Keep It Clean : Leather is not the easiest material to maintain. But certain cleaners have a squeaky-clean reputation for handling it well.
Anyone who has owned a fine leather garment knows the upkeep can be costly. What kind of skin is involved, the tanning and the manufacturer are all important in assuring a good cleaning job, no matter what the cost. I’ve never been one to turn my back on a bargain. But this is one instance where a bargain product can backfire. That $59.95 jacket might look great until you get it cleaned; that’s when you find out why it was so cheap.
“If you buy from a reliable store and use reliable cleaners, your problems are minimized,” says Bill Tobias, owner of Premier Suede/Leather and Specialty Cleaners in Burbank. When reliable manufacturers of leather apparel are designing their products, they often send a sample to Premier to test how it cleans. If it doesn’t pass muster, back it goes to the drawing board.
Some of the most prestigious names in leather recommend Premier. “After investigating various leather and suede cleaners, we have determined that Premier . . . in Burbank performs superior work,” said a Nordstrom representative. Fred Hayman, Battaglia and Bullock’s also recommend the cleaners, as does North Beach Leather.
The cleaning prices vary with each garment at Premier, but generally pants and jackets run around $35 apiece, a rate that is competitive with most cleaners. What will save money in the long run, as I’ve said, is the quality of the service.
“Of course, there are no absolute guarantees in cleaning leathers, but if there are problems, they often can be traced to the manufacturer,” Tobias says. Defects in the skins such as scratches or nicks may hardly be noticeable upon purchase but after cleaning can be more visible. Sometimes certain dyes fade, and multicolored garments may bleed. The glue used in basting the garment may not dissolve completely, which could create unsightly spots.
When buying a garment, Tobias emphasizes the importance of purchasing from a quality store or manufacturer. A combination of leather and acrylic in the same garment can sometimes cause problems, because the cleaning agents used are different for each. “Wool works better than acrylic with leather,” Tobias says. He suggests that the lining match the color of the garment, so if the leather bleeds a little, it won’t be noticeable.
Lili Kasden, managing director of the Leather Apparel Assn. in New York, says that since leather has a certain amount of give, it’s a good idea to buy pants on the snug side.
Other tips from Tobias include cleaning matching pieces together to avoid a color variance and purchasing a polymer-based water-repellent treatment (a jacket runs $15) as a good safeguard.
Premier’s main plant is in Burbank, but drop-off points were recently inaugurated at two other dry cleaners in the Valley: Carriage Trade Cleaners in Sherman Oaks, and Prime Cleaners, in Woodland Hills. Drop-off points elsewhere include: Carriage Trade on Wilshire Boulevard in Brentwood, Joseph’s on La Tijera Boulevard in Los Angeles, Grandview on Venice Boulevard in Venice, Sufa’s Furs on Pine Avenue in Long Beach, and Regal on Via de la Paz in Pacific Palisades.
WHERE TO SHOP Location: Premier Suede/Leather and Specialty Cleaners (main plant), 3098 N. California St., Burbank. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Credit Cards: None. Call: (818) 842-2151. Valley Drop-Off Points: Carriage Trade Cleaners, 14037 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, (818) 783-1715. Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. MasterCard and Visa. Prime Cleaners, 20051 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, (818) 887-1811. Hours: 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. No credit cards.
