How to Care for Feather Clothing

Feather clothing fails for one reason: water. Wash a plume and the barbs mat together, and they do not spring back. Everything else about caring for feathers follows from that single fact.

This guide covers real feathers on ready-to-wear: ostrich, marabou and coq, the three you will meet on a designer garment. It applies whether the piece is a full feather jacket, a cuffed sleeve on a knit, a trimmed hem, a pair of feather cuffs.

Can you wash feather clothing at home?

No. Not by hand, not on a delicate cycle, not with a gentle detergent. Water collapses the structure that makes a plume look like a plume, and the barbs knit together into a flat clump as they dry. Once that happens, the loft is gone for good.

The same applies to steam pointed directly at the feathers, and to spot cleaning with a damp cloth. If something is spilled on a feather trim, blot the backing cloth and leave the plumes alone.

How should feather garments be cleaned?

Take them to a specialist. Many designer feather pieces carry a care label asking for professional care only, and the marabou styles often specify a fur specialist rather than a general dry cleaner, because marabou is short, dense and easy to flatten.

Say what the feather is when you drop the piece off. Ostrich, marabou and coq behave differently, and a cleaner who knows which one they have will handle it correctly. The composition label names the species, usually in Latin: Struthio camelus is ostrich, Gallus domesticus is a domestic fowl feather.

Clean feather pieces rarely. A gown worn twice a year does not need an annual clean, and every clean costs a little loft.

How do you store feather clothing?

Hang it, with space around it. The enemy of stored feathers is compression: a plume pressed against a wardrobe wall by the next garment along will flatten and stay flat.

Use a breathable cotton garment bag. Never a sealed plastic one, which traps moisture against the feathers and can encourage mildew on the backing cloth. Keep the piece out of direct sunlight, which fades dyed plumes faster than it fades cloth.

For a long storage period, a wide padded hanger helps the shoulder hold its shape under the weight of the feathers, which is heavier than it looks.

How do you revive flattened feathers?

Two things work.

Shake it. Hold the garment by the shoulders and shake it gently, several times. This alone recovers most travel flattening, and it is what you should do before every wear rather than only when there is a problem.

Indirect steam. Hang the piece in a bathroom while a hot shower runs, well away from the water itself, for a few minutes. The humidity relaxes the barbs. Then shake it out and let it dry hanging, untouched. Do not aim a steamer at the plumes.

Never brush feathers, and never use a hairdryer on a hot setting. Both break the barbs.

Why do feathers shed?

Some shedding is normal and is not a fault. A real plume is attached to a backing, and movement loosens the odd one.

You can reduce it a lot. Most shedding comes from friction: a bag strap across a feather shoulder, a seatbelt across a feather cuff, a coat worn over a feather sleeve. Carry a bags/clutch-bags/" class="cvx-al cvx-al--category">clutch rather than a shoulder bag with a feather jacket, and put the feather piece on last.

Are feather garments waterproof?

No. Treat rain as the same problem as washing. If a feather piece does get caught in the weather, shake the water off immediately rather than blotting, hang it somewhere warm and dry with air around it, and leave it alone until it is completely dry. Then shake it again.

Shop feather pieces

Coveti carries feather ready-to-wear from LaPointe and other houses. See the LaPointe edit and the guide to LaPointe feathers for the specific pieces and the species each uses.

Frequently asked questions

Can you wash feather clothing?

No. Water mats the barbs of a plume together and they do not recover their loft. Do not hand wash, machine wash, spot clean with a damp cloth, and do not aim steam directly at the feathers.

How do you clean a feather jacket?

Take it to a specialist cleaner and tell them which feather it is. Marabou often needs a fur specialist rather than a general dry cleaner. Clean feather pieces rarely, because every clean costs a little loft.

How do you fluff up flattened feathers?

Shake the garment gently by the shoulders, then hang it in a bathroom while a hot shower runs, well away from the water, for a few minutes. Shake it out again and let it dry hanging. Never brush feathers and never use hot air on them.

Why is my feather garment shedding?

A little shedding is normal on real plumes. Most of it comes from friction, so avoid shoulder bag straps and seatbelts across the feathers, and put the feather piece on last.

How should feather clothing be stored?

Hang it with space around it in a breathable cotton garment bag, never sealed plastic, and keep it out of direct sunlight. Compression from neighbouring garments is what flattens stored feathers.

What happens if a feather garment gets wet in the rain?

Shake the water off straight away rather than blotting, then hang it somewhere warm and dry with air around it and leave it until completely dry. Shake it out again once dry to restore the loft.

Read next

• LaPointe feather dresses
• LaPointe accessories
• How to wear LaPointe

Written by Gemma Deeks, Fashion Editor at Coveti.