Leather Jacket: Stiff, Faded Leather Restored

Background

The customer told us they had a leather jacket that was dirty and needed cleaning. When we saw it in person, we actually thought the worn look had its own charm, with a nice lived-in feel. But the customer wanted the whole jacket to be one even color, so we took it back to the shop to work on it.

Worse Than We Expected

After sitting unused for a long time, the leather had gone stiff and felt almost like paper, and the fading was uneven. Looking at the inside pocket, we could see the original color was a dark brown.

After cleaning, we applied a base coat and then gradually built the color back up to match the leather on the inside. Finally, we conditioned and finished the jacket before returning it to the customer.

FAQ

Q: Why does leather get as stiff as paper?

Leather usually stiffens when it loses moisture and oils, so the fiber bundles lose their natural lubrication and room to move. Drying too fast after getting wet, high-heat tumble drying, using an unsuitable cleaner, or simple aging can all make the fibers inside the leather stick together and shrink. The leather then feels dry, hard and brittle, even like cardboard.

Just oiling the surface doesn't work well enough. We also need to assess the type of leather, how it was tanned and how stiff it has become, then rehydrate, reshape and condition it accordingly. Otherwise the leather may lose color, crack or become permanently deformed.

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