Leather and Colorway Guide

  • Leather from the world’s most renowned French, Italian, and Japanese tanneries are offered. Details below.
    • For general information about leather types and finishes, please see our Leather Guide.


Shell Cordovan


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

We stock shells from renowned Japanese tannery, Shinki-Hikaku, as well as those from dyeing specialist, Leder Ogawa*. We 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

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 is the best choice for the interior of items, although it is a fine choice for the exterior, as well. 

Article:

Chèvre Crispé

Type:

Goatskin

Origin:

France

Tannery:

Relma

Tannage:

Vegetable

Finish:

Semi-aniline

Temper:

Medium

Aging:

Gets smoother in areas of wear


Baranil®


New!

One of the very finest and best known examples of French calfskin in existence. Renowned for its fine grain and superb patina. Medium soft temper with very waxy hand, this is a leather you can’t wait to see some age on.

Article:

Baranil®

Type:

Calfskin

Origin:

France

Tannery:

Haas

Tannage:

Combination

Finish:

Aniline

Temper:

Medium

Aging:

Develops sheen,  color deepens


Museum Calf


This is one of the world’s best known leathers, thanks to its extensive use in fine footwear. Museum calf is slightly glossy with a lovely marbling dye effect. The colors come off fairly dark and understated. It has a pleasant soft hand, yet firm temper. Softens with age and brushes up beautifully. Excellent choice for the exterior of items.

Article:

Museum Calf

Type:

Calfskin

Origin:

Italy

Tannery:

Ilcea

Tannage:

Mineral

Finish:

Aniline

Temper:

Firm

Aging:

Softens, becomes more matte


Epsom Calfskin


Epsom calfskin is perhaps the most popular leather luxury leather on the market. It is well liked for its clean, modern look and 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.

Dauphin Calfskin


New!

Dauphin calfskin is the same as the above Epsom calfskin with smaller grain.

Article: Epsom Type: Calfskin
Origin: France Tannery: Haas
Tannage: Mineral Finish: Semi-aniline
Temper: Medium firm Aging: Excellent resistance. Will lose some texture in high-wear areas.

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


Taurillon


New!

Bull calf with a beautifully soft waxy finish. Full aniline finish for the most natural look and luxurious feel. Natural grain with plenty of character. 

Note: The ‘gold’ & ‘hunter’ colors are smoother with less pebbling than the other colors. Please also be aware the lighter colors very much showcase the natural marks of the hide.

Article:

Taurillon (Socoa & Sellicalf)

Type:

Bull Calf

Origin:

France

Tannery:

Remy Carriat

Tannage:

Mineral

Finish:

Aniline

Temper:

Soft

Aging:

Some loss of texture & colors may deepen


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

Pueblo


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

Note: Ortensia & Tobacco currently unavailable.

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

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.

We have a limited stock of skins. Please contact us for additional 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

Colorways

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

  1. Use a lighter colored leather on the interior of the item.
  2. 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

Gray

Suggested pairings: orange, turquoise, maroon, yellow

Monotone

Monotone pairings are, of course, welcome. Use contrasting textures for an extra bit of flair.