Lately, I have received several email messages asking about leather care, and wondering how often I care for and treat my leathers.

Generally, I am not one who obsesses about my leather getting mud or dirt on it, or splashed by rain. But I want my investment to last, so I care for it as I use it. This time of year in North America, the temperatures are dropping so it’s time to get the leathers ready for more regular wear. (Yippie!) I remove the gear from my closet and rub a “leather wipe” (described below) over it, re-orient the gear on the hangar, and hang it back up.

Details on care of leather garments is below. I took this from my Complete Guide to Leather Gear that I wrote last year. The most important thing to keep in mind is that leather is a tanned and treated animal skin. Much like our skin, leather is porous and needs to be treated with care.

Condition it when you first get it: The first thing you should do after you purchase any leather garment is to treat it. You can almost always find leather care products where you make your leather purchase, or at any good shoe or western store. What has worked best for me is Lexol Leather Conditioner. This product comes in a bottle. Just put a little bit on a damp sponge and rub it all over your leather gear. Hang the gear to dry away from sunlight and heat sources (like a heat vent.) Do not use spray treatments — these products do not work as well because the oils that are in the product that help the leather have droplets that are too large, and tend not to soak in.

Hang It Up: Just like your momma told you, hang up your clothes! This is really important for leather. When hanging leather gear, remember to keep it cool and dry. Always use broad and padded hangers, as metal wire hangers will distort the shape of leather. Leave some space on each side of each piece of gear while it is hanging so air can circulate around it. Leather gear can stick together if packed too tightly, and cause damage that can’t be fixed. Remember never to store leather gear in plastic bags or containers because they need to breathe. Sunlight can easily cause leather to fade and dry out prematurely. Keep your gear out of direct sunlight when you store it.

Regular Care: Right before you hang up a piece of gear, check it for dirt, stains, or other gunk and clean it off. If it’s generally clean, use something like “Armorall Leather Wipes” or “Lexol Leather Wipes” and give the gear a light going-over, ensuring you cover stress points like knees, crotch, butt, shirt sleeves, and anywhere else that your body moves and causes the gear to crease.

Spot Mud, Dirt, Salt, and Stain Removal: Use a damp sponge moistened with water only — not saddle soap or detergent — and rub it on the gear, particularly heavily soiled spots, in a circular manner. If a stain is stubborn, rub off as much of it as you can from the leather, then use Lexol Conditioner on the spot. You may need to treat the gear several times. Be persistent — it will eventually come off. Be particularly attentive if the gear were exposed to salt applied to roads during the winter. This salt can quickly dry out leather and leave it permanently damaged.

Stain removal from suede: Try this old tried-and-true technique. Remove the crust from a piece of bread and let it dry out until it is hard and stale. Rub the stale bread over the stain to remove it. It really works!

Removal of Mold and Mildew: Mildew is a name for a variety of common molds, which are in the Fungus family. Mold feeds on dead organic substances, including leather. Mold will cause leather to decompose, leaving thin patches which will become holes in short order. Mold propagates by spores, which are omnipresent; you can’t keep the mold spores away from leather, but you can make the environment unsuitable for their growth. Mold will grow when leather is the least bit moist, especially if kept in a dark and warm place, such as a car trunk or storage chest with limited or no air circulation. Thus, the most important thing to do to prevent additional damage is to dry the leather carefully (see below) and then keep it in a dry, well-ventilated place.

If Leather Gets Wet: Drying leather the correct way will lengthen its lifespan. Leather gear should always be air dried in a cool area away from sunlight. Humidity and heat will cause excessive drying and result in the eventual cracking of the leather. Hang the wet gear on a wood hangar. Find a cool, non-sunlit but NOT DARK place to hang it. Wet gear hung in a dark place will get mildew very quickly, and perhaps mold that will ruin it. Make sure air circulates in the room where it is hung. If air doesn’t circulate naturally, use a small fan to keep air moving in the room, but not to blow on the gear.

What to Avoid: Soaps, solvents, silicone, wax, and harsh chemicals are not a good for leather gear. Shoe polish should only be used on boots, but never on leather garments. Avoid spraying hair care or deodorant products while wearing leather gear. Overspray can stain and discolor leather beyond repair.

Professional Cleaning: If you find you cannot clean the item yourself, you can get it done professionally. Look in your local telephone directory for a dry cleaner that specializes in leather items. Some dry cleaners are not familiar with the processes involved in the making of leather and the glues used in the making the garments. It never hurts to make a few phone calls to find someone who is knowledgeable in cleaning leather. It may cost from US$40 – $80 for this service.

