Garment Care

As with your luxury automobile, your Harris and Howard Bespoke suit needs care and attention for it to perform to the best of its ability, keep its longevity, and maintain appearance after daily wear and tear. It may be a robust garment, but, as the most costly item in the majority of gentlemen’s wardrobes, the suit is a garment that needs to be treated with the utmost care. We take great pride in the quality and durability of our garments, and if cared for properly, you’ll extend the life of your suit and receive years of good service.

Step 1

The leading cause of wear in clothes is the dirt, dust, and grit that accumulates in the fabric; regular brushing does much to prolong the life of a garment as well as storing your suit in a breathable suit bag and placing it in a closet with generous space.

Step 2

To give the fabric a chance to keep its shape, try not to wear the garment for more than a day at a time. Then hang it on a robust and reliable wooden hanger, such as the ones provided by us with your custom made suit. Our hangers have a wishbone design, broad shoulders, and bulb ends to mimic the human body’s shape; this not only allows for a better presentation of your garments but also helps keep items in their original form and offer support.

Step 3

Empty pockets of the garment and ensure the suit jacket is unbuttoned when not in use to help prevent creases.

Step 4

Ask your tailor to recommend a reliable dry cleaner, should this become necessary. However, to prolong the life of your suit, it should be dry-cleaned as infrequently as possible (We recommend no more than four times a year!). Have your suits steam-pressed or spot cleaned as an alternative and your suit can look good as new with this simple process. Cheap dry-cleaning can ruin your clothes, and the pressing while you wait is seldom satisfactory.

Step 5

An overcoat or jacket made of soft fabric, such as cashmere, lambswool, or Saxony tweed, should be steamed occasionally. One way this can be easily achieved is by hanging the garment in a bathroom with the hot tap running, which restores some of the natural moisture removed by excessive central heating.

Step 6

Excessive dampness affects crease recovery. If a garment becomes very wet, smooth it with a domestic iron at medium temperature and hang it in a dry place to allow the dampness to evaporate naturally. Forced drying near a radiator or fire may damage the wool’s fibers.