It is durable and tear-resistant, but at the same time soft and can be used in many different ways thanks to the many finishing options. But: not all leather is the same!Even with a leather that supposedly looks the same, there can be big differences in quality, origin, ease of processing and longevity. That's why we didn't make the decision for a leather supplier easy for ourselves and did a lot of research. Here you will find all the details about the leather we have chosen and the options we offer in our standard collection.
We source our chrome-tanned cowhide from a tannery in Veneto (northern Italy), which has been located in the "leather district" of Italy for more than 60 years. More than 1,000 tanneries and suppliers to the leather industry are gathered in the Vicenza region, making this area a real centre with a lot of know-how and innovation, but at the same time centuries of tradition - short delivery routes for supplier products needed in the tanning process included.
Both of our available leather structures, our smooth leather and our grained leather, are produced there and the tannery makes great efforts to work in a particularly sustainable and resource-saving way with innovative methods in the tanning process. You can read about the exact measures in the "Sustainability" section.
And where does the tannery get the hides from?
The hides for the smooth leather come from North America, where the cattle are bred and kept on farms for the food industry.The hides for the grained leather come from South America. Our tannery takes care to only source hides from South American suppliers who use pasture land for which the Amazon rainforest has not been cleared.
Why the difference in the origin of the skins?
Due to the type of tanning and further processing, hides can also be used for grained leather that have several scratches, scars or mosquito bites, which are caused by the natural husbandry of cattle in South America. In the industry, these hides are called B-grade or C-grade. This does not mean that they are of lower quality, but they have more areas that have small blemishes that would still be visible on a smooth leather hide even after the tanning and surface treatment process.
During the production process of the grained leather, these flaws can be compensated and are no longer visible, which is why it would not be necessary to use A-grade hides for this. Accordingly, for some of our products with high leather consumption, there is also a price difference in the choice between smooth and grain leather. Since there are fewer A-grade hides on the market and they are more expensive to buy, the prices for smooth leather adjust accordingly.
All our leathers from the standard collection have one thing in common: the cattle were not bred specifically for leather production, but are a by-product of the food industry.
Depending on how the leather is to behave later in terms of feel, stiffness and surface texture, there are many different ways of tanning leather hides and treating the surface. In tanning, the raw animal hides are processed by the use of tanning agents in such a way that leather is created from them. Through various processes, hides of different origins can also be used, which ensures the optimal use of all resources.
DOES IT HAVE TO BE ANIMAL LEATHER?
Our founder Vivian's opinion on the sustainability of genuine leather production:
"Phew. How do you start a text about a very controversial and much discussed topic where you feel you can only say the wrong thing, even if you yourself have a very clear opinion about it? The only way to answer such a direct question is probably with a direct answer. And for me it is: Yes, it has to be animal leather. STILL."
The motivations for such an answer are, as always, diverse. Read more about our founder Vivian's personal opinion in our blog article on sustainability.
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Your new favourite handbag, made by you. With our DIY boxes you can easily make your own genuine leather accessories. And afterwards you'll have a unique piece in your hands that no one else has! Perfect for beginners too. With our step-by-step instructions, we provide you with all the important information and basics of leather processing.
