brush

I want a brush that I can use on my leather jackets and shoes without scratching them. I bought a horsehair brush from Amazon (with a lot of good reviews) but some of the bristles look like they're made of plastic or nylon. I think nowadays there are too much mass-produced low quality goods out...

I have just bought a Harris tweed wool hat on ebay and it stinks of cigarette smoke. I would like some advice on how to get rid of the stale smell and on how to clean it. I guess throwing it into the washing machine is NOT the way to do it! I don't want to shrink it, so I'm guessing putting it...