From tips for waterproofing gloves to ways of preventing them from stretching – leather gloves experts at Chester Jefferies have created our comprehensive guide for caring for your adorable leather gloves so that you can use them for as long as you can. By the end of this guide, you will have us to thank.

WATERPROOFING LEATHER GLOVES

Let us begin from the first point. When your leather gloves have been shipped to you, is there anything you could do to make them waterproof and protect them from harsh elements?

It is essential to bear in mind that leather is also a ‘skin’ which exhibits a natural resistance to some elements. Provided you don’t perform a random dive in the ocean, and your gloves will be fine.

Anyway, there are several high-street brands that are creating products meant to boost the natural resistance of leather gloves against rain. Although these could be incredibly useful, they could also alter the appearance of your gloves, especially if they are light in colour.

The crucial thing to always bear in mind is that whether you’re doing it for protection or not, if your leather gloves ever get wet, never dry them using external heat like a tumble dryer, fire, or radiator. You should leave the gloves to dry at their pace since this prevents them from drying out and cracking. Just let them be, they know the drill.

After your gloves are dry, we would recommend rubbing a neutral leather creme which aids in keeping them soft. These leather cremes are often available for purchase in many local stores, including John Lewis and Tesco’s.

CLEANING LEATHER GLOVES

Similar to other items made from quality leather, washing or cleaning leather gloves must be done with great care and only when it is absolutely necessary.

The colours are usually intricate since the skins are generally “full blossom” – dying and tanning additives are natural and, therefore, fixing colour is okay but using inappropriate chemical additives to wash will only damage your gloves.

However, if you own a pair of slightly marked gloves and would like to clean them, here are some steps to follow:

• Start by preparing a lukewarm solution with pure soap flakes, like ‘Lux.’
• Use a cloth to wipe down the leather glove gently. Avoid using sponge since it will crumble.
• Never wash your gloves in a washing machine or fully immerse them in water.
• Let your gloves dry naturally and as this happens, put them in your hands once in a while to allow them to stretch in addition to restoring their appropriate fit.

PREVENTING STRETCH IN LEATHER GLOVES

Over the years, we’ve had to deal with this question, ‘how can I prevent my gloves from stretching?’ Luckily, we have the answer to this question. ‘You often don’t have to.’

Leather is one of nature’s gift to glove manufacturers. Leather is naturally elastic, and recovery lets your hand pass through the glove’s narrow section before it reforms around the wrist and hand.

It is up to the glove cutter to select the appropriate piece of leather for every part of this product and then prepare the material so that it retains the right elasticity to make for an ideal leather glove.

Our simple advice to you would be that you invest in a quality pair of gloves since it will probably last a lifetime. Besides, choose the right glove size for your hand. Once you do this, you will probably not have to worry about your pair stretching out of their shape.

CLEANING THE LINING OF YOUR LEATHER GLOVES

Most gloves have an extra lining of wool or silk for warmth and comfort. Unfortunately, because of leather’s nature, gloves shouldn’t be entirely submerged in water, and this makes cleaning the lining tricky.

We wouldn’t advise you to clean the lining of your pair of gloves since you will most probably damage them. If you must clean the lining, we recommend that you have a specialist dry cleaner do it for you.

A pair of quality leather gloves should easily outlive you. You just have to accord it the right care.

Diversity. For decades the fashion industry ignored how normal women looked, but a change has begun. At every turn, we are seeing an increase in diversity in fashion magazines, on the runway, and in catalogues. Leading fashion companies realise that real women want to see women like them, not only models who are size 4 and smaller. Real women come in different shapes, size and attitudes, and the fashion industry has begin to embrace “real”.

Your favourite fashion magazines have begun to feature full-size models and normal women. Even the displays in stores are changing to highlight real women instead of size 4 mannequins. For every woman with lumps and bumps, knowing the best shapewear for muffin top is essential to enhance the natural silhouette of the body. This change in the industry has led to a new style of model, women who are beautiful, sexy, and elegant regardless of their size. Models who are making a real difference in the fashion industry and in our lives. Here are a few of those amazing ladies.

Ashley Graham

The first name that comes to most people’s mind when plus-size models are mentioned is Ashley Graham. She shocked the world with her bold untouched photos in Vogue magazine. Her beauty grabbed people’s attention and shows why she is considered the leader in the body positivity movement. Men took notice when Ashley Graham became the first plus-size woman to be featured in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. The entire fashion world has embraced the new direction in beauty, which has led to Ashley Graham strutting down the catwalk side-by-side with Kendall Jenner, Kaia Gerber, and other top fashion models. Her first appearance in Vogue was not enough. She went from being inside the magazine to being a Vogue cover woman, featuring a new declaration of beauty for women, “No Norm Is The New Norm”. Ashley Graham has been a leading model in plus-sized fashion, but now that has been transformed to her being a leading model in mainstream fashion.

Tess Holliday

If you want to hear the battle cry for plus-size women and models, you must turn to the sensational Tess Holliday. She’s loud, boisterous, brash and unapologetic about letting the world know women of any shape and size are magnificent. She made the world take notice of plus-size models in 2015 when she was the first plus-size model to join a major agency. Her size 22 body has been featured in magazines and on TV, leaving people speechless with her beauty and boldness. One of her boldest statements to world came when she created her famous #EffYourBeautyStandards hash tag and made it clear to everyone the world is changing. She has become an inspiration to women of all size who want the world to see their beauty, just as they are.

Amy Lemons

If anyone can prove that size is just a number, it is Amy Lemons. She started her fashion career as a highly sought after “normal sized’ mode at the age of 14. Her body type and look fit the fashion industries standards. Her “model look” was showcased on the cover of Italian Vogue, Vogue, Harpers, and other top fashion publications. She became a Calvin Klein and Louis Vuitton model. A change was about to happen, a big change. When Amy Lemons graduated college she spoke out about the lack of diversity and pressure in the fashion industry. She made it clear she stood for a more relaxed vision of beauty that included all women and the importance of bolstering the self-esteem of young women. This was not only a change in attitude, but it was also a metamorphosis as Amy allowed herself to blossom into her true self becoming a leading plus-size model. Her drive to improve mental health and self-esteem for all women has not ceased.

Philomena Kwao

Ferocity and friendship are two words that perfectly fit Philomena Kwao. This sensational plus-size model is considered one of the nicest models you can find until you talk negatively about body diversity. This is when the ferocious side can appear. Philomena is an outspoken advocate for diversity for women and also battles for improving women’s rights and maternal health issues. Her Lily Project battles to improve healthcare and to continue the growth of diversity in modelling. She believes diversity in race, size, and height are crucial to improving self-image for women.

These 4 amazing women are our current favourite plus-size models, but they are not alone in changing the way we see beauty. Their leadership in the body positivity movement is causing changes throughout the world allowing people to see that beauty is not being a size 4, it is independent of size, shape, and colour. Their leadership is quickly leading to more plus-size models coming to the forefront and changing the fashion world forever.