Patent leather wrinkles and in today’s post I’m going to share with you why and how patent leather wrinkles. I’m going to show you how to remove or improve the look of your wrinkled patent leather.
So why does patent leather wrinkle? Patent leather will generally wrinkle due to the type of leather that was finished into patent leather. Leather Sourced from the belly section of cowhide will be a lot softer and will have wrinkles. So when such leather is finished into patent leather, it may come already wrinkled or will easily wrinkle with very little use.
For the remaining parts of the article, I’m going to tell you some additional reasons why patent leather wrinkles and one simple hack to help you effectively remove wrinkles from your patent leather items. Keep reading to find out more!
1. Time And Wear
One common reason why patent leather as material wrinkles or creases is usually due to the daily wear and tear that the leather goes through.
Most people like myself often have high expectations for patent leather goods because of the plastic glossy finish on its surface.
We often see patent leather as a material that should do extremely well against dirt, moisture stains, wear and tear.
While the former is fairly true (in terms of how well patent leather does against moisture stains and dirt), what we usually forget is that underneath the plastic coating of patent leather is regular leather.
So, any form of wear on your patent leather items from daily wear and tear as against how long you have had them will also result in wrinkles, dents, and bubbles.
Related Article: 8 Reasons Why Leather Bubbles Plus 7 Simple Ways To Fix It
One of my favorite patent leather items is a small pouch or bag gifted to me by my father many years ago has remained almost the same because of how well I have kept it over the years – except for a few wrinkles I have seen develop around the flaps, handles, and parts around the zipper.
Regardless of these wrinkles that have developed over the years, I do not find it to be such a big deal as I love the patina look of the leather.
It’s important to add that not all patent leather will wrinkle with time and wear.
This is because some of the leather materials used to manufacture patent leather are thick and so may come with a lot more resistance to wear and tear when compared to the other types of patent leather.
2. The Design Of The Patent Leather Item
There have been several instances where I have seen a lot of comments, questions, and concerns in forums and my personal emails about patent leather items some friends had ordered that came with some wrinkles they simply couldn’t overlook.
A major contributory factor to patent leather wrinkles is the design of the item. The overall design and style of a particular patent leather item can also cause wrinkles.
This can range from how the patent leather item was cut, assembled, to how the patent leather items were sewn.
Complex designs and features can cause the appearance of wrinkles and creases on patent leather items especially if the patent leather item was handmade.
These complex designs will mean a lot more handling of the patent leather as the item is being made – which will then cause the appearance of wrinkles, creases, and dents.
A good example is how patent leather shoes are lasted and sewn. These processes can facilitate the appearance of wrinkles on the surface of your leather item even before the item is finished and ready for the market or use.
This is why you will often find a lot of wrinkles around the seams where stitches are placed on patent leather items.
3. The Quality Of The Leather Used
Just like I have hinted before, the quality of the leather used for a particular patent leather item does not only justify why a patent leather will wrinkle but also gives you an idea of the level of wrinkles that will appear on your leather items.
The most common source of leather is the cowhide and there are different sections of the cowhide sourced for different leather making purposes.
Leather will generally be sourced from different parts of the cowhide such as the shoulder, the belly, back, butt, and different other sections.
Usually, the parts of the leather like the Side and Belly will have the most blemishes and wrinkles and will generally be classified as low-quality leather.
On the other hand, parts of the hide like the Back or Butt will generally be tougher than the belly section and will also have the least amount of blemishes and wrinkles.
So ideally these parts will be considered high-quality leather.
So depending on which sections of the Hide is sourced and used for patent leather will determine the level of creases or wrinkles you’re going to have on a particular patent leather item.
This is not to say having wrinkles on your patent leather items based on the quality of leather used is black or white.
I have also seen several instances where high-quality leather goods have severe and massive wrinkles contrary to some low-quality leather with very little to no wrinkles.
4. The Type Of Finish
Another reason why you will have wrinkles on your patent leather is that those wrinkles you’re seeing are patterns intentionally placed on the leather to give off a tactile or visual impression.
Instead of the regular smooth drummed patent leather finish most of us are used to, some manufacturers have patterns or designs they use in finishing their patent leathers.
These wrinkled patterns put on the patent leather is to beautify and to portray the premature rich patina of the patent leather.
It can also be done so that when the patent leather develops actual wrinkles, scratches, or stains it’s camouflaged and does not become very obvious.
5. Improper Storage
Leather goods are luxurious and an important staple in most wardrobes today.
Unlike other regular fashion materials like cotton fabrics, denims, polyester to mention but a few, leather items must be stored right to maintain their rich luxurious look.
Among the different types of leather, patent leather is the most fashionable and although it’s very resistant, it also requires special attention when it comes to its storage.
Not storing your patent leather items will not only end them up with some ugly wrinkles but also color transfer and deformation of the overall shape of the item.
I have a dedicated article outlining a step by step process for storing your patent leather items so that you do not ruin them. If you’re interested, you can check out this article by clicking the link below.
Related Article: How To Store Patent Leather: A Complete Step-By-Step Guide!
How To Remove Or Reduce Wrinkles From Patent Leather Items
Below is a simple hack to help remove wrinkles from the surface of your patent leather items.
The Ironing Method:
Depending on the level of wrinkles or creases you have on your patent leather items, you can use this method to either remove wrinkles or substantially reduce the amount of wrinkles you have on your patent leather items.
With a little bit of skill and time you should be able to apply this method on almost every type of patent leather item with wrinkles on them – including shoes, bags, jackets, belts, etc.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to execute this method.
Things Needed:
- Brown paper or brown paper bag
- Regular clothes iron or curling iron
Procedure:
Step 1: Plug your iron in and set it to a low heat setting.
Step 2: Test the iron on a piece of fabric to ensure the iron isn’t too heated.
Step 3: Lay your brown paper directly over the areas of the patent leather with the wrinkles.
Step 4: Unplug the iron and begin to iron over the brown paper. You would want to press as gently as possibly.
Make sure to move the iron over the surface of the patent leather in a circular motion and avoid leaving the iron in one spot of the patent leather for too long.
Step 5: Remove the brown paper and you will notice the wrinkles on the patent leather will begin to disappear or will start to even out.
If you still find some wrinkles, you can repeat the entire process 2 or 3 times.
Always ensure you test out how hot the iron is before applying it to your patent leather.
The wrinkles should be gone or significantly improved.
Conclusion
From this post, you can see all the possible reasons why a patent leather item may crease.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of the reasons why patent leather will wrinkle – as some other causes of wrinkles on patent leather may be peculiar to you and only you like your environment, where, and how you use your patent leather items.
But all in all, I can say that this article highlighted some of the most common ways in which patent leather will wrinkle.
I hope this article has brought you a bit of clarity to this topic and has helped you find great ways to prevent your patent leather items from wrinkling – if patent leather wrinkles is something you do not want.
