The indigo half of my clown strap has leaked a faint blue outline onto the cream part (where they overlap when buckled together).
It was a humid day and I was sweating a bit after a brisk walk.
I was mortified but thankfully managed to clean it with a damp cloth.
Has anyone else experience this? I know leather may shed colours when wet but does it apply to Hermès straps too?
Glad you were able to clean it off. Good catch. I wonder if
@calexandre knows of a way to seal the back so it would be less likely to bleed like that..?
Even Hermes leathers will shed a little color when they're first cleaned or exposed to water (or sweat!). It's normal, for instance, to see some color on a buffing cloth after cleaning the leather the first few times, although the color of the leather itself won't appear to be diminished.
The degree to which the bleeding happens depends on several factors, as far as I understand it from my experiences:
1. How many times has the leather been cleaned? The first couple times, it will shed more of its loose dye.
2. Has the leather been polished by Hermes spa (in this case, probably not), OR is it a color that receives a layer of dye overspray at the tannery to make them look more even? (Reds and blacks usually do, and I could imagine a dark blue might as well).
I think if it were me, I'd try cleaning with a very gentle product. I like Lexol PH leather wipes for Swift, though I would always test a small area first on any new leather piece. Or-- even more conservatively-- just give the indigo part of the strap a firm dry buffing with a soft cloth. This might help pick up any loose dye.
Another strategy, but one that I haven't tried myself, would be to spray your strap with something like Appleguard leather protectant. I know some people with white or pale handbags from other brands use that product to prevent staining from denim, which is one of the worst and most difficult types of staining to remove from leather. I don't spray my Hermes bags, but I do spray suede shoes from them and I think I'd be willing to spray something small like a Swift watch strap. I wouldn't do it to Barenia or Box leather strap because a barrier spray can interfere with the acquisition of patina.
