Leather and Colorway Guide

This page is to help you choose leather type(s) and colors for your made-to-order item.
Information about the leathers offered follows, proceeded by an FAQ and Suggested Colorways.

The Leather

Leathers from some of the best known and highest regarded French, Italian, and Japanese tanneries are offered.
- For general information about leather types and finishes, please see my Leather Guide.

Chèvre Crispé

Chèvre Crispé comes from century-old French tannery, Relma, which specializes in vegetable tanned goatskin for use in bookbinding and luxury leather goods. Chèvre Crispé has a wonderful subtle texture, vibrant colors, and is lightly finished for better color fastness, as well as providing some scratch and water resistance. It works great for both the interior and exterior of items.

Article:	Chèvre Crispé	Type:	Goatskin
Origin:	France	Tannery:	Relma
Tannage:	Vegetable	Finish:	Semi-aniline
Temper:	Medium	Aging:	Gets smoother in areas of wear

Shell Cordovan

Shell Cordovan is an equine leather that’s prized for its resilience, its luster, and its graceful aging.

I stock shells from renowned Japanese tannery, Shinki-Hikaku, as well as those from dyeing specialist, Leder Ogawa*. I believe these two companies produce the most refined and beautiful shells on the market today.

Shinki shells have a glossy finish thanks to undergoing a glazing process, where the leather is polished with glass. The colors have pleasant natural variation and subtle marbling.

Leder Ogawa’s shells are hand dyed and finished. Compared to Shinki’s, they are less glossy, more uniform and have fantastic depth of color.

Shell wears extremely well over time and, like other vegetable tanned leathers, develops a lot of character with use.

It should be one of your top contenders if you’re considering a smooth exterior for your item.

Note: While shell is an exceptionally durable material, it is not a resistant material. Its waxy surface will scratch fairly easily. However, scratches will become less apparent and blend into the character of the leather as it ages. Another bright point is that it responds to reconditioning (i.e. scratches, etc. buffed out) very well.

*Leder Ogawa is not a tannery. It performs the dyeing and finishing on Shinki-Hikaku “crusts”, or unfinished shells.

Article:	Shell Cordovan	Type:	Shell Cordovan
Origin:	Japan	Tannery:	Shinki-Hikaku
Tannage:	Vegetable	Finish:	Aniline
Temper:	Firm	Aging:	Absorbs character from use, darkens

Museum Calf

This is one of the most recognizable leathers in the world, thanks to its extensive use in fine footwear. Museum calf is characterized by it’s mottled color. It has a pleasant soft hand, yet firm temper. Softens wonderfully with age and brushes up beautifully.

Article:	Museum Calf	Type:	Calfskin
Origin:	Italy	Tannery:	Ilcea
Tannage:	Mineral	Finish:	Aniline
Temper:	Firm	Aging:	Softens, develops sheen

Sherpa

Sherpa is buffalo calfskin produced by French Tannery, Remy Carriat. Compared to other bovine leathers, it has a more exotic looking grain. It also is a very tough leather that resists wear very well. Despite its toughness, it still retains very pleasant, soft feel. Works great for both the interior or exterior of items and there’s plenty of colors to choose from.

Article:	Sherpa	Type:	Buffalo Calf
Origin:	France	Tannery:	Remy Carriat
Tannage:	Mineral	Finish:	Semi-aniline
Temper:	Medium soft	Aging:	Develops slight sheen

Pueblo

Pueblo is classic Italian vacchetta, vegetable tanned cowhide, with a twist. Its grain has been gently sueded, which gives it that beautiful vintage look.

It will develop lots of character with use. Colors will darken and fibers will compact, as well as the development of a slight sheen. A great leather for patina lovers.

Article:	Pueblo	Type:	Cowhide
Origin:	Italy	Tannery:	Badalassi Carlo
Tannage:	Vegetable	Finish:	Aniline leather with sueded surface
Temper:	Medium	Aging:	Color darkens, develops sheen, absorbs character from use

Vono

Vono is traditional pit-tanned cowhide from Japanese tannery, Tochigi. The open pit-tanning is said to give extra toughness to the resulting leather. Compared to the absence of grain on Shell Cordovan or the fine grain of Museum Calf, Vono has a bit more rugged character as the grain is more apparent. This leather will show interesting character as it ages, but thanks to its robust nature, will typically do so more gradually. The dye is also beautifully done with nice depth of color.

Article:	Vono	Type:	Cowhide
Origin:	Japan	Tannery:	Tochigi
Tannage:	Vegetable	Finish:	Glazed aniline
Temper:	Very firm	Aging:	Color darkens and absorbs character from use

Epsom Calfskin

Epsom is calfskin that is well-known for its extensive use in luxury goods. Its printed grain provides a clean, modern look, and provides excellent resistance against wear like scratches and dents.

