My Three Handbag Non-Negotiables
The habits I never skip, after a decade of caring for collections.
After years of caring for handbags - my own, and thousands belonging to our collectors - I have learned that keeping bags beautiful does not come down to luck. It comes down to a few habits I simply never skip.
These are my three non-negotiables. They take minutes, and they are the difference between a bag that ages beautifully and one that gives up early.
One. Storage
Where a bag rests is where it spends most of its life, so this is where good care begins.
- Away from direct sunlight. Sunlight fades leather and fabric quietly, over weeks you rarely notice until it has happened.
- In a cupboard with doors. Enclosed, shaded and out of daily light.
- Regularly aired. Leather needs to breathe, so I never keep bags sealed in their boxes, and I let the cupboard air often.
- Pursefume Capsules inside. They absorb moisture and humidity, the quiet causes of mould and musty smells, and keep everything fresh between carries.
Two. Protection
I protect every piece before it is ever carried, and I mean every piece.
Water and Stain Guard before first use, always
It takes five minutes and helps create an invisible barrier against colour transfer, marks and stains, without changing the look or feel of the bag. Apply it to a clean mitt rather than spraying it onto leather, and build it in light, even coats. It is why I carry my bags without worry: rain, spills and everyday life are far less able to settle into protected leather, and when something does land, it lifts away easily.
Hardware Protectors
Hardware is the part of a bag that ages fastest and is hardest to bring back, so mine is protected before the first scratch rather than after. Ours are made at our own HQ, cut precisely to the hardware they cover, and they shield plates, clasps and studs from the scratches and scuffs of everyday carrying.
Nourishing Conditioner before the summer
Dry leather cracks, and cracked leather peels. Conditioning keeps it soft and supple, and our Nourishing Conditioner is the only one of ours with a UV filter to guard against sun damage. I think of it as sunscreen for my bags, and before the brightest months it is essential. A brand new bag is the exception: new leather holds its own oils, so it wants Water and Stain Guard and nothing more. Never any conditioner on suede or nubuck.
Protection is the one I would keep if I could only keep one. Everything else here is easier because of it.Katelyn Freeman, Founder
Three. Maintenance
Little and often is the whole secret. This is my routine.
- A Cleansing Wipe lives in every handbag I own. Spills and colour transfer happen more than you would think, and the sooner they are lifted, the less chance they have to settle. One wipe, caught early, has saved more bags than I can count.
- I cleanse my most carried bags every one to two weeks. Everyday build-up settles so slowly you stop noticing it, until you see what comes away.
- Small marks are corrected early with our Leather Restorer Pens. A scuffed corner or a pale scratch is a five-minute fix while it is fresh. The pens bring the colour back to life and fill shallow cracks and pinholes as they work, so small wear never gets the chance to become real damage.
Suede and nubuck are the exception to all of this. They take neither Cleansing Wipes nor conditioner, and Leather Restorer Pens are made for smooth and grained leathers and coated canvas only. Whatever the surface, always test on a small, hidden area first.
Everything in one place
Storage, protection and maintenance are three habits, not three afternoons. Between them they ask for a few minutes here and there, and they are the reason my bags are carried rather than kept.
I would love to know: do you have a handbag non-negotiable I have missed. Tell me in the comments.
Every non-negotiable, in one collection
Cleanse, condition and protect, made to the highest of standards in England.
SHOP THE SIGNATURE ALL-ROUND CARE COLLECTION
