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How to Care for Your Rick Owens Pieces: Leather, Cotton, and Drape Fabrics

You finally pulled the trigger on the jacket. It might have been a leather biker you spent months saving for, a heavy cotton hoodie you scored during a Rick Owens sale, or a draped tunic pricier than a month’s rent. In any case, you now own a piece that gives back when you understand it and suffers when you ignore it. Rick Owens garments aren’t fragile in the fussy way, but they use materials that behave distinctively, and treating them as ordinary clothing is exactly how people wreck pricey 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. Master these basics and your pieces will survive longer than almost everything else you own.

Leather: The Big Buy That Needs the Least Fuss

Leather intimidates people, yet a Rick Owens leather jacket is genuinely one of the simplest things in your closet to look after. The brand leans on lamb and calf nappa, occasionally washed or blistered for that worn-in look, and these hides prefer to be largely left alone. Don’t machine wash leather and don’t dry clean it on impulse: a genuine leather specialist, rather than a corner dry cleaner, is the sole person who should treat any stain. Remove surface dust with a barely damp cloth and let it air dry well away from radiators, because direct heat permanently cracks the grain. Condition the leather once or twice a year with a neutral, brand-safe balm, applied thinly and buffed off 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 this, a $4,000 leather jacket comfortably lasts rick owens fifteen to twenty years and only improves as it patinas.

Dealing with Rain and Scuffs

Water is the quiet enemy of leather, yet it’s controllable so long as you act sensibly. If you get caught in rain, do not panic and do not blast the jacket with a hairdryer; just hang it at room temperature and let it dry slowly 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 sometimes be massaged less visible, though Rick Owens leather is meant to show character, so resist the urge to chase perfection. Wipe salt stains from winter pavements away promptly using 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 pieces, especially anything from DRKSHDW, are where most owners do the most damage through simple 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. Always turn cotton garments inside out and wash them in cold water, ideally about 30 degrees Celsius, on a gentle cycle using a mild detergent. Skip the fabric softener entirely, because it coats the fibers and flattens the matte texture that gives these pieces their character. Never tumble dry; hang the garment to air dry, which protects both the dye and the elongated proportions the design depends on. Laundering it less often than you’d expect is truly the smarter move, as over-washing is the fastest way to a tired-looking hoodie. Follow these rules and a $600 hoodie stays looking expensive for years rather than months.

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. Lots of drape garments rely on viscose, rayon, cupro, or silk blends that lose their form if handled carelessly, so read the care label before you do anything. Uncertain? Hand wash in cold water with just a touch of delicate detergent, swishing gently rather than 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. Hang a heavy wet drape garment and it stretches unevenly, potentially distorting that thoughtfully designed silhouette for good. For any piece that makes you nervous, a reputable dry cleaner versed in designer garments is money well spent. The drape is the reason you bought it, so preserving it is the whole point.

Everyday Habits and How You Store Things

Almost as much as cleaning matters how you store these clothes between wears. Leave your pieces some breathing space in the closet, since packing them tightly creases the drape and flattens the structured shoulders on jackets. Reach for padded or wide wooden hangers for outerwear, and fold heavy knits and hoodies instead of hanging them up, as hanging gradually stretches the neckline. 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. These minor habits cost you nothing yet add years to genuinely pricey clothing.

Common Mistakes That Ruin Good Pieces

A short list of avoidable errors causes most damage to Rick Owens garments, and knowing them in advance saves a lot of heartache. The biggest culprit is throwing a heavyweight hoodie into a hot wash with everything else, which shrinks the cotton and runs the careful dye in one cycle. Close behind is hanging knits and jersey on narrow hangers, stretching the shoulders into permanent bumps that no wash can fix. People are also fond of “freshening up” leather with household wipes or alcohol-based cleaners, which strip away the natural oils and leave the hide dry and cracked within months. Ironing drape fabrics at high heat is yet another textbook catastrophe, flattening the texture and occasionally scorching delicate viscose blends beyond rescue. Stowing seemingly clean yet unwashed garments through a season hands moths a meal of invisible body oils. Finally, chasing every tiny scuff or fade defeats the point of a brand that celebrates a worn, lived-in patina. Skip these six habits and you’ve effectively done eighty percent of the job.

When It’s Time to Call a Pro

Part of caring for luxury garments well is knowing your limits. Any structural repair, a torn lining, a failing zipper, a split seam on a leather jacket, belongs with a specialist rather than 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. What a professional clean costs is nothing against replacing a four-figure garment you wrecked to save twenty dollars. Industry guides at outlets like Highsnobiety frequently cover designer garment care if you want to read further. In 2026, with resale values for the brand holding strong, well-maintained pieces are also genuinely worth more if you ever sell. Regard the clothes as the long-term investments they truly are, and they’ll repay you for it.