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PURCHASING
Buy your garment from a reputable retailer. Look for carefully for matching colors and textures between portions of the garment. Suede will never be completely uniform, but that is part of its desirability. Avoid a snug fit. Hides are stretched during the tanning process and some relaxation shrinkage can be expected in consumer usage and cleaning. Read and save any accompanying care information.

WEAR AND CARE
Proper care of leather and suede begins at home. To get the maximum life from your garments:

• Wear a scarf to protect the collar area from perspiration and body oils.
• If the garment gets wet, let it air-dry away from heat.
• Store in a cool, ventilated area. Leather can dry out if exposed to dry heat or mildew if stored in a hot, humid environment. Do not store leather in a plastic bag.
• If staining occurs, take the garment to a pro­fessional suede and leather cleaner as soon as possible. Do not try to remove spots at home.

CLEANING
When you take your leather or suede garment to a professional cleaner, it is helpful if you can provide any care information that came with the garment. Be sure to point out any stains, since stains that are old and set cannot always be removed safely. All matching pieces should be cleaned at the same time. If there is any question about clean ability, the cleaner may ask you to sign a consent form before cleaning.

WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER CLEANING
Although cleaning technologies for leather and suede are constantly improving, some change of appearance almost always will result from the cleaning process. The following gives you an idea of what to expect:

VARIATIONS AMONG THE GARMENT'S SECTIONS
Leather garments are made from skins taken from various portions of the animal and usually from several different animals. The manufacturer tries to match the skins as uniformly as possible, but even the best matching may still show some vari­ance in texture, weight, and color uniformity. These may be accentuated after cleaning.

LOSS OF COLOR
Be prepared for a slight variance in the depth of color after cleaning. Skins from various parts of the animal may have different col­orfastness. Also, some leather dyes may be soluble in drycleaning fluid, resulting in overall color loss. The cleaner may be able to correct some color loss and variance through refinishing procedures. In some cases, an exact match to the original may not be possible.

LOSS OF OILS
During cleaning, some of the oils used in the tanning process to keep leather supple may be lost. A professional leather cleaner has spe­cial additives to restore suppleness, but there still may be some change in the feel of the garment.

SCAR TISSUE AND VEIN MARKS
Tanners often use fillers before dyeing to mask any scar tissue, hair follicles or other imperfections on the leather. Cleaning may remove some of the fillers and cause the defects to reappear.

WRINKLES

Skins taken from certain parts of an animal are naturally wrinkled and have been stretched during manufacturing to achieve a smooth appearance. The agitation of cleaning can relax the leather, accentuating the wrinkles.

TEXTURE AND SHADING CHANGES
Manufacturers sometimes combine a smoother skin with a skin whose texture is coarser. Cleaning may make this more apparent. Different textures also may vary in how they absorb the fat liquors and additives in the cleaning process, resulting in some areas being darker than others. It is a natural phenome­non that is beyond the control of the cleaner.

SHRINKAGE
Although some shrinkage is likely to occur over time as the skins relax, this may be accentuated in cleaning. As you wear your gar­ment, this snugness should dissipate. If the skins have been overstretched during manufac­turing, they may relax permanently.

DAMAGE TO THIN SKINS
Some skins are extremely thin and too fragile for use in apparel. These skins tend to wear exceptionally fast, even with normal usage. The agitation of cleaning will further aggravate the damage of thin skins.

SHADING FROM ADHESIVES
Adhesive used to glue seams, hems, and other areas may not be solvent-resistant. When the glues do not dis­solve completely, they may seep through the leather and cause shaded areas.

LEATHER TRIM BLEEDING AND TRANSFER
Leather buttons and piping on fabric items sometimes cause problems by bleeding color onto the adja­cent fabric. All attached trim should be able to withstand the care method on the label. If this problem occurs, the item should be returned to the retailer. A drycleaner may choose not to accept a leather ­trimmed garment if tests for colorfast­ness show that the leather dye may bleed or transfer onto the fabric por­tion of the garment.

OXIDATION
Exposure to light and atmos­pheric gases can cause leather dyes to oxidize over time. Protected areas, such as under the collar, will retain more of the original color. This may become more noticeable after cleaning and usually cannot be corrected by the leather cleaner.