Article:	Epsom	Type:	Calfskin
Origin:	France	Tannery:	Tannerie d’Annonay
Tannage:	Mineral	Finish:	Semi-aniline
Temper:	Firm	Aging:	Excellent resistance. Will lose some texture in high-wear areas.

Exotic Leathers

Sharkskin

Sharkskin is characterized by deep ridges in the skin, giving a wild texture. It’s regarded as one of the very toughest leathers there is, but despite that, this Japanese sharkskin has a wonderful soft and luxurious texture.

Crocodilian

No other leather says luxury quite like alligator and crocodile leather. Crocodilian leather is known for its striking texture, wonderful feel, and excellent durability.

I have a limited stock of skins. Please contact me for availability.

Python

Along with crocodile and ostrich, python is one of the quintessential exotics. The texture is quite striking from the array of scales, giving it its alluring dimensional look. Unlike most snakeskins, python is actually quite durable.

The python used is sourced from Japan and has a soft matte finish. You can expect it to see it patina. The color will darken and, it will absorb character from use. Scales are securely attached, although they may fold somewhat with use.

FAQ

What leather should I choose for the exterior of my item?
For smooth leathers, I recommend Museum Calf and Shell Cordovan. These leathers have a wonderful feel, classic looks, and brush up beautifully.

If you are a patina lover, then you can also consider Pueblo and Vono, which will show considerable change over time (i.e. absorbing character from use, and darkening of color).

Textured leathers resist wear, like scratches, much better, and therefore will keep looking newer for much longer than smooth leathers. Epsom Calfskin and Sherpa (Buffalo Calfskin) are both extremely resistant. Epsom has uniform texture, whereas Sherpa has a more exotic look. Chèvre is also an excellent choice with more subtle texture.

Of course, exotics are highly recommended if your budget allows. Alligator, crocodile, and sharkskin are all very durable choices with striking texture. Python is another interesting choice, but will develop much more in the way of patina.
How about interior leather choice?
I recommend textured leathers for the interior. They tend to age more gracefully over time than smooth interiors. Therefore my recommendations are Chèvre, Epsom, and Sherpa.
What’s the most durable leather?
There are no fragile leathers in the lineup. All are robust enough to endure years of typical use.

That said, shell cordovan, sharkskin, alligator, and crocodile have the reputation of being the most resilient there are.

Note that durability and resistance are not the same thing. While shell cordovan is exceptionally durable, it can scratch quite easily. On the other hand, textured leathers are quite good at resisting wear.
Are the leathers full grain?
Yes, all the leathers offered are full grain except, of course, shell cordovan which is not made from the outer layer of the skin, as well as leathers with nubuck finishes.
What leather is the easiest to care for?
None of the main leathers require much maintenance. For leather that’s easiest to clean and keep clean, opt for textured leathers over smooth ones. Smooth leathers do best with some brushing from time to time.
Can you use a different leather than what’s offered?
Sure. If it’s a leather not under the main offerings, please first check if it’s offered under “Other Leathers” on the product pages. If not, please just get in touch before placing your order and I can let you know if it’s something I can use.
Can you use multiple colors or leathers in the interior?
Certainly. Please add accent pockets under “additional options”. If you wish for different colors than the choices provided there, please just describe it in the order notes. There’s no extra charge to do this unless substituting exotics or shell cordovan.

Colorways

While there are near endless possibilities for color combinations, many of the nicest looking examples will:

Use a lighter colored leather on the interior of the item.
Use thread that is either the same color or lighter than both leathers.

There are, naturally, many exceptions. In the case of exotic leathers, for example, subtle contrasts work best (especially as threading is concerned) as to not detract attention from the leather itself.

Note: The method of hand sewing I employ, saddle stitching, doesn’t allow for different color exterior and interior thread, as the needle passes through both sides of the perimeter.

Suggested Colorways

Several examples of the suggested colorways follow, categorized by exterior color.
Please choose the exterior and interior leather types based on the suggestions provided above.
If you have further questions or would like to request input on your chosen colorway, please add an order note or contact me.

Green

Suggested pairings: tan, brown, gray, yellow, burgundy

Blue

Suggested pairings: orange, brown, tan, gray, yellow, green

Brown

Suggested pairings: natural, brown, olive, blue, turquoise, green

Dark Brown

Suggested pairings: taupe, natural, orange, yellow, blue, green

Black

Suggested pairings: red, green, yellow, taupe, turquoise, beige

Red & Purple

Suggested pairings: natural, taupe, brown, turquoise, green