a short guide to italian leather

"Italian leather" is printed on a great many things. Some deserve it. The phrase alone tells you where a hide was finished, not how well. So it is worth knowing what lies behind it.

This is a short guide. The places. The process. What to look for in the hand.

a country of tanners

Italy holds an unusual position in the world's leather. According to UNIC, the association representing Italian tanneries, the value of Italian production accounts for 27 percent of the global total and 65 percent of the European Union's, and 31 percent of international leather exports originate in Italy (UNIC).

That production is not spread evenly. It gathers in districts, each with its own character.

Arzignano, Veneto. In the province of Vicenza, the Chiampo valley is the largest Italian tanning district by turnover and workforce (LIFE GOAST). Much of its output serves furniture, automotive and fashion.

Santa Croce sull'Arno, Tuscany. Between Florence and Pisa, the Tuscan leather district has been known for tanning since the fourteenth century, according to the regional tourism board (Visit Tuscany). It is especially associated with vegetable tanning (Leather Luxury).

Solofra, Campania. In the province of Avellino, Solofra is known for sheep and goat skins, finished into fine, supple leathers for gloves, garments and small goods (Leather Luxury).

Florence itself has a long relationship with the craft. Its Scuola del Cuoio, a leather school, was founded after the Second World War by the Franciscan friars of Santa Croce together with two Florentine artisan families, in a part of the city where tanneries had gathered along the Arno since the thirteenth century (Scuola del Cuoio).

two ways to tan

Tanning is what turns a raw hide, which would otherwise dry out or rot, into durable leather (Gentleman's Gazette). Two methods dominate.

Vegetable tanning uses tannins drawn from trees and plants. The Consorzio Vera Pelle Italiana Conciata al Vegetale describes the Tuscan process as slow, pairing traditional recipes with modern technology (Consorzio Vera Pelle). Sources of tannin can include oak bark, chestnut, mimosa and other plant material, and the process can take months (Gentleman's Gazette).

Chrome tanning uses chromium salts, typically chromium sulfate. It was developed in the nineteenth century and can complete the tanning stage in less than a day (Gentleman's Gazette). It is the method behind most of the world's leather today.

Neither is automatically better. Chrome-tanned leather can be made thin, soft and colorfast, with a little more natural water resistance. Vegetable-tanned leather is firmer in many recipes, takes a burnished edge more readily, and, with its open pores, absorbs oils and wax through use (Gentleman's Gazette). The right choice depends on the object.

For a bed's upholstery or a soft lead, a supple chrome or combination tannage may suit. For a collar with exposed, polished edges, vegetable tanning is often preferred.

see collars & leads in the edit

the consortium mark

In Tuscany, a group of tanneries protects a particular standard. The Consorzio Vera Pelle Italiana Conciata al Vegetale was founded in 1994 by a small group of Tuscan tanners (Consorzio Vera Pelle). Its member tanneries all operate in the Tuscan district and are bound to technical production regulations; leather that meets them may carry the consortium's quality trademark (Consorzio Vera Pelle).

If a maker uses consortium leather, they will usually say so and can show the mark. If not, the absence is not a fault. Many fine leathers are made outside it. It is simply one verifiable point of reference.

how it ages

Vegetable-tanned leather does not stay as it arrives. The consortium describes its warm tones as intensifying with time and daily use (Consorzio Vera Pelle). Light, the oils of hands and the passage of time darken and soften the surface into patina (Priestleys).

On a collar or lead, this happens fastest where the leather is touched most. The loop held in the hand. The strap that rests against a coat. A year in, the piece belongs to one dog and one owner.

Some prefer leather that stays exactly as bought. Pigment-finished leathers keep their color more steadily, and generally do not develop the same kind of patina (Gentleman's Gazette). It is a matter of taste. It is worth knowing which you are choosing.

what to look for

A label is the beginning. The object tells the rest.

• The grain. Full grain leather keeps the hide's original surface, with nothing removed but the hair and outer skin (Leather Research Laboratory). Look for fine, natural pores rather than an even, plastic sheen.
• The edge. Burnished, rounded, closed. Not painted over a fraying cut.
• The smell. Good leather smells of leather. A sharp chemical note is a question worth asking.
• The hand. Leather should feel like a material, not a coating. Firm or soft as intended, but never brittle.
• The stitching. Even, tight and finished cleanly at the ends.
• The maker's answers. A good maker can tell you the tannery or district, the tannage and the finish. Vagueness is information too.

a note on the word

"Made in Italy" and "Italian leather" are not the same claim. One concerns where an object was made. The other concerns where its leather was tanned or finished. A piece can be one without the other. Neither phrase, alone, guarantees how carefully the work was done.

That is why we ask makers specific questions, and why we would rather tell you the district and the tannage than lean on a flag.

see beds in the edit

see bowls & dining in the edit

in short

Italy's leather is concentrated in a few districts, each with its own strengths. Vegetable tanning is slower and ages visibly. Chrome tanning is faster, softer and more colorfast. Full grain is the surface left whole. The best leather is the one suited to its use, made by people who can say exactly what it is.

Look closely. Ask plainly. The material will answer.

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wagl is an independent house of curation and is not affiliated with any tannery, consortium or association mentioned here.