Here’s how I tried to explain the difference between vegetable-tanned and other (namely chrome, synthetic and corrected) leathers.

Much like Dan’s bracing cups of tea, the term leather ‘tanning’ comes from an ancient process of steeping animal skins in a brew of leaves, bark, nuts or other vegetable-based extracts… which release tannins.

Using ‘recipes’ tried and tested over centuries, and with the ‘brew’ carefully made stronger and stronger through the process, the tannins penetrate to the very structure of the fibres in the skin, permanently altering their chemical structure to create leather.
It is an incredibly involved and precise skill to get it right that can’t be rushed (it takes over four weeks to vegetable tan a hide), and there are many other processes that are performed before and after to bring us the material we know as leather.

But, in essence, it is this chemistry between vegetable extract and flesh that creates vegetable tanned leather. It is still made today by some specialist tanneries, mostly around the Florence area of Tuscany, and wherever possible I like to use it for my designs because

• It has the most amazing look, touch and smell.
• It is 100% natural.
• It gives the leather a rich depth of colour.
• Each hide has its unique character enhanced, that is otherwise eliminated with other methods.
• And, unlike chrome-tanned leathers, it ages beautifully.

I recently took an MD from the fashion world (for a company I’m doing some consulting for) to a leather trade fair in Milan. He was stunned by how many tanneries were showing, the scale of the leather goods industry, the vast selection available. And bowled over with how to choose one from another (and this was a tiny fair compared to the main one!)

So with such a specialist material, the huge selection and endless suppliers where do you start when choosing a leather?

After 18 years I know quite a lot, and I like to think I know what’s good. I certainly know what I like and why I like it.
But the tanneries themselves are the real experts. For me, the skill of turning a by-product of the meat industry into a beautiful leather is akin to turning water into wine.
It is, when done well, a kind of miracle.

And just like wine, a good leather is not just about the type and colour of the raw ingredients, but also the water, the climate, the people, the preferred taste of the region. Those little ways of doing things that make something individual.

So, the first secret is knowing the ‘good’ tanneries. What’s good for you may not be good for someone else, of course. But you need to choose your tannery to supply the look and feel, the signature, you are after. And then developing a trust that what you are buying is really going to age well and, if you are after a ‘vintage quality’, get better with time.

A lot of countries have a tanning history but Italy, for me, still has the best selection, the most creative craftsmen, and a genuine love for making something special still intact.

I always like to get a trip in to the tanneries near Florence when I can… not the prettiest Tuscan experience, admittedly. But there is something wonderful about the making of a beautiful leather out of these ancient processes…

And what’s lovely is you can see and feel, and even smell, this history in the character of the finished bag. It’s part of it, wherever it travels.

Something you should look out for when buying leather goods is the difference between solid brass (as seen on our travel pieces above) and Zamac, which is a cheap imitation.

You can often tell Zamac by its “mock” aged look, a sort of fake antiquing to make it look ye-olde-brassy. It looks moderately better this way, as in it’s polished state it looks pretty awful.

Still not sure? Tap it, it sounds ‘thin’ and tinny. Weigh it in your hand, it feels unnaturally lightweight…well, it is.

Zamac doesn’t have the strength, tenacity or the depth of colour and character of brass. And because it’s brittle, it can actually snap under stress or after prolonged use.

You used to only see it at the low end of the high street. Not any more! Some so-called luxury brands think their customers can’t tell the difference and happily promote it as solid brass. Some people may prefer it, of course, but why not be honest about it, call it what it is, and let the customer decide if they think it’s worth it?

Traditionally used for equestrian purposes, to secure reins, saddles and stirrups, and for military and engineering precision where strength with some “give” is imperative, solid brass continues to be relied on for it’s unique qualities to this day.

Just as important for me is its depth of colour and a certain nostalgic warmth.

I found a family firm in Florence to make our metal pieces, because they can do small, hand-made runs specifically to my designs. And because you can tell that they have a passion for what they do and a certain pride in making only the best.

We decided to have each piece individually lacquered to protect it from tarnishing and to preserve its warm brilliance. (Yes, we all want the qualities of solid brass, but we don’t expect you to get the Brasso out).

We use solid brass on all our pieces, with 2 exceptions: The split ring on keyrings is brass-plated steel, which has a ‘memory’ to spring back, and the metal mirror/luggage label which is a highly-polished palladium (a quality metal in it’s own right) to get a superb, scratch-resistant reflection.

Sorry to be geeky. I know zips aren’t a very sexy subject (or are they?).

But I thought you’d like to know that all of ours are made by a Swiss manufacturer called RiRi, who make the best quality zips in the world.

Each ‘tooth’ is individually stamped from Tombac, a brass alloy.

The teeth are then polished for 18 hours, ensuring there are absolutely no rough edges either on the inside or on the outside. (Run your finger along both sides of a zip to see what I mean). They are then washed for 6 hours to remove any residue from the teeth.
Both of these rather long-winded processes ensures these zips run super-smooth.

They are then electroplated to achieve a quality finish that matches the solid brass pieces in our collection.

The tape is made from yarn-spun polyester, giving it a natural look and feel while maintaining a rip-proof and rot-proof strength. It is then dyed to match our leathers.

RiRi say: “Clients come to us because we are the Rolls-Royce of zips”.
More intriguing is: “The man behind Riri was Swiss jurist Martin Othmar Winterhalter. In 1923, he managed to find solutions to produce zips on an industrial basis.
After becoming obsessed with seeing uses for zips just about everywhere, including streets, viaducts and palaces, Winterhalter ended up by being unceremoniously abducted and taken to the mad house.”

I think I’d better stop thinking about zips — zipidy-do-da…

Here’s a detail of quality inking on the edges of our Overnight Cabin Bag.

I really enjoy the genuine pleasure people get discovering how things are made. Nothing beats taking world-weary customers around a workshop and seeing their faces light up when the skills that make up a quality product are revealed. I still get a high every time I visit a factory and see true craftsmen and women doing their thing.

No substitute for seeing the real action, but I am going to try to pass on some of that excitement here in a series of entries that tells you all about quality details and how they are achieved. Let’s start with “Inking”.

Here are some of our Key Straps being made in the workshop: they show ink being applied, drying on blocks, and the heated tool being drawn over the edges to seal the ink with the leather, a process that’s repeated many times to get a superior finish.

Inking (sometimes referred to as edge staining or edge burnishing) is a process that finishes the raw edges of leather, especially where two panels of leather are sewn together. It creates a firm but flexible edge, preventing the exposed cut surface getting wet or ragged.

The process: Depending on the vagaries of the designer, ‘inks’ can be clear gums or coloured resin mixes, that are fixed to the leather with a burnisher, giving an opaque or glossy finish. The ingredients need to be mixed to suit the leather: thick enough not to run off, thin enough to be smooth and the right formula to bond. Once stitched together, the raw edges of the leather are bevelled and sanded to take off any roughness. The ‘ink’ is built up in stages. Each layer is skilfully applied by hand, taking great care not to stain the surface of the leather. The ‘ink’ has to dry before the next stage. It is then sealed onto the leather using a hot burnishing tool. This process is repeated several times until the desired level of finish is achieved. Ideally, it should be enough times to give a rounded, smooth appearance, and you shouldn’t be able to see the join where the two leather panels meet.

Why choose inking? There’s something particularly elegant and pure about inked edges. They ‘frame’ the product, so the quality of the materials and stitching has to be top-notch too. Defying the amount of work involved, the end result is a simplicity that I personally find the most pleasing to the eye.

Difficult to achieve beautifully, inking is one of those details that distinguishes real luxury from the rest. Notice it when it’s done well and enjoy it!