Caring For Leather
Why Should I Care?
Leather is a natural product, which means that it should be maintained & cared for.
Regularly caring for your leather goods will greatly increase their beauty & longevity.
How to Care
There are many ways to maintain & care for leather goods. Here are some steps to get you started:
Clean: Leather is much like your skin, it has pores that fill with dirt & grime over use that need to be cleaned before conditioning.
Condition: After cleaning thoroughly allow time for leather to dry away from direct heat & apply leather conditioning agent.
Store: Once leather conditioner has been applied, wait until conditioner dries. Then buff with natural hair brush & store in cool area away from sunlight.
PLEASE NOTE – There are no hard fast rules to leather care, so each step will vary depending on the tannage, finish & application of the piece used. If you have any questions I would be happy to help you care for your leather properly so do not hesitate to reach out!
Types
Vegetable Tanned
Vegetable tanned leather is produced using 100% sustainable methods & materials. Using Oak, Mimosa, Chestnut, Tara Pods, Olive Leaves & other tannins, vegetable tanned leather is created. This kind of leather gains a beautiful patina over time, however does require more care. It can take up to 1 year to produce just a single hide. Making up a very small percentage of leather made & sold worldwide. An environmentally conscious option with little to no waste.
Chrome Tanned
Chrome tanned leather uses primarily chromium or other tanning agents in its process which often allows the leather to be very supple & consistent in colour. Often seen in the auto & footwear industries. Typically this leather is more weather resistant & requires less care. Hides can be produced in just a few days up to a few months. Most leather made & sold worldwide is marked as chrome tanned leather. It can be more cost effective, however less environmentally conscious.
Latigo Leather
Latigo leather uses a combination of chrome & vegetable tanning to achieve characteristics of both tannages. First tanned using one method then re-tanned using the other. Latigo leather is renown for its durability. Often stuffed with oils, fats & tallows for applications where durability & weather resistance is needed. Often requires little care.
Quality
Full Grain: Generally the most expensive & desirable. Shows all natural scars, creasing & character. Contains the tightest, most durable grain structure of the hide.
Top Grain: Premium quality with a consistent look. Some hide imperfections are sanded out and finished for a more uniform leather.
Suede: Top & Full Grain are split from the top of the hide leaving fuzzy soft finish on both sides of a split commonly known as "suede". Contains no grain at all.
Bonded: Leather dust that has been processed, milled & finished with heavy fillers which can look & feel just like leather to most consumers. Poor quality & strength. *Often called "Genuine Leather".