Caring for Your Rick Owens Pieces: Leather, Cotton, and Drape Fabrics
Maybe it was a leather biker you saved for months to afford, a heavyweight cotton hoodie you snagged during a Rick Owens sale, or a draped tunic that cost more than your monthly rent. Either way, you finally bought the jacket. In any case, you now own a piece that gives back when you understand it and suffers when you ignore it. Rick Owens pieces are not delicate in the fussy sense, but they are made from materials that behave in specific ways, and treating them like ordinary clothing is how people ruin expensive things. Happily, looking after them is mostly a matter of restraint and a few easy habits. This guide walks through the three fabric families you are most likely to own. Get these basics right and your pieces will outlive most of the rest of your wardrobe.
Leather: The Investment That Asks the Least of You
Honestly, a Rick Owens leather jacket is among the simplest pieces in your wardrobe to care for, even though leather scares people. The label favors lamb and calf nappa, now and then washed or blistered for that broken-in look, and these leathers are happiest left mostly undisturbed. Never machine wash leather and never dry clean it on a whim; a true leather specialist, not a corner dry cleaner, is the only person who should ever treat a stain. Clear surface dust using a faintly damp cloth and allow it to air dry clear of radiators, as direct heat cracks the grain for good. Treat the leather once or twice annually with a neutral, brand-safe balm, spread thinly and buffed away after twenty minutes. Store the jacket on a wide wooden or padded hanger so the shoulders keep their shape, never on a thin wire one. Cared for like rickowensfashion.us.com this, a $4,000 leather jacket comfortably lasts fifteen to twenty years and only improves as it patinas.
Coping with Rain and Scuffs
Water is leather’s quiet enemy, but it is manageable if you act sensibly. Should you get caught in the rain, don’t panic and don’t blast the jacket with a hairdryer; simply hang it at room temperature and let it dry gradually over a day or two. When it’s dry, a quick coat of conditioner replaces the oils the water stripped and wards off stiffness. Minor scuffs on washed nappa frequently rub away using just your fingertip and the natural heat of your hand. Deeper scratches can occasionally be worked into being less visible, but Rick Owens leather is designed to show character, so fight the urge to chase perfection. Salt stains from winter streets should be wiped promptly with a barely damp cloth before they set. The guiding idea here is gentle and slow, perfectly matching the worn-in aesthetic the brand prizes anyway.
Cotton: Hoodies, Tees, and Those DRKSHDW Workhorses
The cotton items, particularly anything from DRKSHDW, are where most owners cause the most harm through plain overconfidence. That heavyweight jersey Rick Owens hoodie feels indestructible, but hot water and aggressive drying will shrink it, fade the dye, and wreck the carefully engineered drape. Wash cotton pieces inside out in cold water every time, ideally near 30 degrees Celsius, on a delicate cycle with a mild detergent. Avoid fabric softener altogether, as it films the fibers and flattens the matte finish that lends these pieces their character. Skip the tumble dryer entirely and hang the garment to air dry, which preserves both the dye and the lengthened proportions the design hinges on. Washing less frequently than you assume is necessary is honestly better, because over-washing is the quickest path to a worn-out hoodie. Follow these rules and a $600 hoodie stays looking expensive for years rather than months.
| Fabric | Wash Method | Drying | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leather (nappa) | Spot clean only / specialist | Air dry, no heat | Condition 1–2x per year |
| Cotton jersey | Cold, inside out, gentle | Hang air dry | Every 4–6 wears |
| Drape / viscose blends | Hand wash or dry clean | Flat dry, reshape | As needed only |
| Waxed denim | Cold, rarely, inside out | Hang air dry | Every 8–10 wears |
Drape Fabrics: Where Patience Pays Off
The flowing tunics, asymmetric skirts, and pooled-hem tops of the drape category are the hardest of the three, since the fabric content varies and the cut is the whole point. Many drape garments use viscose, rayon, cupro, or silk blends that lose their shape if handled roughly, so always read the care label before doing anything. If you’re unsure, hand wash in cold water with a small amount of delicate detergent, swishing softly instead of wringing or twisting. Squeeze the water out by sandwiching the garment flat between two towels, then dry it flat and reshape it by hand while it’s still damp. Hanging a heavy wet drape piece stretches it unevenly and can permanently distort that carefully considered silhouette. Whenever you’re anxious about a piece, a trusted dry cleaner experienced with designer clothing is worth every penny. The drape is the reason you bought it, so preserving it is the whole point.
Everyday Habits and How You Store Things
How you store these clothes between wears matters almost as much as how you clean them. Leave your pieces some breathing space in the closet, since packing them tightly creases the drape and flattens the structured shoulders on jackets. Use padded or wide wooden hangers for outerwear and fold heavy knits and hoodies instead of hanging them, since hanging stretches the neckline over time. Store everything away from direct sunlight, which bleaches the signature blacks and dusts into patchy grays surprisingly quickly. Use a breathable cotton garment bag to guard leather and drape pieces from dust while avoiding the moisture plastic traps. For seasonal storage, make sure garments are clean first, because body oils and invisible stains attract moths and set permanently over months. Such little habits are free and tack years of life onto truly expensive clothes.
Common Mistakes That Ruin Good Pieces
Knowing a short list of avoidable errors in advance spares you much heartache, since they cause most of the damage to Rick Owens garments. Top of the list is tossing a heavy hoodie into a hot load with everything else, shrinking the cotton and bleeding the careful dye in a single wash. Right after that comes hanging knits and jersey on thin hangers, pulling the shoulders into permanent bumps no wash will undo. Many folks like to “freshen up” leather using household wipes or alcohol-based cleaners, which remove the natural oils and turn the hide dry and cracked inside months. Ironing drape fabrics at high heat is yet another textbook catastrophe, flattening the texture and occasionally scorching delicate viscose blends beyond rescue. Putting away garments that look clean but haven’t been washed for a season invites moths to feast on invisible body oils. Finally, obsessing over every small scuff or fade misses the point of a label that prizes a worn, lived-in patina. Steer clear of these six habits and you’ve already handled eighty percent of the work.
When to Call a Professional
Understanding your limits is part of caring well for luxury clothing. Any structural fix, a ripped lining, a dying zipper, a burst seam on a leather jacket, calls for a specialist instead of a sewing kit and good intentions. Rick Owens stockists and the brand’s own service channels can often advise on repairs, and the official site at rickowens.eu is the right starting point for questions about a specific garment. When it comes to deep stains on leather or drape fabrics, skip the home remedies you find online and turn to a cleaner who specifically handles designer pieces. The cost of a professional clean is trivial compared with replacing a four-figure garment you damaged trying to save twenty dollars. Industry guides at outlets like Highsnobiety frequently cover designer garment care if you want to read further. In 2026, as resale values for the brand stay strong, well-kept pieces are also truly worth more should you ever sell. Treat the clothes as the long-term objects they are, and they will reward you for it.
