Why Italian Leather?

Because It Is Simply The Best!

Five reasons Italian Leather is the very best.

1. It’s a high quality material. As we’ve stated over and over – Italian leather is a durable and well-made material. A great deal of craftsmanship with the highest standards is put into making Italian leather products .

2. Italian Leather is made to last. When compared to other types of leather, Italian leather is the most long-lasting. It can withstand everyday wear and tear, with most nicks and scratches being easily wiped away. If you are looking for the most durable products, always look for those leather goods that have a lifetime tome or long guarantee.

3. It is one of a kind! Vegetable tanned Italian leather has a truly one of a kind appearance. The marks on the hides are not imperfections – they are the result of the natural animal's lifestyle and the natural tanning process and give a very distinctive look. No two naturally tanned items ever look alike!

4. It’s Timeless Fashion! You’ll see Italian leather on the most exclusive fashion runways. This material practically drips style and sophistication, and it continues to be, one of the most well-loved materials in fashion design.

5. Maintaining it’s appearance is easy! Constantly cleaning handbags and purses can be a chore. Italian leather on the other hand, reduces the drudgery. In fact, aging only adds to the beauty and uniqueness of Italian leather. It can be easily cleaned on with a damp cloth from time to time, but isn’t always necessary.

It is most definitely worth an extra premium price.

Why Good Leather Is Worth Every Penny

You need vegetable tanned leather!

When you smell vegetable tanned leather, you are reminded of smelling a good wine. The wonderful aromas come from the natural tannins that replace chrome in the tanning process. This is the old way of making leather.

Vegetable tanned leather has longer durability.

Vegetable tanned leather lasts much longer than chrome tanned leather. As a matter of fact, you will notice that it will seem new, even after several years. As I am writing this article, I am sitting in a butterfly chair that a friend of mine bought six years ago. It was made with vegetable tanned leather and I cannot see anything on it that makes it look old.

It requires passionately waiting for days

The reason why vegetable tanned leather is more expensive than chrome tanned leather is that it takes longer time to make. The natural chemicals are not as effective as the heavy metals, thus taking longer time. A longer process means a more expensive product.

But isn’t vegetable tanned leather made in many countries?

Vegetable tanned leather doesn’t necessarily have to be Italian to be superior. This particular chair that I am sitting in is actually made of Argentine leather. You can find very good vegetable tanned leather in many parts of the world. So why is Italian leather considered the crème de la crème?

Enter The Silicon Valley of Vegetable Tanned Leather

Visit Italian tanneries if you want to be fascinated.

We went to Tuscany to find the best tannery in the world. To our surprise, we didn’t find a tannery! At least not the same type of tanneries that we were used to.

Normal tanneries try to do everything by themselves.

The tanneries we have seen so far take care of the whole tanning process. As you might expect, the tanning process consists of many smaller steps that are usually performed in one single facility. A crude cowhide with meat and hair comes in. Out comes a nice vegetable tanned leather piece, ready to be turned into a bag, a shoe or a jacket. If the tannery is weak in any of the smaller processes, the end product will suffer.

Italians outsource every step of the tanning process to a specialist!

In Tuscany however, tanneries do not work this way. We found something more similar to the Silicon Valley of leather. The small town where we buy our leather consists of several companies, each specialized in a specific part of the tanning process. Every small company competes to be the one that takes care of its specialization. Skins move from specialist to specialist, receiving the best possible treatment there is for every part of the process.

This explains why Italian leather is still the best.

Italians Are As Passionate About Their Leather As They Are Their About Food!

I will leave you with a quote from our main leather supplier in Tuscany.

“When I eat a pasta, I want to know where the wheat was grown. I want to know where the eggs were laid. I want to know from which well the water was drawn. If I don’t know this, I cannot trust the food.”

He has the same philosophy when it comes to leather.