How To Care for Your Goods

Vegetable Tanned Leather

We make conscious choice to use as much as vegetable tanned leather possible here at 1.61 Soft Goods.
It ages gracefully with drastic transformation process. Patina is so beautiful and it makes yours to be unique one of a kind. Nude leather will start will pale skin color, then it will gradually turn to rich caramel color.

We recommend to use and touch vegetable tanned items as much as you can. The oil from your hand will give great texture and shine, and softens the leather.

If your leather got wet, the best way to avoid stain is to dry it off as much as possible with dry clean towels, then air it out to dry completely. Some stains are unavoidable, though we encourage to celebrate the stains and scratches on your leather. Every little marks tells stories and memories.

If you wish to expedite the aging process, you may expose the leather under sun light. Just like our skin, vegetable tanned leather will get tanned by sun light, and get darker.

Canvas - Hanpu and Duck

Our canvas are 100% cotton Hanpu canvas (帆布) that are made in Japan. It is equivalent to Duck Canvas, very durable, utilitarian, and dependable. Most of Canvas we use are #8 Hanpu,16oz canvas. Typical cotton tote bags use 10-12oz canvas, so our canvas is thicker and stronger.

Hanpu canvas does not require much of a special treatment. The fabric will get softer as you use more, and of course it is washable. We do not recommend using dryer to avoid shrinking. It is best to hang dry in well ventilated lightly shaded outdoor. If your canvas is dirty and kept in ill-ventilated space, it may grow mold. You can spot clean with bleach or soak it in bleach. But please be sure to test it on discreet part first to avoid discoloration. (Especially in color canvas)

Waxed Canvas

We also use waxed canvas, and lightly coated water repelling canvas. Waxed canvas is great at repelling water, dirt, and stain. The wax coating give the fabric more texture and dimension. You will notice a great patina as you use waxed canvas products. Because of the wax, the wrinkles are more apparent, but that is the beauty of the fabric, we encourage to enjoy the rugged look of the canvas.

Please do not wash waxed canvas. The wax coating will ruin your washing machine and dryer, and as well as waxed canvas. Spot clean the dirt or stain with lightly wetted towels, and tap it repeatedly on the spot till it comes off. Because of its coating, most dirt and stain can be easily removed.

You may also even out the wax coating by using heat and air. With high temperature setting on hair dryer, and slowly warm up the wax and gradually the wax will even out. This will help with lightening up the wrinkles on the fabric.

You can also re-apply wax, please follow the instruction of the wax you’ve purchased to do so.