Leather items are only as good as the materials used. With expert construction paired with maintenance and care, a leather good will be able to last nearly a lifetime or more. Because I spend much of my time crafting each piece, I desire nothing but the best. Primarily I work with both mineral-tanned and vegetable tanned leathers from trusted tanneries in Spain, Italy, France and Japan. These leathers are picked for their quality, hand feel, durability, and appearance. I select leathers from Tanneries whom are trusted for their quality and innovation as companies to prioritize the environment in waste reduction, reuse of water, and recycling with a guarantee in compliance with sustainability.
On occasion, I obtain specialty leathers, exotics and overstock from fashion houses and try to bring new life to these pieces. All skins are ethically sourced and are regulated under CITES. Leather is a by-product of the meat industry and is a natural resource.
Vegetable tanned leathers go through a natural process where the hides are submerged in a water solution with vegetable tannins to create the desired temper, strength, hand feel and color. Each tannery has their own special recipe made of up of different tree barks and methods to create this wonderfully organic material. Because of this natural tanning process, leathers produced are prone to patina. Patina develops when the tannins in the leather reacts with oil and sun. This causes the leather to darken to sun exposure and in areas that come in contact with skin.
Mineral tanned leathers go through a different process where the solution contains chromium or aniline chemicals. This allows tanneries to adhere dye to create brighter and color-lasting leathers. Most of these leathers are very soft and supple and require painting or a different method to seal the raw leather edges. Due to the minerals used in this tanning process, certain people may have an allergic reaction to this leather. It is advisable to avoid this leather if you have sensitive skin.