Shearling and suede are two of the more demanding materials that come through our doors, and both take longer to clean than most garments for reasons that have nothing to do with how busy the studio is.

Suede is, structurally, leather with the flesh side facing out rather than the smooth side. That exposed, napped surface is what gives suede its texture, but it is also what makes it vulnerable – water leaves visible rings, oils darken it permanently in patches, and the nap itself can be crushed flat by the wrong brush or the wrong pressure. Cleaning suede properly means treating the surface and the nap as two separate problems, restoring the texture afterwards with a specific suede brush rather than simply drying it and hoping.

Shearling is more complex still, because it is really two materials in one garment: a leather or suede hide on one side, and a dense wool pile on the other, both needing different care and both affecting each other through the same piece. Cleaning the leather side without disturbing the wool, and cleaning the wool without over-wetting the hide beneath it, is a slow, largely hand-finished process that cannot be rushed through a standard cycle.

That is the honest reason a shearling coat or a pair of suede boots can take one to two weeks rather than the standard 48 to 72 hours – the garment needs time to dry fully and evenly between stages, and drying it too quickly is exactly what causes the hide to stiffen or crack.

If you are planning to wear either piece for a specific date, it is worth bringing it to us with a little more notice than usual. The extra time is what keeps the piece supple for years rather than one season.