What I offer
A quality product starts with quality materials. Historically, leather has been tanned using vegetable based materials such as tree bark and is known for producing long lasting, rich natural tones while maintaining the leather's inherent physical qualities. The vegetable tanning process yields unmatched quality, however it comes at the cost of time and significant skilled labor. A single hide can take several months to organically tan. In an era of mass-production and fast fashion, vegetable tanning has been vastly overtaken by chrome tanning. This is an industrial process that cuts tanning time to a matter of days or even hours using aggressive, polluting chemicals containing heavy metals. It also tends to kill the characteristics that leather workers traditionally utilized to carry out their craft. Today, the speed of chrome tanning means that vegetable tanned leather makes up less than 10% of all leather produced. A hand full of tanneries across the globe continue the tradition of vegetable tanning and I proudly offer the fruits of their labor to all my customers.
Buttero
Much of today's premium veg-tanned leather is produced in Tuscany, Italy. Their renowned tanning district is home to some of the world's finest leather. One such tannery is Conceria Walpier. I offer a wide selection of leather from their Buttero series. This leather has a tough, yet ultra-smooth outer shell with deep, rich tones and slight color variation throughout. Conceria Walpier's Buttero is second to none.
*Currently Whiskey, Taupe, and Natural Buttero are available as liners only.
Pueblo
In contrast with Buttero's classic and clean finish, is the stunning Pueblo series by Badalassi Carlo tannery. Produced in the same tanning district, Pueblo brings a uniquely distressed finish to the table that stands out like nothing else out there. Contrasting light and dark undertones sets off the rugged brushed surface which evolves dramatically with time and use producing a smooth dark patina with age.
Bridle
Vegetable tanned bridle from J&E Sedgwick is the leather I use exclusively for belt making. Featuring waxed and perfectly polished front and back surfaces free of imperfections, this 9-10 oz. leather is weather-proof and exceptionally durable, providing a timeless look to last generations. Based in the UK, Sedgwick & Co. has been in operation for over 120 years and has maintained its traditions of producing some of the finest, hand-finished bridle in the world.
Linen Thread
Natural just looks better. I take pride in working with naturally made materials, and in keeping with this philosophy, I prefer to use a thread twisted of natural fibers. Waxed linen thread has been a staple of handmade leather goods for generations and has traditionally been the material of choice for crafters. Modern polymer based threads are very durable but lack the body and earthy natural tones of a fine linen thread. A cable twisted linen thread yields a distinctive, full stitch while offering superior strength over its other natural counterparts. The brand of choice, Fil au Chinois of France. Founded in 1847, Fil au Chinois has been, and continues to be, one of the premier thread makers in the world and is used on all my products.
