FAQ

Vegetable tanned leather

Smooth leather: Fieno, Papaya, Pomerol, Iris (Tempesti, Italy; 1,3 mm)

Pebbled leather: Tortora, Panna, Tuscan tan,  Miele, Cipria (Tempesti, Italy; 1,3 mm)

Brushed leather:  Almond, Pecan, Ochre (Tempesti, Italy; 1,3 mm)

Tempesti leather with matte finish is a single-butted vegetable-tanned leather with a hairline process (straight buffing), manufactured by #TEMPESTI in Ponte a Egola, Tuscany, Italy.

Hairline treatment is a process in which a belt grinder is used to polish the leather in a certain direction, and is so called because of the fine hair-like lines. By applying this process to “ELBAMATT”, a typical leather manufactured by the same tannery, we can enjoy the straight texture and oily yet matte texture of the hairline process.

The single butt, which is the part of a cow’s back to buttocks where the fibers are packed together, is infiltrated with plenty of oil by the bucketta process, giving it a firm yet chunky texture.

The leather is vegetable tanned and dyed, so the more you use it, the more the color will change and the buffed leather will have a unique shine.

As the raised surface of the leather is used, friction occurs, and the unique luster of nubuck leather comes out, as well as the color changes to a deep, rich color.

Badalassi “Minerva Box” is an item produced by the famous Tannery Badalassi Carlo on vegetable tanned square shoulders. It is characterized by a dry-milled aniline finish, that result in a skin with beautiful natural pebble texture surface.

Badalassi Minerva Box leather: Linen, Cognac, Myrtle (Italy – 1,3 mm)

Badalassi Minerva Box leather is the classical oiled Vacchetta, it is made in Tuscany and represents the most historical kind of leather available on the market. Thanks to the oil in tanning, this soft temper leather is also very suitable for burnishing: if rubbed, this skin usually becomes more shiny and beautiful: the usage and time instead of worsening the skin pulls the best out of it. For all these reasons, this leather enters rightfully into the category of the best Italian vegetable tanned leathers.

Stiff smooth leather: Naturale, Nude, Black, Bole (Italy; 1,3 -1,5 mm)

Pull-Up Vacchetta calfskin leather: Light Mustard (Italy; 1,3 mm)

Vegetable-tanned Vacchetta calfskin leather (bovine grain oiled leather with a waxed finish).

Pull-Up “Old Style” distressed effect: Dry milled (tumbled), where the leather is placed into drums to achieve a wrinkled and distressed look with a soft hand. Pull-up leather contains waxes that give the surface a natural distressed and lived-in appearance. This leather lightens on the surface when pulled or bent.

Missouri leather: Bronze, Brownie, Coconut, Onyx, Ocean, Acorn, Elk, Sienna, Teal, Fern, Cobalt, Rose (La Perla Azzurra, Italy; 1,3 mm)

Missouri is medium-firm, vacchetta-based leather, so it’s hot stuffed and glazed after aplication of wax and oils. The combination of the hot stuffing blend and the wax gives the leather a heavier, substantial feel and a great pull-up!

Moccasin – “Vachetta” undyed leather  (La Perla Azzurra, Italy; 1,3 mm)

“Vachetta” leather features square shoulders and is vegetable-tanned using the antique “Tuscan Method,” widely regarded as the finest tanning process in the world. This artisanal technique, unique to Italy, is part of the ancient tradition upheld by local tanneries.

This vegetable-tanned Vachetta leather has medium firmness and a highly responsive (burnishable) surface, allowing it to be customized with oils, alcohol-based dyes, or left untreated to age naturally and beautifully, thanks to the distinctive tanning process.

Natural Vegetable: Also known as “Crust,” this finish showcases the natural full-grain surface, leaving the leather in its raw state without any additional treatment. It can either be used as-is or further refined.

Horse leather: Texas Tobacco, Black horse – 1,3 mm (Conceria Il Ponte, Italy; 1,3 mm)

Horse leather, type Crust.  Horse crust has dense structure, tight grain and firm temper. Horse leather is famous for incredible texture, character and strength.

