Buffalo Pull-Up Leather Care

Niche Lane bags are made of fine natural leather and get better with age as the leather softens and deepens in colour.  Any variation in shading and slight marks in the surface texture and appearance are natural characteristics and make each item unique.  

We have finished the bags in such a way as to encourage the bag to develop its own character with every use, particularly the Buffalo Collection which is made from pull leather. The leather is prone to marking and scuffing, but is extremely strong. The more you use the bag, the more personality it will develop.

 

General Leather Bag Care

For day to day maintenance, simply wipe clean with a damp (not wet) cloth. To maintain the original look and rich suppleness of the leather, you can apply neutral colour leather cream or a very small drop (a dab even) of vegetable oil, on a dry, clean sponge or cloth and rub evenly over the bag until completely worked in. This will help to re-oil the leather and also helps protect the leather from cracking as well as sealing the leather for mild weather resistance. It does slightly darken the leather but it also brings the lustre of the leather out beautifully.

The leather will naturally soften as you use it. Avoid getting your bag wet and keep it in a cool dry place. Should it get very wet simply dry it in a warm room - but do not place the bag directly on or near to a source of heat like a radiator as that may cause it to dry out too quickly and it will crack. Once dry, apply the leather cream as above. 

Colour Transfer 

As we use full grain buffalo leather and want to maintain the natural characteristic of the leather we do not apply any articifical coating to the leather, but there some natural oils within the leather (just as there is on our own skin).  As such, there can be a little bit of colour transfer, although this would usually only be noticeable on lighter fabrics.

A Product Discovery

We originally bought FAMACO's Creme de Beauté for polishing leather shoes, however we quickly discovered that the leather cream works wonders on our own pull up leather bags.  

The dense, tinted cream effectively reduces the appearance of scratches and scuffs when a small amount is rubbed onto the surface of the leather using a dry cloth.

For our Tan coloured leather, we recommend shade 301 TAN MANGO. For our Coffee coloured leather, we recommend shade 383 BROWN VISION. The creams are available from our online store. 

 

      

Repair minor scratches and marks on a Niche Lane Coffee Leather bag

Alternatively, to reduce the appearance of minor scuffs and scrapes on our Coffee leather, the solution can be found in the kitchen! Simply use a small amount of vegetable oil and follow the instructions below.

Small scratches can be removed by rubbing them firmly with your fingers, as the natural oils on your hands will work into the leather. 

For larger scratches and marks apply a tiny dab of vegetable or olive oil to the mark, let it soak in for a few minutes and rub with your finger, then wipe the excess away with a clean soft cloth. Please always test any cream or oil on a small discrete area of the bag first.

 

To ensure that the oil soaks-in, pinch the leather between your fingers and massage thoroughly.

 

You will see visible results almost instantly. The more you work the leather, the more it will fade and your bag will look almost as good as new!

 

 

Repair scratches and marks on a Niche Lane Tan Leather bag

Moving on to our tan leather, it's possible to reduce the appearance of minor scuffs and marks by simply rubbing and massaging our un-laminated leather as follows:

Small scratch on the surface of the leather

 

Small scratches can be removed by pinching them firmly with your fingers, as the natural oils in the leather will be squeezed back to the scratched area and work into the leather.  Be careful with your nails however so you don't make new scratches. 

 

To achieve the best result, pinch the leather tightly between your fingers and massage thoroughly, release and repeat a few times.

 

Waterproofing

Your Niche Lane leather bag should be able to withstand an occasional drop of rain, but is not waterproofed. To further protect your bag you can waterproof your bag yourself, but please note this will invalidate our warranty.

Our leather workshop has advised that any brand of colourless waterproofing spray on the market is really easy to apply and although it leaves the bag slightly darker it also looks nicely conditioned.

Please note that we cannot be held liable for any damage that is caused to a bag after a cream, oil or sprayer has been applied by yourself, and we cannot refund or exchange a bag that has had such a treatment applied. This does not affect your statutory rights.

 

Patina 

If you tend to keep you bags in storage and only bring them out now and again, you may find a few spots of green patina forming on the surface of the leather.  This is a completely natural by-product of the full-grain, pull-up buffalo leather.  You will find the natural oil extracts gathering on the coffee coloured bags in particular.  To remove the build up, simply wipe the area with a cloth and then rub a few drops of vegetable oil onto the surface of the leather.  Rub vigorously until the vegetable oils are absorbed into the leather.