Life is short: enjoy your leather gear!

I was reading Straightjacketed’s blog post about “Smart Leather” and commented on his blog that wearing neckties isn’t something that I enjoy doing. I am happy that for the most part, I usually can avoid having to have one of those nooses around my neck at work. I also made a side comment about ties making me feel bound and how I don’t like that feeling. That was an expression I have used for a long time. However, I must remember to be careful about making such commentary on the blog of a bondophile (smile). This past blog post explains why I don’t like bondage, but also explains why I do not have bad opinions about those who do. The subculture of gay leathermen has room for everyone’s preferences and tastes.

Nonetheless, the blog author is a good sport, and joined in the commentary on his own blog which redirected it back to the direction he was posting about. The main focus of his blog post was in response to yet another blog: the concept of suit and tie being is a fetish for some guys.

Wearing ties or the suit-and-tie concept has never been a fetish of mine. As I grew up, I resisted any occasion where I had to dress up. I just didn’t like it. My twin brother, on the other hand, loved to dress up and still does. As I have often said, he got the “suit genes” and I got the leather jeans (LOL!).

My fellow blogger posted images from the on-line Northbound Leather Catalog of a nice looking guy in a full leather suit. I have always been impressed with the quality of the leather gear from Northbound. I perused their website and thought to myself, “hmmm, a full leather suit might be nice.”

Then I had one of those moments where I slapped myself upside the head and said, “you’ve got all the pieces — a dress leather shirt, dress leather pants, dress leather tie, and even an old black leather blazer — so put it all together and you already have your full leather suit.” I put it all on and took a series of photos for a new page on my website titled, appropriately enough, Full Leather Suit.

I realize that I do have to get a better fitting dress jacket (mine is over 10 years old and too small), and probably a newer dress leather shirt because the one I have shrunk when it got soaked once by a surprise storm when I was wearing it while riding my Harley. But what I have will do, for now.

Is this “smart leather?” It will work for those rare occasions where I have to wear a suit for some other occasion than for a formal business meeting related to work. Now I’m thinking this will be just the outfit when I go out to dinner with my partner for our anniversary next week.

Life is short: wear your leather! (And thanks to my buddy in the U.K. for this blog post inspiration!)

It’s interesting, I was preparing a blog post in my mind about two encounters last night when I read on Straight-Acting’s Blog (no longer on-line) that he was commenting on the same type of thing: wearing leather in public and what people may say or do. I have blogged about this before, but this bears repeating in a new context.

While he specifically mentioned me as being “a brave soul,” (thanks, man!), I really do not consider that wearing leather while going about my daily business is as much “brave” as it is in recognition of the fact that I really don’t care if other people say anything or have an opinion about the leather garments I choose to wear on my personal time. People are as much entitled to their opinions as I am entitled to wear leather in public. As long as my leather does not directly imply sex — such as wearing codpiece leather jeans, or a jock with chaps, for example — then wearing leather is considered something more like fashion that never goes out of style. And, as I have often said, leather garments are practical. They provide warmth, comfort, as well as style.

The encounters to which I referred last night was with two members of a club to which I belong. We met to plan out the season’s schedule for motorcycle rides that the club will offer to its members. One of the guys at my table asked me, “do you wear anything other than leather?” The tone of his voice implied some form of … I don’t know … perhaps one might say, “indignation.” Not wanting to respond defensively or get into an argument with this guy, I gave him a very bright and warm smile and said, “not if I don’t have to!” I was so positive about it, he stammered as if he did not know how to respond. I guess he wasn’t expecting that type of “peppy” reply. He then changed the subject.

During a break, another guy came up to me and said that he was “mad at me” because he is is a big and tall man, and has had trouble finding leather gear to wear for motorcycling that fits, provides flexibility, allows for ease-of-movement, is made of quality leather, and looks good. He made his comment lightheartedly, and not with anger. He said that he had found my website and reviewed the various leather gear and boots that I own. He was “mad at me” because my gear fits well and looks good. (Implying that if it looks good on a big guy like me, then he can find leather that will fit him well, too.)

He said all of this without sounding judgmental whatsoever, which is something that I listen for when talking about leather with straight bikers. I know I am fortunate that the straight bikers with whom I ride are easy-going and accepting of having an openly gay leather-clad and tall-booted guy in their midst. I know from slams on some public forums that few straight bikers are as open-minded.

