Although it's less susceptible to wrinkles common fabrics, leather can still develop wrinkles. If you discover that your leather jacket has developed wrinkles, you should try to smooth it out before wearing it. Whether it's a traditional leather jacket or a leather long coat, wrinkles will bring down its aesthetic value while creating an awkward, unflattering appearance in the process. But there's a right way and a wrong way to de-wrinkle a leather jacket, and it's important that you use the right approach to ensure a positive outcome. So, consider the following tips to de-wrinkle your leather jacket.

Avoid Faux Leather

Both genuine and faux leather jackets may develop wrinkles, but this phenomenon is far more common in the latter. The problem with faux leather is that it's not real leather at all. Rather, it's a traditional textile like polyester with a plastic coating on the outside. Faux leather jackets look similar to genuine leather jackets, but they lack the attractive characteristics and qualities that make genuine leather such as a popular textile. Furthermore, faux leather jackets are more likely to develop wrinkles because of the nature of their construction. This is why it's best to avoid faux leather jackets and, instead, choose a genuine leather jacket.

Hang It Up

Don't just toss your leather jacket on the bed, couch, floor or elsewhere. Take a few minutes to hang it up in your closet using a heavy-duty coat hanger. A wooden coat hanger with molded shoulders will stretch out the jacket, thereby preventing it from developing wrinkles. As long as you hang up your leather jacket each time after you wear it, it shouldn't develop wrinkles. Just remember to use a high-quality, heavy-duty coat hanger, as some of the cheaper plastic coat hangers may collapse under the heavy weight of a leather jacket.

Travel With Garment Bag

It's not uncommon for people to travel with their leather jacket. Whether you're heading to the beach for a summer vacation or going across the country on a business trip, you should carefully pack your leather jacket so that it doesn't develop wrinkles. Folding and placing it in your luggage isn't going to cut it. While this is perfectly fine for most garments, it's not the best way to transport a leather jacket. After sitting in your luggage for multiple consecutive hours, it will develop stiff, hard-to-remove wrinkles. You can easily avoid this problem, however, by transporting your leather jacket in a garment bag. Available for as little as $10, a garment bag will retain the shape of your leather jacket while protecting it from damage and wrinkles in the process.

Keep It Conditioned

Are you conditioning your leather jacket on a regular basis? If not, you should. We've talked about this before, but conditioning is an essential form of maintenance for leather jackets. It involves applying a leather conditioning product like saddle soap the material, which helps to moisturize and protect it from dryness. How exactly does this help with wrinkles? Well, wrinkles are more likely to form when your leather jacket is dry. Therefore, conditioning your leather jacket will naturally lower the risk and severity of wrinkles.

Watch the Moisture

Conditioning your leather jacket on a regular basis is essential to protecting it from wrinkles. However, you should use caution not to overdo it, as conditioning it too frequently will saturate the leather material with an excess amount of moisture, which may encourage the formation of wrinkles. A good rule of thumb is to condition your leather jacket no more than once every one or two months. Of course, you should protect your leather jacket from all "major" sources of moisture. You can still wear your leather jacket when it's raining outside, but you shouldn't allow it to become soaked for long periods of time. If your leather jacket is wet, blot it dry with a clean towel. Keeping your leather jacket dry will prolong its life while protecting it from wrinkles in the process.

Pull It

No, that's not a typo. Sometimes all it takes to remove wrinkles from a leather jacket is a good pull. With your leather jacket hanging in a clothes hanger, gently pull down from under the creased or wrinkled area. Continue doing this for about five minutes, after which the fabric should retain its new, smooth shape. You shouldn't pull too hard, however, as you don't watch to overstretch your jacket. Pull just enough to smooth out the wrinkles.

Hang It in the Bathroom

Another idea to smooth out wrinkles is to hang up your leather jacket in the bathroom with the hot water running. Hot water, as you may know, creates steam -- and this steam will naturally smooth out wrinkles in your jacket. The next time you discover wrinkles in your leather jacket, hang it in the bathroom and turn the water on the hottest setting with the door closed. After allowing it to hang for 10 minutes, the wrinkles should be reduced or eliminated, at which point you can remove the jacket from your bathroom and wear it.

Iron It

Some people assume that leather jackets can't be ironed, but this isn't necessarily true. Some leather jackets are fine to iron, and doing so is a great way to remove wrinkles. Before attempting to iron your jacket, though, you should check the care label to ensure that it's safe. Assuming the care label doesn't have a large X mark over the iron icon or says "do not iron," you can proceed to iron it.   Just use the lowest heat setting possible and continue moving the iron over your jacket. Allowing the iron to sit in a particular area of your jacket for too long may damage that area of the fabric. Don't let wrinkles prevent you from wearing your leather jacket. Following these tips to eliminate wrinkles and improve the appearance of your leather jacket.