All about leather

British leather is very hard to source, apparently the UK leather industry didn’t move as quickly as the Italians did from using a chrome tanning process to a vegetable one which is much less environmentally damaging. The ‘vegetable’ used is tree bark which explains why the naturally veg tanned leathers are shades of brown.

However it’s still possible to find bridle leather that’s been tanned and finished in the UK with its famous high gloss shine – picture horses with shiny bridle and reins, that’s the leather! The finish on bridal leather adds strength and protection, as well as being soft and flexible.

Through Jason our leather maker we’ve discovered one of the oldest leather suppliers in the UK. Based in Northampton they buy their ‘veg tanned’ leather from Italy and ‘finish’ it at their factory in as sustainable and environmentally friendly a way as possible. This means they making their own water based finishes, dyes and stains as most on the market are highly solvented. This high quality leather has good environmental credentials and is perfect for hard wearing tableware. We continue our search for British vegetable tanned leather that is as hard wearing and will keep you posted…