My fellow club member said that he had tried to order a leather jacket from a company whose products are made in Thailand, but was disappointed with the product when he got it. He described to me what process he went through in deciding where to order leather gear over the internet and the challenges he has encountered.

I explained that well-fitting leather gear for motorcycling is related to two main issues:

1) Fit. One size does not fit all! Sizes on the internet of jackets and pants are widely variable. The sizes of leather garments does not correlate with the size of a pair of blue jeans or a shirt. These are estimates, but not something to be used to choose leather gear purchased over the ‘net. For us big and tall guys, the only way to go is to be measured properly and have gear crafted custom to fit. Having done that, as well as purchased gear estimated to be my size, I know first-hand that “going custom” is not that much more expensive. After all, you’re buying something that will last a lifetime, so the investment is worth it.

2) Quality. As in quality of the hide used to make the garment. If the leather is made in a country where the skins are subjected to harsh chemicals in the tanning process and have scratches, abrasions, or holes from insect bites (after all, leather comes from a once-living animal), then the gear made from it will look bad. And, regretfully, there is a correlation between leather garment manufacturers who choose to use low-quality hides and the quality of the resulting product during production. Cheap threads, single-stitching, thin hides that stretch: all of these factors go together.

Ultimately, I explained, “you get what you pay for.” If you buy cheap, expect poor quality. I don’t like to slam any earnest business person in another country, but it is rather obvious from seeing leather garments made in Thailand, India, and Pakistan that the stuff is inexpensive because inferior quality leather is used in the first place, along with less attention to quality production methods when the gear is cut and assembled.

I explain all of this in my Complete Guide to Leather Gear on my website.

While I do not consider myself courageous to wear my leather investment in public, I recognize that few choose to do that for various reasons. They have concerns about what others may say or do, or how they will respond if asked or challenged, such as Straight-Acting was queried by the London Tube Police.

I appreciate the freedoms that I enjoy in the United States, where self-expression is considered a birthright. There are many pressures to conform to society’s norms, whatever those norms may be. When you realize that these norms are conceived by a certain group of people — straight people who often have very narrow viewpoints — and then choose to ignore the norms because they are baseless conformations, it is very liberating. That truly is how I feel.

Why let others’ stereotypes and self-conceived perceptions cause you to act, dress, or behave in certain ways? If you are not hurting anyone, then as they say in New York, “fuggetaboutit”… be confident, stand tall, choose your leather wisely, and wear it where you like within the limits of respect for others and the environment where you are. For example, the only leather I wear to work are boots and occasionally a leather blazer, jacket, or vest. But I do not wear leather shirts or jeans to work. It’s not appropriate there. However, on my own time, out and about in my community at meetings and events, or even at the grocery store, there I am in leather… and (of course), boots!

Life is short: wear your boots and leather!

In the past week, I have received numerous emails like this:

Dear Sir,

We are feeling proud to introduce our company named as (x). Our company is working since 1995. We are specialized in making following goods.

1. Leather Wears
2. Motorbike Wears
3. Textile Wears
4. Gloves Collection
5. Leather Accessories
6. Leather

From what I can tell, the message sender is trying either to get me to serve as a third-party retailer in the U.S. for his products, or just buy his products directly.

I am sure that they figure that a guy like me who has a fair amount of leather gear that I wear for motorcycling and just around might be one of those “rich Americans” who would buy stuff from them. But I wasn’t born yesterday. Despite their claims, leather from Pakistan is of inferior quality. I have seen it over the years, and can tell from its thin and uneven surfaces, rough splits, blemishes, and other visible signs that the leather isn’t nearly the top-grain quality that one would find at dealers such as Northbound, 665leather, or Mr S. (For more details about choosing leather gear, read the Leather Gear Guide on my website.)

They find me by surfing the web, landing on my “leather gear” page, then finding my “write to me” page. I can see how they enter my website and then zero in on finding a way to send me one of their poorly-written proposals.

I’m not sure if it will work, but I found a website called “Block A Country” that generates code to install on websites that will, I hope, divert visits from anyone in Pakistan. Seriously, I am NOT interested in any leather gear from Pakistan! I have quite enough, thank you. I am really not planning to buy any more leather gear at all from anyone. I have other things of much higher priority on which to spend my limited discretionary funds.