Our Leather
The material behind the making
No two hides.
No shortcuts.
After more than a decade working with leather and a ton of dollars invested in equipment, materials, education, and plenty of expensive mistakes, I've learned a few things.
One of them is that I no longer worry about someone jumping on the leatherworking bandwagon and recreating what we've built. Because, quite frankly, working with leather is HARD. It's physically demanding, incredibly frustrating at times, and nothing about it is as straightforward as it looks.
You can't simply swap one hide for another and expect the same result. Every tannery has its own processes, every hide has its own characteristics, and even the same product can require an entirely different approach depending on the leather you're using. There are countless variables, and believe me, I've paid plenty of tuition to the school of trial and error.
Which is exactly why we're so particular about our leather.
Our sourcing philosophy
Why Tuscany?
The majority of our leather comes from a tannery in Tuscany, Italy, where traditional vegetable tanning has been practiced for generations. Our primary supplier follows the standards of the Genuine Italian Vegetable-Tanned Leather Consortium, an organization dedicated to preserving the region's leatherworking heritage.
Here's what we appreciate about that tradition:
But here's the thing: Italian vegetable-tanned leather isn't always the best choice for every product, or every customer.
We source from other tanneries as well, and some of those leathers are absolutely gorgeous. They're soft, supple, and feel incredible the moment you pick them up. We have plenty of customers who want that immediate touch and feel rather than waiting for a firmer vegetable-tanned leather to break in and develop its character.
And we completely understand that. We appreciate both.
Our job isn't to convince you that one leather is superior simply because of where it comes from. It's to understand the differences well enough to choose the right material for the right product and help you find what you love.
Thoughtful by design
Respecting the Material
I also think it's important to be realistic about the leather industry. Tanning can be an environmentally intensive process, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
But I believe one of the most meaningful things we can do is honor and respect the animal by making the most of the hide we're fortunate enough to work with.
That means being intentional about how we cut, finding uses for smaller pieces, and minimizing unnecessary waste wherever we can. Leather is a valuable resource, and I believe we have a responsibility to treat it that way.
At the end of the day, I'm proud of the leather we source, the knowledge we've gained, and the products we're able to create because of it.
And after all these years, I can promise you one thing: there's still something new to learn with every hide.