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Leather is the perfect material for making handbags, business bags and travel goods

Posted by Attavanti on 19th Jul 2017

Leather is the perfect material for making handbags, business bags and travel goods

For as long as man has hunted animals for food he has utilised the hides to create all manner of useful items. Leather is just such a useful and versatile material. Not only is it very durable and water proof, it is very desirable to own and in a world where we have so many synthetic materials to choose from, leather is still considered the best material to use when it comes to making handbags, business bags and travel goods. Not only are they a joy to own but unlike most things in life, they can actually improve with age.

Cow and sheep leather is a very ethical material to use as it is simply a by-product of the food industry. However the hides do need to go through a number of lengthy processes to become the leather you are familiar with.

Initially the hides need to be cured to prevent any deterioration either by chilling or salting. Then once the majority of the hair has been removed the hides are soaked in a lime solution to remove the remain hair. It is then de-limed to neutralise the leather. Once they have been degreased it is ready for tanning. Tanning is a process that converts the raw hide into a durable and usable leather. Although this process can be done synthetically, the best way is to use vegetable tans as favoured by AIMPES, the consortium of world renowned tanners based in Tuscany, Italy. This is done in large wooden barrels using extracts of tree bark to tan the leather. The result is beautifully tanned leather where each piece has it's own unique and characteristic markings. This method is much more eco friendly. 

At this point the leather can worked into different types. The most desirable leather used for business and travel bags is full grain leather. This is the leather in its most natural state so it hasn't been sanded or buffed to remove imperfections and so retains its natural beauty and the natural grain provides added durability. An alternative is top grain leather. This is where the leather is split to make it thinner and more pliable. The surface is sanded and coated to create a more even finish. This type of leather is also used to construct bags. Nubuck is also an attractive option. In this instance the leather has been buffed on the grain side to create a soft to the touch nap and provides a very matt finish. A similar finish to this is suede. This is created using the underside of sheep skin leather to produce a very soft pliable leather with a very grained nap. Primarily this was once used in glove making because of its softness but is now used for both shoe and bag making. Although, due to the fact you have taken off the hard outer layer, it is not as durable as normal leathers. Another type commonly used in the handbag industry is patent leather. This is where the leather has a high gloss coating to create a very attractive reflective finish that is very hard wearing. This type of leather is favoured by the design house Arcadia in Italy who have made this their trademark look.

Leather can also be enhanced with hand embossed patterns. This give the surface an extra dimension and is used to its full potential in the handbag industry. Croc print is probably the most commonly used and can turn an ordinary piece of leather into something special with no crocodiles being harmed in the process. Embossing can allow you to add grained patterns to the leather such as miro and palmallato or maybe a pattern such as saffiano or frenzy. These patterns can also improve its scratch and water resistance and durablity.

The tanned leather can also be worked over to give an aged or antique look. This is achieved by adding a darker coatings and waxing usually around the edges once the bag has been made up but still allowing the lighter colour underneath to show. This has been used to great effect by the master craftsmen at Pratesi, Florence, who uses secret technique which gives the bag a depth of colour and a real look of luxury and quality.

All these different options, provide the customer with lots of choice but ultimately there is only one choice, choose luxury Italian leather!

Maxwell Scott Tote Business Bag

Croc Print Leather

Arcadia Patent bag

Patent Leather

Carbotti Miro Leather Bag

Miro Leather

Chiarugi Leather Holdall

Full Grain Leather

Pratesi Briefcase

Aged Leather



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