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

Whether it was a hard-saved leather biker, a heavyweight cotton hoodie grabbed during a Rick Owens sale, or a draped tunic dearer than your rent. Whatever it was, you’ve finally made the purchase. 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. The good news: proper care comes down largely to restraint and a handful of simple habits. This guide runs through the three fabric groups you probably own. Master these basics and your pieces will survive longer than almost everything else you own.

Leather: The Investment That Asks the Least of You

Leather intimidates people, yet a Rick Owens leather jacket is genuinely one of the simplest things in your closet to look after. 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 put leather through the washing machine and never dry clean it casually; only a real leather specialist, not the corner dry cleaner, should ever tackle a 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. Keep the jacket on a wide wooden or padded hanger to preserve the shoulders’ shape, and never on a thin wire hanger. Handled this way, a $4,000 leather jacket readily survives fifteen to twenty years and looks better still as the patina develops.

Dealing with Rain and Scuffs

Water is leather’s silent foe, though it’s manageable if you respond sensibly. Caught in the rain, resist the urge to panic or hit the jacket with a hairdryer; just hang it at room temperature and let it dry slowly across a day or two. Once dry, a rick owens mountain hoodie light pass of conditioner restores any oils the water pulled out and prevents stiffness. Small scuffs on washed nappa often buff out with nothing more than your fingertip and the natural warmth 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. Wipe salt stains from winter pavements away promptly using a barely damp cloth before they set. The whole philosophy here is gentle and slow, which suits the lived-in aesthetic the brand celebrates anyway.

Cotton: Hoodies, Tees, and the DRKSHDW Workhorses

Through simple overconfidence, most owners do the most damage to the cotton pieces, especially anything from DRKSHDW. 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. 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.

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. When in doubt, hand wash in cold water with a tiny amount of delicate detergent, swishing gently rather than wringing or twisting. Press the water out by laying the garment flat between two towels, then dry it flat and reshape it by hand while damp. Hanging up a heavy, wet drape piece stretches it unevenly and may permanently warp that carefully considered silhouette. For anything you are nervous about, a reputable dry cleaner experienced with designer garments is money well spent. The drape is the reason you bought it, so preserving it is the whole point.

Storage and Day-to-Day Habits

Storing these clothes between wears is almost as important as cleaning them. 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. Keep it all clear of direct sun, which fades the signature blacks and dusts into uneven grays faster than you’d think. A breathable cotton garment bag protects leather and drape pieces from dust without trapping moisture the way plastic does. Before putting things away for the season, wash them, because body oils and invisible stains lure moths and become permanent over months. Such little habits are free and tack years of life onto truly expensive clothes.

Common Mistakes That Wreck 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. The number one offender is tossing a heavyweight hoodie into a hot wash with everything else, which shrinks the cotton and bleeds the careful dye in a single cycle. Close behind is hanging knits and jersey on narrow hangers, stretching the shoulders into permanent bumps that no wash can fix. People also love to “freshen up” leather with household wipes or alcohol-based cleaners, which strip 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 to Call a Professional

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. Trade guides at outlets like Highsnobiety often tackle designer garment care if you’d like to dig deeper. In 2026, with resale values for the brand holding strong, well-maintained pieces are also genuinely worth more if you ever sell. Treat these garments as the long-term pieces they are, and they will reward you in return.