When..
Waxed cotton is a high-performance fabric for high-performance lives. Given the right care and attention, your jacket will be with you for the long haul, ageing beautifully over time as it moulds itself to the unique contours of your journey. This is the essence of #newwornloved as your jacket moves through those stages over time.
The following steps will help to keep your jacket match-fit and ready for anything.
Here's a quick test to see if you nee to re-proof your jacket:
Spray your jacket with water or a short walk in the rain should do it.
After five minutes, if the water has beaded and rolled off, your wax is still working.
If the water has soaked in especially at the seams and creases which usually need closer attention, it’s time for some love.
Clean your jacket.
Button up the jacket to protect the inside lining and lay it out on a flat surface or if you have a tailors dummy (some people do!)
Do this outside or with old sheets, towels, newspaper underneath to protect your floors inside the house
Clean the jacket using cold water and a sponge to wipe down the outside of the jacket. Don't use soap or even think about putting it through a washing machine, this could do more damage than harm.
Check the instructions on the tin before proceeding but they should look like this
Soften the wax
Take the tin of British Millerain Wax dressing. Remove the lid, stand the tin in a container of water hot enough to soften the wax. It should take approximately 20 minutes to melt the wax into a liquid consistency.
Before starting to apply the wax, use a hairdryer to warm up jacket preparing it to receive the wax coat
Applying the Wax
Use a sponge or soft cloth to apply the wax evenly on the jacket.
Rub in a circular motion to work the wax into the fabric. Pay extra attention to seams, creases and dry areas.
Take care to avoid the lining.
Pay attention to the shoulders and upper arms as these areas will take the worst of the rain
When finished, the jacket should be an even colour and glossy all over.
Finish with the hairdryer to fix the wax and ensure the the wax is applied evenly over the coat
Hang to dry overnight, be warned initially excess wax will rub off on anything it comes into contact such as car seats
Re-wax your jacket once a year
Wax your coat once a year, in late summer ready for the autumn and winter.
Do this every year and you'll get to keep yours for years, there's a Barbour in our family since the 1980s ;0) #newwornloved