Caring for Your Rick Owens Pieces: Leather, Cotton, and Drape Fabrics
So you finally bought the jacket. Maybe it was a leather biker you saved for months to afford, or a heavyweight cotton hoodie you snagged during a Rick Owens sale, or a draped tunic that cost more than your monthly rent. No matter the piece, you now own a garment that repays a bit of know-how and penalizes neglect. 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 runs through the three fabric groups you probably own. Nail these fundamentals and your pieces will outlast most of the rest of your closet.
Leather: The Investment That Asks the Least of You
A Rick Owens leather jacket is honestly one of the easiest things in your closet to maintain, despite how much leather intimidates people. 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 yellow rick owens cloth and let it air dry well away from radiators, because direct heat permanently cracks the grain. Treat the leather once or twice annually with a neutral, brand-safe balm, spread thinly and buffed away 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.
Coping with Rain and Scuffs
Water is leather’s silent foe, though it’s manageable if you respond 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. Once dry, a 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 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 whole philosophy here is gentle and slow, which suits the lived-in aesthetic the brand celebrates anyway.
Cotton: Hoodies, Tees, and the DRKSHDW Workhorses
Most owners wreck the cotton pieces, particularly DRKSHDW, through nothing more than overconfidence. The heavyweight jersey Rick Owens hoodie seems indestructible, but hot water and rough drying shrink it, wash out the dye, and ruin the meticulously engineered drape. Always wash cotton garments inside out in cold water, ideally around 30 degrees Celsius, on a gentle cycle with a mild detergent. Leave out the fabric softener completely, since it coats the fibers and dulls 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. 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.
| 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 draped pieces, meaning the flowing tunics, asymmetric skirts, and pooled-hem tops, are the most demanding 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. Uncertain? Hand wash in cold water with just a touch of delicate detergent, swishing gently rather than wringing or twisting. Remove the water by laying the piece flat between two towels, then dry it flat and reshape it with your hands while damp. Hang a heavy wet drape garment and it stretches unevenly, potentially distorting that thoughtfully designed silhouette for good. Whenever you’re anxious about a piece, a trusted dry cleaner experienced with designer clothing is worth every penny. The drape is what you paid for, so protecting it is the whole job.
Everyday Habits and How You Store Things
Storing these clothes between wears is almost as important as cleaning them. Give your pieces breathing room in the closet, because cramming them together creases the drape and crushes the structured shoulders on jackets. Choose padded or broad wooden hangers for outerwear, and fold heavy knits and hoodies rather than hanging them, because hanging stretches the neckline over time. Keep everything out of direct sunlight, which fades the signature blacks and dusts into uneven grays surprisingly fast. A breathable cotton garment bag shields leather and drape pieces from dust without sealing in moisture like plastic does. Before putting things away for the season, wash them, because body oils and invisible stains lure moths and become permanent over months. These minor habits cost you nothing yet add years to genuinely pricey clothing.
Common Mistakes That Ruin Good Pieces
The bulk of damage to Rick Owens garments stems from a short list of avoidable mistakes, and learning them ahead of time spares a lot of grief. 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. Pressing drape fabrics on high heat is another classic blunder, crushing texture and at times scorching delicate viscose blends past saving. 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. Skip these six habits and you’ve effectively done eighty percent of the job.
When It’s Time to Call a Pro
Knowing your limits is part of caring for luxury garments well. 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 label’s own service channels will often advise on repairs, with the official site at rickowens.eu being the right first stop for queries about a specific piece. For stubborn stains on leather or drape fabrics, avoid the DIY fixes you read about online and seek out a cleaner who openly deals with designer garments. 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 publications such as Highsnobiety regularly address designer garment care should you want to read more. In 2026, as resale values for the brand stay strong, well-kept pieces are also truly worth more should you ever sell. Regard the clothes as the long-term investments they truly are, and they’ll repay you for it.