Hello, proud owners of the 4-Season Suit Jacket.

If you're reading this, you're looking for advice on how to make your new friend last. Fair enough – here's what you need to know.

Not exactly breaking news: we all come in different shapes and sizes.

Height, weight, shoulder width, body type – we’re not all built like Leonardo's Vitruvian Man. Yet when making ready-to-wear clothing, we work with a single model that needs to fit all body types.

While we do our best to make our pieces work for as many people as possible, it's worth remembering we can't promise made-to-measure results, especially with a Suit Jacket.

So we recommend considering alterations if your prized possession isn't perfectly fitted at first try-on. Most tailors handle these common adjustments well and will help you make those final tweaks. For example:

• Sleeve length. These can be lengthened or shortened as needed – that's why we've left the buttonholes closed. The cost? Rarely more than 40€.
• Jacket length. If you feel it sits too low on your behind, your jacket can be shortened. It's a fairly simple job, but will set you back around 30€.
• Taking in or letting out. To accentuate your waist or give yourself a bit more room, your tailor can adjust the fit for about 20-something euros. You don't need to visit the finest tailor in the country, but this does require some expertise – be discerning about the quality of your tailor and don't hesitate to ask for references before diving in headfirst.

How long your 4-Season Jacket lasts depends somewhat on how you use it and greatly on how you care for it. The golden rule here is simple: put it on a hanger whenever it's not on your shoulders, and vice versa. To minimise creases and maintain its shape, this is the only way to go.

For stains, quick action is best: some lukewarm water with gentle natural soap should tackle most of them if you act fast.

You probably know this already: suits are too delicate for machine washing. When your Fresco® wool Jacket needs freshening up, we recommend taking it to the dry cleaner. Ask for dry cleaning to restore its lustre. It'll cost you about 15€, but it's definitely the safest option.

PS: to prevent the colours developing different tones over time, we strongly recommend taking your entire suit to the cleaner, keeping the Jacket and Trousers together.

One last friendly tip: check the condition of your clothes in the shop after the service. If you leave the premises, you're effectively "accepting" any potential damage caused during cleaning, and repairs will be at your expense. If you spot damage while still at the dry cleaner's, it becomes their responsibility.

Since 1 January 2024, the AGEC law requires all textile brands to be transparent about what goes into their products so we can all have a much better idea of exactly what we're buying. We didn't wait for the legislation to do this, we actually lobbied for it, and we think it's an important step in the right direction to change the way our industry works. So here's some additional information about our 4-Season-Suit Jackets:

• They’re 100% recyclable after being dismantled, which means that the day their services are no longer required, your item can be fully recycled. That said, we'd always recommend repairing and/or handing it down to someone before recycling.
• Unlike many garments that release microplastics during washing, our 4-Season-Suit Jackets have been designed not to do so. Plastic microfibres are tiny particles of plastic that have a negative impact on aquatic and land ecosystems.
• They do not contain any hazardous materials. This item respects strict European standards aimed at eliminating substances and chemical treatments that could be harmful to you, the environment, and the people who make it.
• They do not contain any recycled materials. Sometimes we manage to use recycled materials to further reduce the impact of our clothes. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible in this case.

So there you have it, you now know everything there is to know about looking after your 4-Season-Suit Jacket. With these few care tips, yours should last you a good many years.

We'll be back in touch in a couple of weeks to see how you're getting on.

Until then, if we've missed something or you have any questions hit us here support@asphalte.com or on our Insta.

The Asphalte Team