Surprise your partner on Valentine's Day: 3 great gifts

Of course you show your partner that you love him or her ever day, but on Valentine's Day you can express your feelings extra clearly. You can surprise your partner with a nice dinner, a beautiful bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates. But you can also find some marvellous Valentine's Day gifts in the Maes & Hills collection. We are happy to help you buy a beautiful gift for your partner. We do this by describing three gifts that you can give to your partner on 14 February in this article.

A stylish briefcase

It is important to go through life stylishly, especially if your partner has a serious job. If your partner has to take a laptop and/or a lot of documents to work then you can surprise him or her with a stylish Maes & Hills briefcase. You'll find briefcases for men as well as women in our collection. With your beautiful gift your sweet boyfriend or girlfriend can go to the office in style.

A practical wallet

Is your boyfriend's or girlfriend's wallet completely worn out? Surprise him or her with a new one this Valentine's Day. You can buy a practical wallet for men for your boyfriend, and a stylish wallet for women for your girlfriend. All Maes & Hills wallets are of excellent quality, so you know for sure that your partner will be able to enjoy your stylish gift for years to come.

A travel bag for the next holiday together

Finally, you can also give your partner a beautiful Maes & Hills travel bag on 14 February. Your boyfriend or girlfriend can use this travel bag when you go on your next holiday together. If you have a bit more to spend on your Valentine's Day gift, then give your partner a Maes & Hills travel bag and a short holiday. This way your boyfriend or girlfriend can really try out his/her new travel bag.

New bag trends 2018-2019

Each year, there are new fashion trends and this goes for the world of bags as well. Do you want to buy a new bag this year and do you want that item to be really trendy? Then it's good to know what the new trends in bags are in 2018-2019. We'll describe the five most important trends in this article.

High-quality materials

Quality is becoming more and more important in the fashion world. A bag not only has to look beautiful, it also has to be made from high-quality materials. A bag made from high-quality materials does not only last longer than a bag made from low-quality materials, but it also looks more luxurious and stylish.

Sustainable bags

More and more people feel it's important to make sustainable purchases. Sustainability is also becoming more and more important in the world of bags. Buy a bag made from a sustainable type of material if you want a bag without damaging the environment. There are even bags that are made from apples! Of course you don't have to through life wearing an apple bag if you want to take the environment into account but it is sensible and trendy to buy a bag made from sustainable leather.

Natural colours

We like to wear bags in natural colours, especially in winter. Colours such as brown, beige (sand) and grey. Pastel colours are really hot right now as well. If you don't want to wear only brown, beige and grey bags you can buy a bag in a light pastel shade. This bag stands out just a bit more than the bags in natural colours but it's still subtle.

Practical bags with style

A lot of people think that practical bags can't be beautiful as well. Maes & Hills proves that even the most practical bags can have style. Each of the Maes & Hills bags has a practical layout, but they are also beautifully designed, made from the most magnificent materials and come in wonderful colours. This is how Maes & Hills participates in an important bag trend for 2018-2019: the combination of practical and stylish.

Leather and metal

The latest bag trend of 2018-2019, has everything to do with the materials of bags. Most trendy bags are made from leather, but do have a metal detail. This may be a metal clasp but also a metal chain to carry the bag over your shoulder. By combining leather with metal the bag will look a little bit cooler. This way a bag with a natural look net is given a bit more 'edge'.

Of course you choose how cool your new bag should be. By purchasing a bag with a small metal detail, the accessory will mainly look natural, subtle and muted. If you buy a bag with a large metal element, such as a shoulder chain, the bag will look a bit cooler. The bag will also stand out more.

Eight tips on taking care of your leather bag

By taking good care of your leather bag, the accessory will last much longer. In this article we give you eight practical tips to care for your bag in the right way. It's a guarantee that you will enjoy your Maes & Hills handbag, travel bag, backpack or briefcase for many years to come if you read all the tips in this article.

#1 Spray your leather bag well before use

Thoroughly spray your Maes & Hills leather bag with a moisture and dirt repellent spray before use. This spray provides a protective layer on the bag. With the moisture and dirt repellent spray you don't have to worry that the leather will be damaged when you're out in the rain with your bag.

Extra tip: spray your bag with the moisture and dirt repellent spray once a year. The protective layer that is formed by this spray will of course not last forever. You have to keep thoroughly spraying your bag to keep protecting it. If you do this once a year you will be certain that you are protecting your bag well and that your leather bag will last much longer.

#2 Regularly wipe down your bag with a damp cloth

Gently wipe down the leather with a slightly damp cloth if you want to take care of your bag on a daily basis. Please note: the cloth should be free from soap residue because soap residue might damage the leather.

You buff your bag with a damp cloth to remove dust from the leather. You can also use a damp cloth to clean your bag when there is a bit of sand on it. Please do not actually wet the leather with the cloth.

#3 Treat your bag with a protective care product

We recommend that you treat your bag with a protective leather care product two to three times a year. It depends on the type of leather that your bag is made from which care product you should use to treat your bag.

The label of the leather care product has all the information how to use this product. Read the manual carefully because only then will you use the leather care product in the right way.

#4 Keep your leather bag out of the sun

Leather is a natural product. What most people don't know is that leather can get damaged by long term exposure to the sun. Sun contains UV-light and this light is not good for leather. Keep your bag therefore out of the sun as much as possible.

Are you spending the day at an outdoor café and want to take you Maes & Hills leather bag with you? Put the bag under your table or under your chair. If your bag is in the shade then you don't have to worry that the leather will be damaged by the bright sunlight. When you go to the beach it's better to take a beach bag. Not only because the light can damage your leather bag but also because your bag may get dirty from the sand on the beach. The leather might get even more damaged if you get salt seawater on your bag. It's therefore best if you leave your bag at home when you go to the beach.

#5 Avoid the heater

Not only sunlight but also the heat of the heather can damage the leather of your bag. If you leave your bag against a heater for a longer time the leather will dry out. The leather will not only become less supple but it will also look less nice. Therefore never put your bag against the heater, especially not for a longer time.

Is your bag wet, because you have cycled in the rain for example? Just let it dry naturally. Under no circumstances put your bag against the heater to speed up the drying process.

#6 Removing stains from your leather bag

Even if you're very careful a stain can get on the leather of your bag. Stains on leather are best removed by first patting the stain dry with a tissue or a clean cotton cloth, such as a tea towel. Then you can wipe your bag down with a damp cloth. Please note: do not rub the stain in a violent way because you'll rub the stain into the leather. If this happens it's almost impossible to remove the stain.

#7 Removing stubborn stains

Do you have a stubborn stain on your leather bag? We recommend you don't remove this stain yourself. If you set to work with all sorts of cleaning products there is a big chance that you'll only make the stain worse. A stubborn stain is therefore best removed by an expert.

When you have rubbed the stain in the leather by accident, it's still better to bring your bag to an expert. The expert will see if s/he can remove the stain.

#8 Avoid chemical cleaning agents

We strongly discourage you to use chemical cleaning agents (such as acetone, turpentine and all-purpose cleaners) to clean your leather bag. Chemical cleaning agents might work on other surfaces but have a negative effect on the lifespan of leather. It is therefore better not to use these products if you want to clean your bag. Solvents should also be avoided when cleaning your bag, seeing that these products also damage the leather.