog the grain and flatten its natural texture.
  

• Avoid prolonged water exposure: A little rain won’t hurt, but don’t leave your bag in damp conditions for hours. If it does get wet, pat dry with a soft cloth and allow it to air-dry naturally
  

• Rotate use if possible: Switching between bags lets each one rest and breathe, slowing wear patterns and deepening even patina development.

After six to twelve months, your bag has grown familiar with your life. This is the moment to begin a ritual of care.

• Choose the right product: Use a pH-balanced leather conditioner that’s free from silicones and petroleum derivatives. Natural balm or cream is best for vegetable-tanned leather.

• Less is more: Apply sparingly with a soft cloth, working in light circular motions. Let it absorb fully before buffing off any excess.

• Frequency:Once or twice a year is usually enough unless your bag is exposed to extreme dryness, heat, or heavy use.

Patina is where the poetry of leather begins. It is not decoration, but transformation.

• Sunlight deepens colour, giving warm, golden undertones.


• Touch and handling smooth high-contact areas into a subtle sheen.

• Time darkens edges and corners into a soft gradient unique to you.

The more you carry your bag, the richer and more personal its patina becomes. No two bags will ever age alike because no two lives are alike.

Even the strongest leather asks for a little wisdom in return.

1. Storing in plastic: Leather needs to breathe. Store in the dust cover provided or a natural-fabric bag.
   
2. Direct heat: Don’t use hairdryers or heaters to dry leather; it can cause cracking.
   
3. Harsh cleaners: Household sprays, alcohol wipes, and detergents will strip oils and damage the surface.
   
4. Overloading: While strong, leather can stretch if overloaded for long periods.
   
5. Ignoring spills: Wipe them gently as soon as possible with a dry, soft cloth.
   
   

Your bag will meet many seasons. Here’s how to walk through them together:

• Summer: Protect from prolonged direct sunlight to avoid uneven fading. Light conditioning may help offset dry heat.
  
• Winter: If exposed to rain, always dry naturally. Keep away from heaters.
  
• Humid climates: Store with a small sachet of silica gel to reduce moisture build-up.
  
• Dry climates: Condition once a year to keep leather supple.
  
  

Leather care isn’t about preserving perfection. It’s about allowing time to shape it well. Every crease is a journey, every shade shift a memory.

When you carry Republic of Florence, you carry something designed not just to last, but to live through seasons, through years, through you.

• The Art of Vegetable Tanning: A deeper look into how our leather is made.
• Why Leather is the Ultimate Gift: Why it means more to give something made to last.