The leather of our belt is vegetable-tanned. We chose this option primarily because, unlike traditional tanning, it does not use chromium, the residues of which can be toxic (although with leather tanned in Europe, there is little risk, as we explained in this article). The unique feature of vegetable-tanned leather is that it develops a patina over time: its colour will darken and the leather will show marks and scratches. The passage of time will therefore give this belt a unique personality.

But if you're here, it's surely because you don't want your belt developing too overbearing a personality. So here are a few tips to keep it from developing its patina too quickly:

Condition your belt once a year

The fundamental thing to understand is that leather is composed of about 5% natural oils—these are what give it its suppleness and strength. If they escape, the leather dries out and cracks. Your goal is therefore simple: keep the leather oiled.

To do this, you need to regularly "nourish" your belt's leather: at least once a year. Ideally with a nourishing leather cream. Be careful, even if it's tempting, do not use cosmetic creams like Nivea. Cosmetic creams are water-based emulsions that can contain 70 or 80% water, which risks eventually driving the natural oils out of the leather and causing it to crack. This is the opposite of the desired effect!

Buff out scratches

The first step is to find the right shade of shoe polish. As for the brand, I recommend Famaco: a brand specialising in leather care products, made in France and reasonably priced given the quality of their products.

• For our cognac belt, we ideally recommend the Brown shade (but any brown polish should do the trick).
• For our black belt, we ideally recommend the Black shade (but any black shoe polish will do).

Here is how to do it:

• Dust off your belt with a clean cloth (or your sweater sleeve, we won't tell),
• Dab another cloth (an old t-shirt, for example) into the polish. Take a very small amount and apply it along the entire belt (not just on the scuffed area),
• Repeat step 2 until the scratch has disappeared,
• Let it dry for 5 minutes,
• Buff your belt with a soft cloth or a pair of sheer tights (a great trick for giving snagged tights a second life). This step will make the polish you just applied shine—much like sanding a surface with very fine-grit sandpaper,
• And that’s it!

P.S.: Alternatively, you can always take your belt to your cobbler, who will take care of it for less than 5 euros.

Who am I to talk to you about garment care?
My name is Claire and I am in charge of production monitoring at Loom. Basically, I try to avoid stock shortages on our site (it’s not perfect yet, but I’m working on it) and I ensure throughout the manufacturing stages that the clothes meet our quality standards.
On top of that, I’m passionate about everything that helps extend the lifespan of our clothes: maintenance, repairs, and other old-school tips. I love giving clothes a "little extra soul," reworking them, repairing them, and giving them a second chance when no one else wants them. On these pages, I will try to pass on what I know that might be useful to you.
One last thing: I have personally tested all the tips you’ll find on this site to make sure they actually work (in other words, this isn't just a copy-paste job from internet searches). If you have any new ones to suggest, don't hesitate to leave a comment below this article.