How to Care for a Souvenir "Sukajan" Jacket
Firstly our best advice is for you to have it done by professional dry cleaners in your area. It is always best and safe to have professional cleaning folks to do their magic tricks.
However, if you want to do it by yourself, here are some of our tips:
*Read: This is subject to differences in the actual approach and the results may vary, please follow and use this guide accordingly at your risks.
1.) Most sukajan jackets are either made of rayon silk, polyester, and some are nylon fabrics. Since they are not cotton, the dirt and stains might be a little bit hard to wash off but to be sure, please check the tags regarding the maker’s advice regarding washing them. Most jackets are theoretically washable however, it should be done with utmost care to avoid discoloration or fading.
2.) If you ever want to use the washing machine, it is imperative that you put it in a laundry net to avoid the centripetal force stretch your fabric and jacket and loosen afterwards. It is best if you use luke-warm water as well and use a normal detergent. DON’T USE THE DRIER built in the washing machine, it might shrink! After washing, just hang it loose for natural drying. This should do most of the job.
Please use this guide regarding washing and care if there is a tag in your jacket inside the pockets regarding the handling of it. http://www.textileaffairs.com/c-common.htm
3.) If still, the stains won’t go off, either you go to a professional dry-cleaner but if you wish to challenge cleaning it again by yourself, this is our personal advice from our own experience. For the purpose of sharing, we are just writing it here so please use it only as a guide ok. : )
You can soak the jacket in a warm water if the tag says it is ok (you can observe if the color has fading signs, then it might have some discoloration so please use mild warm water in that case then), then apply dishwashing fluid with citrus, sometimes a little bit of lemon juice might help in brushing off the particular stained areas. Please use an old toothbrush to gently brush off the part while immersed in the water. Then repeat it a couple of times and observe. If there are still some hardheaded stains, you might want to try baking soda to rub off stubborn stains, remember to use gentle amounts on the toothbrush and dont over brush the area to avoid tarnishing or textile fatigue.
4) If after doing all of this, you still notice some stains left, then probably, it is better to consult a professional cleaner then.
As a word of advice, most jackets are great being worn with the vintage feel, with their age-old fading, some stains, and imperfections, thus the charm of vintage clothing and specially sukajan souvenir jackets. They are loved and appreciated over generations and the passing of their use which makes them more adorable and lovable as they are. They are treated as vintage art objects and plainly as works of art.
Hope this helps then and we look forward to your OOTDs!