W A S H & C A R E
Caring for your Leila Gordon pieces.
Natural Dyes
Natural dyes are living color. They evolve and transform over time, reacting with our bodies, sunlight, and temperature. This is the beauty of natural dyes, and we invite the wearer to embrace these characteristics of their naturally dyed garments, as it will gift you with a new appreciation for color and the nature from which it originates. To wash your naturally dyed pieces, we suggest hand washing with pH neutral detergent and cool water. For longevity in color and wear, hand washing natural dyes and fibers is always recommended. Machine washing is also possible, on a gentle spin cycle with cold water and like-colors. Air drying instead of tumble drying will also help maintain the color’s lifespan. Just be sure to dry them out of direct sunlight, as this can cause fading. Finally, you can iron or steam as needed.
Our naturally dyed garments do not run in the wash, however we recommend washing with like-colors still.
Wool
Wool garments can last up to 80 years if properly cared for, that is why they deserve all your love & attention!
Wool has a self-cleaning ability and therefore hardly needs to be washed. Airing out the garment on a breezy day is often more than enough. We suggest hand washing when they need a full cleaning or spot cleaning. Our favorite soap to use is a capful of Eucalan Delicate Wash, it is an herb based soap that protects against moths and does not need to be rinsed out. By washing carefully you prevent your garment from shrinking, felting or becoming damaged - which can always be a fear when washing sweaters. To hand wash, soak your knit in cool, soapy water making sure the garment is fully wet. Gently squeeze to get the soap into the fibers. Let soak. If using soap other than Eucalan, gently rinse out the soap in cold water without wringing the sweater. Lay in between two clean towels and gently roll up your sweater and apply light pressure - this is a safer way to wring out excess water. Lay flat to dry.
Using as little friction and heat as possible ensures your wool garment will remain beautiful for years.
Keyhole Shirt
Leila Gordon’s trademark key symbol represents new beginnings, guidance through transitions, stewardship, and the journey into new realities. Our antique metal keys have unlocked many doors before finding their way to you. The Keyhole Shirt offers the wearer both guidance and protection.
Our Keyhole Shirts are made from 100% antique linen and naturally dyed silk. They feature our trademark rusty key as the button closure. This element is what makes the traditional collared shirt silhouette so unique. The rusty keys naturally oxidize over time, reacting with the pH of your fingertips each time you open and close your shirt. We invite you to embrace this unique transformation as the rust and linen evolve together, creating living stains that tell the story of the garment’s journey and yours.
Washing your Keyhole Shirt
To wash your Keyhole Shirt, we suggest hand washing in cool water with pH neutral detergent. Soak your shirt in soapy water, gently scrubbing the unwanted stains and odor out of the fabric. The rusty key will need to be patted dry after washing, as to not give off unwanted rust stains onto other parts of the fabric. For isolated stains, we suggest spot washing. This involves keeping the garment dry as you target stains with a clean toothbrush or cloth, and warm soapy water. Gently saturate and scrub the stain out, taking care of the delicate quality of the antique linen. For removing stubborn stains in white fabric naturally, create a paste from distilled white vinegar and baking soda and gently scrub the stain out, rinsing with cold water. Lay flat to dry.
Antique linen is delicate yet resilient. Avoid using bleach on natural fibers and antique fabrics, as it will eat through the fibers and destroy the integrity of the weave.
Natural Fibers — Linen, Cotton, & Silk
Leila Gordon garments are made from 100% natural fibers and materials, down to the sewing thread and labels. Caring for and interacting with natural fibers is something humans have practiced since the beginning of civilization. We have become far removed from this practice since the emergence of petroleum based fibers and fast fashion systems. By choosing and wearing natural fibers, we are starting a shift towards a better future.
Linen
Our recent collection is made predominantly from linen; a woven fabric made from the flax plant. We sourced our antique Dutch and French linens from antique suppliers in Zandaam, Netherlands, as well as The Linen Project, a Dutch initiative creating linen fabric from 100% Dutch flax grown and processed in the Netherlands. We chose to base the collection around this special fiber because of its resilience and rich history within Europe’s craft and clothing trade. To return to the use of natural fibers, abundance and ease of growth is vital for a healthy fiber system. In the Netherlands, flax grows easily due to the high levels of clay in the soil, precipitation, and moderate temperatures.
Wash & Care for Natural Fibers
Our woven and cut & sew garments crafted from natural fibers can be washed with pH neutral detergent and cool to room temperature water. Linen has a tendency to shrink and expand in extreme water temperatures, therefore cool to room temperature water is recommended for washing. Our linen Box Tops, Jackets, Pants, Nappe Skirts, & Lidewij Tops can all be hand washed and/or machine washed. We recommended hand washing all our garments, this gentle method allows for the garments and fabric to remain beautiful and strong for years. To hand wash, soak your garment in soapy water, making sure the garment is fully wet. Let soak, and gently rub away any unwanted stains or odors. Gently ring out the garment, or lay in between two clean towels and roll - this is a safer way to wring out excess water. Lay flat to dry. Linen loves to crinkle and wrinkle, you can embrace this natural trait or iron and steam as needed. Apply the same technique to our silk garments.
Washing our 100% Cotton KIKI Vest is a similar process. Hand wash with warm soapy water, let soak, and lay in between two clean towels to gently roll up and apply light pressure, wringing out excess water. Lay flat to dry, and encourage the rolled hem to curl as needed.
If you choose to machine wash our linen, cotton, & silk pieces, select a gentle spin-cycle with cold water and a capful of pH neutral detergent. Air dry flat - do not tumble dry. Iron as needed.
For removing stubborn stains naturally out of white fabric, create a paste from distilled white vinegar, water, and baking soda and gently scrub the stain out, rinsing with cold water. Avoid using bleach on natural fibers and antique fabric, as it will eat through the fibers and destroy the integrity of the fabric. If etchings and pen marks appear on garments, these are likely our erasable garment pens that reappear in extremely cold temperatures; iron the garment and the marks will disappear.
Mending & Repairs
We recommend tending to your clothes through the meditative craft of mending. Whether it is knitwear or wovens, there are a multitude of techniques to repair a flaw in a well-loved garment. For mending sweaters, resewing buttons, & re-dyeing garments, Leila Gordon offers a free repair service for your pieces. Contact us here.
Biodegradability
When you no longer use your wool, linen, silk, & cotton garment, we recommend gifting it to someone else or sending it back to us for up-cycling & re-cycling. The garments & labels in our collection are all made from biodegradable materials — linen, wool, cotton, & silk. Our natural dyes are neutral and can therefore return to the earth as well. We recommend cutting out zippers and buttons before choosing to compost your item. When fibers such as wool break down in the soil, it releases all kinds of nutrients, keeping the soil moist due to its moisture-regulating capacity and benefits plant growth.