Care Instructions

Graphic leather, and how it lives

Graphic images are embedded IN the leather using our super secret process. Think of it like a tattoo in leather: the art is part of the hide, not a layer sitting on top of it.

Because the art is in the leather, it ages with the leather. Leather naturally oxidizes and darkens over the years, the way a good pair of brown boots or a leather jacket does. The colors in your images darken right along with it, proportionally, so the design and the piece always look like they belong together.

Leather creases where it bends, and the more you use a piece, the more creases it earns. On a graphic design those creases can show a little more than they would on plain leather. Give it time to break in. The creases settle into the character of the piece.

Every graphic leather piece gets three coats of our proprietary sealant, which makes the leather scratch and water resistant and keeps it strong. Even so, leather and water aren't friends. Water is one of the biggest causes of damage to leather, so each product tab here starts with what to do when yours gets wet.

Belt life and care instructions:

Like any belt, you will see more wear in the middle where it curves to your body and where the buckle connects to the leather when cinched. Belts that don't curve to your body generally have a synthetic core. Our belts are 100% natural full-grain leather. No split leather, no composite leather.

If your belt gets wet

• Slightly wet: wipe it off with a clean cloth.
• Soaking wet: Do not wear it while wet. Lay it flat to dry. Do not apply heat.
• Dirty: Use a lightly damp soft cloth to wipe away dirt. Let it air dry.

Bison leather belts

Bison leather: shrunken bison has a deep, luxurious grain, and the tanning that creates that grain also leaves the hide stretchy, which is normally not ideal for a belt. So we back every bison belt with 2/3 oz veg-tanned leather, glued and stitched, which keeps it strong while it curves to your body. The smooth finish develops a beautiful gloss as it ages.

Chestnut and Quarter Tan belts

These are hot wax stuffed bridle leather: a clean finish that quickly develops a patina as it is used and ages. Expect it to scratch easily and develop a lot of character. This is not a leather you treat nicely. Throw it around and watch it become your favorite belt. A leather balm evens out its age and deepens its color.

Embossed belts

The emboss: the design is seared into the leather with heat and pressure, a few tons of it at about 400 degrees, so it sits in the hide rather than on top of it. Over time, where the belt bends and where it rubs against the buckle and your belt loops, the emboss will wear down a little and the finer details soften. That is the leather living with you, not a flaw.

The black, chestnut and quarter tan embossed belts are hot wax stuffed bridle leather and age the same way as above. The Blood Thirsty red belts are a slightly thinner veg-tanned leather, so they break in a little faster, and two coats of our proprietary protective coating give them their luster.

Foil embossed belts (Shogun, Dark Knight, Silver Mine): the foil is locked in with two extra coats of our proprietary protective coating. It is tough, but it wears harder with abrasion than plain leather, so expect the most wear where the buckle meets the leather.

Handbag life and care instructions:

Should anything befall your handbag, email us with photos and a description of the issue. Nearly anything besides cut leather can be repaired. We've seen locks run over by cars that were easily replaced.

If your bag gets wet

• Slightly wet: wipe it off with a clean cloth.
• Soaking wet: Do not carry it while wet. Fill the bag loosely with clean crumpled paper to hold its shape, leave it unlocked with the flap resting naturally, and let it dry completely. Do not apply heat. The leather will darken a bit.
• Dirty: Use a lightly damp soft cloth to wipe away dirt. Let it air dry.

Graphic leather handbags

Made of natural veg-tanned leather from Brazil and Pennsylvania, with the images embedded in the leather in our workshop using our super secret process. Veg-tanned leather is a very natural form of leather, created with tannins from vegetable matter such as tree bark. See the Graphic Leather tab for how it ages.

Bison leather handbags

Made of American bison, tanned in Mexico. Little is needed to protect this leather. If you would like to use a product, we suggest a leather protective balm.

Embossed leather handbags

Made of imported embossed Italian leather. The pattern is pressed into the hide with heat and pressure, and where the bag flexes and rubs it will wear down a little over the years. Little is needed to protect this leather; a leather protective balm is fine if you want one.

