THE LEATHERS WE USE

We use a lot of different leathers in the workshop (every leathermaker knows you can never have enough!) From Italian tanneries such as Walpier, Badalassi Carlo, the renowned Horween tannery in the USA and even J&FJ Baker, the last remaining traditional oak bark tannery in the UK. Some leathers we need for different purposes, most we just buy because we love them (don’t tell anyone). Here’s a brief rundown of the ones on the bench the most. 

WALPIER BUTTERO

The classic Italian veg-tan leather, one of the most popular for leathermaking. It has an aniline finish, meaning the dye penetrates the leather rather than forming a coating on the surface, and a smooth, matte surface. Comes in a range of gorgeous bright colours as well as the usual tans & browns. With use it will develop a rich, natural shine and darkens nicely. It has a firm temper but remains pliable.

An admission: we became slightly addicted to hatched Buttero. This is stamped with a hatch pattern while retaining the smooth, high-end feel of classic Buttero. Nice!

The natural or the biscuit Buttero are a great choice if you’re looking for a patina project. 

BADALASSI CARLO PUEBLO

Another Tuscan favourite, Pueblo features a distinctive dry, velvety feel, almost like suede. It’s totally matte but with use it quickly develops a darker leathery sheen. It’s 100% vegetable-tanned using natural tannins, and comes in more colours than my shelves will hold. 

BADALASSI CARLO MINERVA

A contender to Buttero when it comes to smooth, matte full-grain leather. Minerva is 100% vegetable-tanned and has a softer and more natural finish than Buttero. It’s a classic example of a Tuscan Vacchetta with a heavily oiled, buttery feel that will quickly age into a deep, glossy patina.

The Minerva Liscio is a beautifully smooth finish.

The Minerva Box is tumbled in heated drums giving it a pebbled, wrinkled texture that is natural and non-uniform. A very soft temper and patinas quickly thanks to the oily Vacchetta formula.

BADALASSI CARLO WAX

OK, so I admit to using this a lot but the texture is really quite special. Wax is veg-tanned and oiled with tallow (Italian: Sego), then given a dry-milled (drummed) wax process. The result is a distressed finish and a strong ‘pull-up’ effect: when the leather is bent or stressed, the oils rise to the surface and the colour changes. A medium-soft temper with a waxy feel that becomes more glossy over time.

HORWEEN

The Horween tannery is one of the oldest continuously running tanneries in the USA and remains famous for using traditional, time-intensive craft methods. Chromexcel, Horween’s most famous pull-up leather, combines chrome tanning with vegetable tanning before being heavily infused with oils and waxes. The result is a tough, resilient leather with a rich pull-up character that develops beautifully with use. Dublin & Essex are 100% veg-tanned cattle leathers. Essex uses traditional bark extracts, while Dublin is a waxed version of Essex with a rugged, oil-rich surface that breaks in with wonderful depth and character.

SHELL CORDOVAN

It’s worth an entire page to itself, but briefly… this is an exceptionally premium leather prized for its polished luster, unique non-creasing properties, and extreme longevity. Shell comes from a specific membrane on the hindquarters of a horse- its dense fibre structure forms soft rolls over time rather than sharp creases. Because each animal yields only two shells and the skilled vegetable-tanning process takes six painstaking months, it remains one of the most exclusive, long-lasting materials for bespoke small leather goods. Oh, and one of the most expensive. 

THE HOLY PATINA

One of the reasons we love vegetable-tanned leather is that it doesn’t stay looking exactly the same. It changes with use. Some darken dramatically, some develop a deep glossy sheen, while others reveal more of their texture and character as they’re handled. Natural and lighter-coloured leathers tend to show the biggest transformation, but even darker leathers will soften and develop their own character over time. There’s no real way to predict exactly how a piece will age. How often it’s used, what it’s carried next to, exposure to sunlight, oils from your hands and even the way you treat it all play a part. That’s the fun of it. You don't just buy a finished piece, you get to see what it becomes.

WHICH LEATHER IS RIGHT FOR YOU? 

A quick guide:

LEATHER	FEEL	CHARACTER	PATINA
Buttero	Firm, smooth	Clean, matte	Darkens, natural shine
Pueblo	Dry, velvety	Textured, matte	Darkens, leathery sheen
Minerva Liscio	Soft, oily	Smooth, matte	Deep, glossy
Minerva Box	Very soft	Pebbled, wrinkled	Darkens, becomes glossier
Wax	Medium-soft, waxy	Distressed, pull-up	More glossy with use
Shell Cordovan	Dense, smooth	Rich, polished	Deep, glassy lustre

There's no right or wrong, it’s all a matter of personal preference. Buttero is firm and clean, Pueblo has a dry textured feel, Minerva is softer and oilier, while Wax has a more distressed character. Shell Cordovan is for the ballers! Whatever you choose, the idea is the same: make something well, use it, and let time do the rest.

View all ready to ship wallets >