Notes from the atelier
Caring for full-grain leather in a hot, humid climate
Full-grain leather is not afraid of the climate. It is afraid of neglect. Our pieces are made in Dakar, in heat and humidity, and they are designed to live there. But living well asks for a few habits — few, and regular. The advice below applies to our smooth full-grain leathers; an exotic skin or a different finish calls for different care, ask the atelier.
What the climate does to leather
- Humidity opens the pores and can leave whitish marks if water dries quickly: most often that is not a stain but salt or lime risen to the surface.
- Heat dries. Leather left in a car in the sun loses its oils and cracks at the folds.
- Dust is abrasive. It settles in the grain and, rubbed by use, polishes the leather where it should not shine.
- Sea air salt speeds up all of the above.
The habits
Dust it. A soft, dry cloth, once a week if the piece goes out every day. This is the habit that matters most, because it keeps the others from being needed.
Feed it, rarely. A colourless cream for smooth leather, applied in a very thin layer with a cloth, then buffed after a few minutes. No more than once a quarter: over-fed leather turns soft and holds dust. Always test on a hidden area — the inside of a flap, the underside of a handle.
Dry it without forcing. Wet leather is left to air-dry, away from any heat source, keeping its shape — a bag is filled with paper, not newspaper whose ink bleeds.
Store it breathing. Never in plastic: leather sealed in humidity grows mould. A cotton bag, in the shade, in a room that breathes.
What not to do
- No household products, no wipes, no alcohol. They dissolve the finish.
- No coloured polish on leather that has never had any: it masks the grain and never comes off.
- No hairdryer, no direct sun to dry.
Our leather, a second skin.
And if a piece has suffered — a deep scratch, a stitch coming loose, a buckle weakening — bring it back to the atelier, or write to us. A Koko bag can be repaired. That is the difference between a piece you own and a piece you replace.
