Leather care project: Bally patent handbag and patent leather 101

A patent leather handbag is a lovely thing.  If you happen to own one, your patent handbag is your go-to bag for the rainy season.  It's fabulous, glossy exterior seems to repel rain without much effort.  However, during prolonged season of high humidity, especially if you live in the tropics, the patent develops an undesirable, sticky feel.  Patent leather does not hold an excellent track record when dealing with heat and humidity. 

By the way, patent also goes by the term 'vernis'.  

A highly humid environment can make the patent glue melt, resulting to overall stickiness of the leather.  Yes, this thing happens.  When it does, your precious handbag becomes  more susceptible to color transfer from other bags or fabrics; or you may also find the patent bag staining other bags in your closet.  In a scenario like this, prevention is far better than cure.  

Here are some basic tips on how to take care of your patent handbags; also applicable to patent shoes:

1.  Air your patent bag regularly.  Don't just lock it in your closet for months.  Chances are, if you have so many bags, there is a tendency that you will forget about the bags that are silently aging in your closet.

2.  Wipe your handbag clean with a soft cotton cloth.  An old cotton t-shirt can also do the trick.  Make sure your bag is dry before you keep it in the dust bag.

3.  Store your bag in a dust bag. No dust bag? A soft pillow case may also double as a dust bag.

4.  To retain the shape of your bag, use a stuffer when storing your bag. 

5.  Avoid spilling any form of solvent on your bag.  Solvent may cause the color to bleed. 

6.  When the patent becomes sticky, refer to Tip # 2, and then store your bag in a cool, dry place, and observe if the stickiness will disappear.  

7.  If you must apply a leather cleaner on your patent handbag; cleaner must be intended for patent or vernis.  DO test it first on a hidden portion of your bag, before you apply it to the entire bag. 

Here is one of my recently completed leather care projects, featuring a Bally patent handbag. 

BEFORE:  very sticky patent; discoloration - from white to yellow, ink stains and color transfer.  After cleaning the bag, the discoloration and most of the stains were deemed permanent.  

PROCESS:  clean, disinfect, recolor

OUTPUT:  patent with deep red hue

For more before-and-after photos, visit our Facebook and Instagram pages @leathercareproject.  

Powerman Philippines Empowers the Filipino Duathlete

As the sport of duathlon continues to grow in the Philippines, and around the world, Filipino duathletes get a chance to compete against the best of the best when they test their mettle at the 2017 Powerman Philippines Asian Championships presented by Summit Drinking Water on October 8 at Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga. 

This is a highly anticipated event not only for seasoned duathletes, but also for athletes who are in the process of transitioning to duathlon and multi-sports.  If you have been wanting to do that ultimate road test after weeks or months of training, then Powerman Duathlon is an event that you should not miss.  

Now on its third year, the F&F International Events Group prides itself with being given the honor this year’s Asian Championships.  Aside from promoting duathlons as a lifestyle, as a sport, and as an event, the main thrust for 2017 is to push the boundaries of the Filipino Duathlete.  The 2017 Powerman Philippines Asian Duathlon Championships Presented by Summit Drinking Water is set to host a minimum of 800 local and foreign participants from all around the world, including elite athletes from US, Europe, Australia and Asia Pacific.

Powerman Duathlon Asian Championship 2017 also highlights the innate strength in running and cycling of the Filipino duathlete.  "It's all about investing in the Filipino duathlete's potential, pushing their boundaries, and expanding their competitive horizons, with the ultimate goal of sending our top Filipino duathlete to the 2019 Powerman World Championships in Zofingen, Switzerland,"  shared by Coach Kaye Lopez, Powerman Philippines' General Manager. 

The race features various categories that will traverse Clark and SCTEx: 

*  Powerman Classic:  10km run, 60km bike, 10km run

* Powerman Short: 5km, 30km, 5km run 

* Powerteens: 5km run, 30km bike, 5km run 

The Clark Freeport Zone, which is about 37 miles northwest of Metro Manila and located in the heart of the culture-rich Central Luzon, proves to be the perfect race venue, with its highly-improved road network and its interesting scenery of graceful old homes with large verandas and historical buildings. Traveling to the venue is also seamless for both local and foreign guests as it is easily accessible via land or air travel.

The 2017 Powerman Philippines Asian Championships Presented by Summit Drinking Water will serve as a qualifying event for the Powerman World Championships in Zofingen, Switzerland. The race is also supported by Clark Freeport Zone and SCTEx as the Official Venue Partner, Cobra Energy Drink ad Official Energy Drink, Columbia as Official Apparel Partner, Activehealth as Official Sports Nutrition Partner, Garmin as Official Timing Partner, Seafood Island Restaurant, Hammer Nutrition, Dan’s Endurance, 2xU, and Skechers Performance.

For more details, registration and updates visit the event’s official website, www.powerman.ph and subscribe to the official social media accounts in Facebook, Instagram and Twitter through @PowermanPH with official hashtags #NOMANNOPOWER #POWERMANPHPRESENTEDBYSUMMIT.

Leather care project: Tory Burch patent sneakers

You found a perfect pair of sneakers for an overcast kind of weather. The purchase was justified.  It was not a splurge, but a good buy because its style is versatile.  You can even wear it to complete your smart casual ensembles. It's a pair of Tory Burch patent sneakers. ❤😍👌

➤  Soft patent leather that wicks away water (good for drizzles, but not for torrential rain)
➤  White rubber sole - a crowd favorite for a few (fashion) seasons now
➤  Made for walking; won't hurt your feet - a quality that Tory Burch shoes are known for 

A few weeks later, you found out that... 

➤  Its white sole already turned grey because of dust and dirt.  No matter how you tried cleaning it at home, the stain won't disappear.  You couldn't wash it clean and tumble dry, because the shoes are partly made of leather.  😲😨😢

➤  So you brought the pair to two of the bigger handbag/shoe cleaning chains in the city.  They won't accept your shoes for cleaning - they just told you, "the materials tend to get filthy just like that.  There's nothing we can do about it." 

Then you just asked yourself: 1) why?; 2) what now?  

The solution... 

This is not a close-ended article.  In fact, we want to share there is hope for this type of shoes - we can clean and disinfect both leather and rubber to (help) add more mileage to this posh pair.  Here are the "before-and-after" photos straight out of our leather care project studio. ❤😍👌

BEFORE:  Leather is still in good condition, but the rubber sole showed dirt and deep stains.

WORK-IN-PROGRESS:  Clean and disinfect shoes by part.  Rubber and leather must be cleaned separately. 

AFTER:  More mileage ahead!  

For more information, visit us at Facebook - Leather Care Project, or at Instagram: @leathercareproject