Full Grain Vegetable Tanned Leather
Timeless Beauty And Ageing
WHAT IS FULL GRAIN LEATHER?
Full grain refers to the strongest and most durable part of the hide of an animal, which is just below the hair and has not been sanded, buffed or snuffed (as opposed to corrected grain) which means it displays the more natural characteristics of leather. Full grain leather often comes with an aniline finish which stains or dyes the leather while still allowing the natural grain to show through, this subtle finish allows the leather to continue to breathe, as opposed to other types of leather which are sanded down and given a thicker finish coat. Full grain is regarded as the highest quality leather, which is why ultimately we choose to use it for many of our bags and accessories.
WHAT DOES FULL GRAIN LEATHER LOOK LIKE?
Being the strongest, outermost layer of the hide to be used, and keeping the grain in its entirety, rather than being sanded away to look more ‘uniform’, full grain leather lasts much longer. As it ages, it develops a patina, which is the change in colour over time. This change occurs faster on untreated pieces and is considered to be a highly desirable characteristic of leather.
Every hide is unique as it comes from a different animal with different markings and blemishes so when looking at or working with full grain leather you’ll soon realise that no two hides are exactly the same.
HOW IS VEGETABLE TANNED FULL-GRAIN LEATHER MADE?
Vegetable tanned leather refers to the tannage, or method of tanning the cowhide into leather. It’s called “vegetable” because of the natural materials used in the tanning process like tree bark. Vegetable tanning or veg tan as it’s sometimes called, is one of the oldest methods of tanning known to man. It has literally been around for centuries.