Crust leather refers to rawhide that’s tanned, but not yet dyed. It remains in its natural color and contains little to no surface treatment. Due to its “raw” state, any color is achievable on crust leather, provided the leather used is quality top grain.

Besides, crust leather is incredibly soft, pliable, and ages beautifully because of its rich leather patina. It can be used both in its natural state or top-coated with a surface dye to obtain special effects.

Quality and characteristics of vegetable-tanned leather 

Today, despite millennium have passed, Vegetable Tanning remains the most classic, traditional and recognizable, and the closest to the condition of nature, the most respectful of ecology and the most suitable to combine comfort and aesthetics, fashion and tradition, versatility of use and uniqueness of product. With Vegetable Tanning nature has found a way to combine with nature, because the protein of the skin admirably receives the action of the tannin which is basically the principle active content in tannic plant materials. It is therefore precisely the tannin that allows the processing of leather into leather. This substance is found more or less concentrated in numerous types of trees and plants and can be present both in the bark and in the leaves, both in the wood and in the bark or even in fruits and roots. Are they that give the tanned leather that characteristic of uniqueness that makes it so special, so immediately distinguishable from other types of concepts. The “leather scent” is something unique and it is in fact impossible, in front of leather products, whether they are bags, belts, wallets or something else, not recognize the vegetable tanned for the particular reaction that occurs only with the skin which reacts to tannin mixtures.

The smell of leather combines effectively with the smell of leather body. Vegetable leather has another great advantage, namely to age with the passing of time, modifying itself, changing color slightly, acquiring a unique appearance its kind. It is for this reason that once you purchase a vegetable tanned product it is then difficult to get rid of, because the objects made with this material are transformed into real ones reliable, unique and long-lasting travel companions, who remind us of adventures once they are old lived and time spent together. 

The Genuine Vegetable Tanned Leather Consortium is based in Tuscany, along the banks of Arno river, between Florence and Pisa. The associated tanneries operate in symbiosis with the environment thanks to a production district that is cutting-edge, both in terms of technology and organization.

Mineral tanned leather (not available)

Light Tobacco – Ukrainian leather – 1,4 mm

This full-grain mineral-tanned Ukrainian leather is made from cowhide. This leather is smooth and sturdy.

In the crafting process, this leather is hand-polished with a conditioner made from the mixture of beeswax and olive oil.  This leather is approximately 1.3 mm to 1.5 mm thick. 

Linen

Cognac

Myrtle

Bronze

Acorn

Acorn and Coconut

Coconut

Sienna

Sienna and Brownie

Brownie

Onyx

Fern

Teal

Ocean

Cobalt

Elk

Light mustard

Texas tobacco

Almond

Ochre

Pecan

Fieno

Papaya

Nude

Naturale

Moccasin

Panna pebbled

Panna pebbled and Naturale

Miele pebbled

Pomerol

Iris

Tortora pebbled

Cipria

Bole

Black horse

Light tobacco (not available)

Adjustable pen loop

Clip pen loop (narrow) 

Elastic pen loop

Elastic closure & pen loop on it

Concho closure with leather belt

Belt closure – 2,5 cm

Belt closure – 3 cm

Chunky belt closure

Chunky magnetic closure

Nip closure

Snap closure

Side closure

Leather flyleaf

Ring protector

2 strings (vertical holes)

Spine

Secretarial with slit + simple pocket 

1 card slot + bottom pocket with slit

Simple pockets

Bottom pocket + secretarial pocket 

Bottom pocket + Sleeve pocket 

3 card slots + tall angled secretarial pocket 

3 card slots both sides

2 horizontal card slots + Secretarial with slit pocket 

2 vertical card slots

1 card slot pocket + tall angled secretarial pocket 

Secretarial pockets

2 horizontal card slots + secretarial pocket

Sleeve pocket + tall angled secretarial pocket

Bottom pockets

Simple pocket with slit

Front pocket with raw edge

Full front pocket with raw edge

Full front&back pockets (raw edges)

Stitched back pocket

Floral stamps

Meadow stamp

Set of letters for free personalization