Nowadays there are fewer and fewer products capable of surviving the passage of time, of linking the past with the present in a clear and precise way.

Leather is inserted as the protagonist of history, a staple of all ages and all peoples. The history of leather tanning can be traced back to ancient peoples, where it was mainly used to create aesthetic and military objects.

(Engraving representing the work inside a tannery in the early 600s)

 

(Treatment of hides in the drum to prepare them for tanning – Historical archive photo)

Taking a quick leap in time to the end of the 80s, we notice that things have totally changed, leather is the fulcrum of the fashion sector and is a material that is still capable of uniting ancient traditions to satisfy modern needs.

In 1994, with the aim of preserving the characteristics, the tradition of tanning with vegetable methods and to unite the tanneries under a single quality brand, the Italian Vegetable Tanned Genuine Leather Consortium was born.

Today there are 23 tanneries in the area between Pisa and Florence, and this is the only Italian district where we continue to produce vegetable tanned leather, certified by the appropriate coupon .

(Certificate of Genuine Italian Vegetable Tanned Leather)

This technique, which takes the name of vegetable tanning, gives the leather greater malleability while respecting its natural characteristics.

The method consists in combining vegetable substances called tannins with proteins of animal origin present in the various layers of the skin.

With this process, the consortium respects the origin of the leather without adding anything that does not already exist in nature.
Our carefully selected ones come in particular from the barrel tanning method.

The hides used in this process are waste from the food industry, which if not used would create serious disposal problems.

Particular attention is paid to the substances used in the processing, which, after being recovered, are treated in order to be transferred to other sectors, such as for example agriculture and construction.

An ecological process that helps to protect the environment from harmful substances.

The question now arises, what are the reasons that led us to use vegetable and non-industrial leather?
The choice fell in accordance not only with our ethical but also aesthetic line, we decided to give importance to traditional craftsmanship and the unique characteristics of this inimitable product, the result of centuries of knowledge handed down from father to son .

A product that allows you to combine excellent technical characteristics with the prerogatives of materials with a traditional flavour, warm colors and a unique appearance. Of proven origin and created by artisans to create high quality products, even today vegetable tanned leather is undeniably recognizable in the world for its intrinsic properties, a material that in addition to its aesthetics also respects the environment.

(Warm colors and unique look)