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

Maybe it was a leather biker you saved for months to afford, a heavyweight cotton hoodie you snagged during a Rick Owens sale, or a draped tunic that cost more than your monthly rent. Either way, you finally bought the jacket. Whatever it was, you now own a garment that rewards a little knowledge and punishes 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. Master these basics and your pieces will survive longer than almost everything else you own.

Leather: The Investment That Needs the Least Fuss

Leather scares people, but a Rick Owens leather jacket is honestly one of the easiest things in your closet to maintain. 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 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. 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.

Handling Rain and Scuffs

Water is leather’s silent foe, though it’s manageable if you respond 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 Rick Owens EU 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. Deeper scratches can sometimes be massaged less visible, though Rick Owens leather is meant to show character, so resist the urge to 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 Those DRKSHDW Workhorses

Through simple overconfidence, most owners do the most damage to the cotton pieces, especially anything from DRKSHDW. That heavy jersey Rick Owens hoodie feels bulletproof, yet hot water and harsh drying will shrink it, fade the color, and destroy 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. Avoid fabric softener altogether, as it films the fibers and flattens the matte finish that lends these pieces their character. Never tumble dry; hang the garment to air dry, which protects both the dye and the elongated proportions the design depends 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. Observe these rules and a $600 hoodie holds its premium appearance for years rather than mere 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. 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. When in doubt, hand wash in cold water with a tiny amount of delicate detergent, swishing gently rather than 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. Hanging a heavy wet drape piece stretches it unevenly and can permanently distort that carefully considered silhouette. 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

The way you store these clothes between wears counts nearly as much as how you clean them. Leave your pieces some breathing space in the closet, since packing them tightly creases the drape and flattens 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 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 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. Such little habits are free and tack years of life onto truly expensive clothes.

The Common Errors That Destroy 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. Right after that comes hanging knits and jersey on thin hangers, pulling the shoulders into permanent bumps no wash will undo. 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 at high heat is yet another textbook catastrophe, flattening the texture and occasionally scorching delicate viscose blends beyond rescue. Storing clean-looking but unwashed garments over a season invites moths to feast on invisible body oils. Finally, chasing every tiny scuff or fade defeats the point of a brand that celebrates a worn, lived-in patina. Avoid these six habits and you have already done eighty percent of the work.

When to Bring in a Professional

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 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. Trade guides at outlets like Highsnobiety often tackle designer garment care if you’d like to dig deeper. In 2026, as resale values for the brand stay strong, well-kept pieces are also truly worth more should you ever sell. Treat the clothes as the long-term objects they are, and they will reward you for it.