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

Whether it was a hard-saved leather biker, a heavyweight cotton hoodie grabbed during a Rick Owens sale, or a draped tunic dearer than your rent. Whatever it was, you’ve finally made the purchase. 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. The good news: proper care comes down largely to restraint and a handful of simple habits. This guide walks through the three fabric families you are most likely to own. Get these basics right and your pieces will outlive most of the rest of your wardrobe.

Leather: The Investment That Needs the Least Fuss

A Rick Owens leather jacket is honestly one of the easiest things in your closet to maintain, even though leather scares people. The label favors lamb and calf nappa, now and then washed or blistered for that broken-in look, and these leathers are happiest left mostly undisturbed. 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 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. Hang the jacket on a broad wooden or padded hanger so the shoulders hold their shape, never on a flimsy wire one. Handled this way, a $4,000 leather jacket readily survives fifteen to twenty years and looks better still as the patina develops.

Dealing with Rain and Scuffs

Leather’s quiet enemy is rick owens drkshdw hoodie water, 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. Minor scuffs on washed nappa frequently rub away using just your fingertip and the natural heat of your hand. Deeper scratches can occasionally be worked into being less visible, but Rick Owens leather is designed to show character, so fight 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 entire approach here is gentle and unhurried, which fits the lived-in look the brand celebrates anyway.

Cotton: Hoodies, Tees, and Those DRKSHDW Workhorses

Most owners wreck the cotton pieces, particularly DRKSHDW, through nothing more than 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. Wash cotton pieces inside out in cold water every time, ideally near 30 degrees Celsius, on a delicate 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 tumble dry; hang the garment to air dry, which protects both the dye and the elongated proportions the design depends on. Washing less frequently than you assume is necessary is honestly better, because over-washing is the quickest path to a worn-out hoodie. Observe these rules and a $600 hoodie holds its premium appearance for years rather than mere months.

Drape Fabrics: Where Patience Is Rewarded

Because the fabric content varies and the cut is the entire point, the draped pieces, those flowing tunics, asymmetric skirts, and pooled-hem tops, are the trickiest of the three. 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. 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. For anything you are nervous about, a reputable dry cleaner experienced with designer garments is money well spent. The drape is the reason you bought it, so preserving it is the whole point.

Storage and Everyday Habits

Storing these clothes between wears is almost as important as cleaning them. Leave your pieces some breathing space in the closet, since packing them tightly creases the drape and flattens 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. Store everything away from direct sunlight, which bleaches the signature blacks and dusts into patchy grays surprisingly quickly. 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.

The Common Errors That Destroy Good Pieces

Knowing a short list of avoidable errors in advance spares you much heartache, since they cause most of the damage to Rick Owens garments. 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. Ironing drape fabrics on high heat is another classic disaster, flattening texture and sometimes scorching delicate viscose blends beyond repair. 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. Avoid these six habits and you have already done eighty percent of the work.

When It’s Time to Call a Pro

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 retailers and the brand’s own service channels can frequently guide you on repairs, and the official site at rickowens.eu is the proper starting point for questions about a particular garment. When it comes to deep stains on leather or drape fabrics, skip the home remedies you find online and turn to a cleaner who specifically handles designer pieces. 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, with resale values for the brand holding strong, well-maintained pieces are also genuinely worth more if you ever sell. Treat these garments as the long-term pieces they are, and they will reward you in return.