Gamey smell in leather jacket

Aquamarine

Apologies to the non-leather wearers....this topic might not be pleasant to you.

I ordered the jacket below from Nordtrom in 2 sizes, small and medium. Both have a gamey smell, more pronounced in the smaller one. The medium fits me better but I can still get a whiff of lamb from it. One of the reviews complains about the same thing, but I thought it was a fluke when I ordered the jackets.

Is this normal for a lambskin jacket? Will it dissipate? I don't want to smell like Easter dinner every time I wear the jacket, which is what it reminds me of

Nordstrom

LaMarque Lambskin Leather Jacket

$598.00 $298.89

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9 years ago

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7 replies

Latest reply was from Aquamarine

rabbit

Veteran

I have a LaMarque soft leather jacket which is similar and it doesn't currently smell of anything but me I guess. I'm not sure if it had a stronger leather smell when I first got it (it was from the Rack and a return I think) but if so it wasn't particularly noticeable.

But I'm currently trying to get a smoke smell out of a thrifted soft leather backpack so I understand smells and leather can be frustrating. So far putting it in a bag with a lot of open dishes of baking soda has helped some, and hanging in outside in the sun and breeze with all the zippers open has helped more.

I'd maybe try to contact the maker of the jacket directly and see if they have any advice?

9 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

Aquamarine, are you saying the jacket smells like cooked meat rather than like a living lamb? If so, that sounds extremely unpleasant. I have an Aran sweater that smells like a sheep. It's kind of pleasant, actually.

Rabbit, I had a thrifted leather jacket that smelled of smoke and I ended up taking it to the specialty dry cleaners. It was very pricey, but they did get the smell out.

9 years ago

gradfashionista

(website)

Veteran

It might not be the leather but the dye. Have you tried airing it in a well-ventilated area?

9 years ago

Aquamarine

Veteran

rabbit and grad....if I keep it, I will try airing it out I guess. I don't think it's the dye. It smells natural, almost too natural.

JAileen...I am a knitter so I know that sheepy smell and I do like it. I guess I am unsure what lamb leather should smell like. It does not smell like cow leather at all. These jackets have an undercurrent of lamb. Not necessarily like a cooked leg of lamb, but definitely the residual smell the day after you've cooked a roast. That's the only way I can describe it.

I have a keen sense of smell. I am super sensitive to odors that others might not notice, so I can't tell if there is anything wrong with these jackets or not. Maybe this is what lamb leather always smells like?

9 years ago

April

Veteran

I will say that in my painful experience, there is a difference between odors that are in or of the leather, and odors (such as smoke) that are on the leather. The latter can be eliminated; the former cannot.

A few years ago I had a Marc Jacobs leather jacket from NAS that I thought was stunning, but it had such an overwhelming moldy odor that I couldn't stand it. I kept the jacket, hoping against hope that I could get that odor out. I hung it outdoors on my porch in dry and breezy weather for days on end. I sealed it up in a ziploc bag with activated charcoal. I paid $45 to dry-clean it. I spritzed it with perfume, with Febreeze, with anti-bacterial Lysol spray. Finally, in desperation, I tossed it in the washing machine and gave it a bath. You can read about the whole adventure here.

Nothing helped one bit. I think mold had gotten into the "fiber" of the leather on one of its shipping journeys, and that it had been used in the manufacture of the Marc jackets anyway because some buyer got a deal on the price. Because it was stinky.

It does sound to me like what you're describing will also not be helped by anything you can do.

So sad, isn't it?

9 years ago

donnat

Veteran

I have had that mouldy leather smell in a few belts and a purse. I never was able to get it out.

9 years ago

Aquamarine

Veteran

Wow, April, thanks for reminding me about that thread. I do remember it now. To be clear, the smell is not mold, just lamb. I hung the jacket out on my deck yesterday, and the smell has lessened. I *think* I will keep it, after trying to style it a few ways to determine if it will work in my wardrobe.

For what it's worth, three family members said they could not smell lamb, just leather, so I think I have a super sensitive nose. I probably should have gone into the perfume industry!

9 years ago

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