Suede leather handbags

Made of imported embossed Italian suede. Suede is a very delicate and beautiful form of leather that is susceptible to water, dirt and oils. Apply a suede protective spray when your handbag arrives, and when suede gets dirty, use a suede cleaning product instead of a damp cloth.

Wallet life and care instructions:

Let your body heat soften the leather.

The card pocket on your wallet will form around the amount of cards you stuff in the pocket. That pocket can hold a lot of cards, but please form the leather slowly. Day 1, 1–2 cards; Day 5, card 3; Day 10, card 4, and so on. Break it in slowly. No chemicals needed. As you carry it in your pocket, the heat from your body will do the work slowly and properly.

If your wallet gets wet

• Slightly wet: wipe it off with a clean cloth.
• Soaking wet: Do not use it while wet. Remove everything from the wallet and lay it flat to dry. Do not apply heat.
• Dirty: Use a lightly damp soft cloth to wipe away dirt. Let it air dry.

Stretched the card pocket? How to shrink it a little

Should you stretch out the card pocket with too many cards, follow these steps, at your own risk, to shrink the leather a little:

1. Remove all cards.
2. Lightly dampen a paper towel with water and fold it into a rectangle approximately the size of the card pocket.
3. Place the damp paper towel in the empty card pocket. Let the leather soak up the water for 5–10 minutes.
4. Remove the paper towel and place the wallet in a window to get a little sunlight heat, ID pocket facing the light.
5. Allow the leather to dry fully.
6. Repeat as many times as needed.

There is always a chance you abused your wallet too much and it won't shrink as much as you'd like. This process can usually make a wallet 1–3 cards tighter. If you are not seeing the results you would like, try a little more water on the paper towel and a warmer spot in your home. Too much water will discolor the leather. Too much heat will distort the leather.

Guitar strap life and care instructions:

Let your body heat and normal use break in your guitar strap.

If your strap gets wet

• Slightly wet: wipe it off with a clean cloth.
• Soaking wet: Do not use it while wet. Remove the adjustment strap from the main strap and lay both flat to dry. Do not apply heat.
• Dirty: Use a lightly damp soft cloth to wipe away dirt. Let it air dry.

Embossed and foil embossed straps

The design is seared into the leather with heat and pressure, so it sits in the hide rather than on top of it. Where the strap bends and rubs, the emboss will wear down a little over the years. Foil is locked in with two coats of our proprietary protective coating; it is tough, but it wears harder with abrasion than plain leather. Apply a leather balm if the leather looks dry.

Leather dog collars

Dogs are much harder on leather than humans. Neck scratching, other dogs biting the collar in play, getting rained on, your dog jumping in a lake… we make our collars tough, but your dog is wilder than you imagine.

If your collar gets wet

• Slightly wet: wipe it off with a clean cloth.
• Soaking wet: Do not wear it while wet. Lay it flat to dry. Do not apply heat.
• Dirty: Use a lightly damp soft cloth to wipe away dirt. Let it air dry.

Synthetic dog collars

Not much needed here. The images are embedded in the fibers of the dense poly webbing with a technique called sublimation, the same one used on swimsuits and cycling kits, so the image is in there permanently. When it gets dirty, scrub it. It's tough.

Sling life and care instructions:

The synthetic webbing will get much softer shortly after you begin to use it. The leather of the bag will soften as you wear it and it forms to your body. Like all good leather bags it will wrinkle and take on a darker patina as the leather is broken in. Don't be afraid of contorting your bag. It is designed for utility and fashion.

Once your bag begins to soften and take on all those beautiful leather wrinkles, apply a leather balm to further protect the surface of the leather.

If your sling gets wet

• Slightly wet: wipe it off with a clean cloth.
• Soaking wet: Do not wear it while wet. Fill the bag loosely with clean crumpled paper to hold its shape and leave the zipper open for air circulation. Let it dry completely. Do not apply heat. The leather will darken a bit.
• Dirty: Use a lightly damp soft cloth to wipe away dirt. Let it air dry.