Caring for Your Rick Owens Pieces: Leather, Cotton, and Drape Fabrics
So you’ve finally bought the jacket. Perhaps it was a leather biker you saved up for over months, a heavyweight cotton hoodie you grabbed in a Rick Owens sale, or a draped tunic that ran more than your monthly rent. Regardless, you now have a garment that rewards a little knowledge and punishes carelessness. Rick Owens pieces aren’t delicate in the high-maintenance sense, yet they’re built from materials that act in particular ways, and handling them like everyday clothes is how people destroy expensive items. Happily, looking after them is mostly a matter of restraint and a few easy habits. This guide covers the three fabric families you’re most likely to have. 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 brand favors lamb and calf nappa, sometimes washed or blistered for that lived-in look, and these hides want to be left mostly alone. Never machine wash leather and never dry clean it on a whim; a true leather specialist, not a corner dry cleaner, is the only person who should ever treat a stain. Clear surface dust using a faintly damp cloth and allow it to air dry clear of radiators, as direct heat rick owens on sale cracks the grain for good. Treat the leather once or twice annually with a neutral, brand-safe balm, spread thinly and buffed away 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. Handled this way, a $4,000 leather jacket readily survives fifteen to twenty years and looks better still as the patina develops.
Handling Rain and Scuffs
Water is leather’s quiet enemy, but it is manageable if 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. 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. You can sometimes rub deeper scratches into fading a bit, yet Rick Owens leather is built to reveal character, so don’t chase perfection. Salt marks from winter streets ought to be wiped off quickly with a barely damp cloth before they set in. The guiding idea here is gentle and slow, perfectly matching the worn-in aesthetic the brand prizes anyway.
Cotton: Hoodies, Tees, and the DRKSHDW Workhorses
The cotton items, particularly anything from DRKSHDW, are where most owners cause the most harm through plain 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 wash cotton garments inside out in cold water, ideally around 30 degrees Celsius, on a gentle cycle with 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 use the tumble dryer; hang the garment to air dry, safeguarding both the color and the elongated proportions the design relies on. Washing less often than you think you need to is genuinely better, since over-washing is the fastest route to a tired-looking hoodie. Stick to these rules and a $600 hoodie keeps its expensive look for years instead of 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: The Payoff Is in the Patience
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. A great many drape pieces are made from viscose, rayon, cupro, or silk blends that go shapeless under rough handling, so always check the care label first. If you’re unsure, hand wash in cold water with a small amount of delicate detergent, swishing softly instead of 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 anything you are nervous about, a reputable dry cleaner experienced with designer garments is money well spent. The drape is what you paid for, so protecting it is the whole job.
Everyday Habits and How You Store Things
How you store these clothes between wears matters almost as much as how you clean them. Allow your pieces room to breathe in the wardrobe, as jamming them together wrinkles the drape and crushes the structured shoulders on jackets. Use padded or wide wooden hangers for outerwear and fold heavy knits and hoodies instead of hanging them, since hanging stretches the neckline over time. Keep it all clear of direct sun, which fades the signature blacks and dusts into uneven grays faster than you’d think. Use a breathable cotton garment bag to guard leather and drape pieces from dust while avoiding the moisture plastic traps. 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 Ruin Good Pieces
Most harm done to Rick Owens garments traces to a handful of avoidable errors, and knowing them beforehand saves plenty 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. Not far behind is putting knits and jersey on narrow hangers, which warps the shoulders into permanent lumps that no laundering fixes. 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 on high heat is another classic disaster, flattening texture and sometimes scorching delicate viscose blends beyond repair. Storing clean-looking but unwashed garments over 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. Steer clear of these six habits and you’ve already handled eighty percent of the work.
When to Call a Professional
Knowing your limits is part of caring for luxury garments well. 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. 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 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.