Behind the scenes: Where the best leather is made

Vegetable-tanned leather is at the heart of paper republic. For the 10-year anniversary of paper republic, the entire team went to Italy, where we got to spend a day at the tannery and catch up with our old friends and partners.

This family-run tannery lies in the heart of Tuscany, in Italy. Carlo, Simone and Cinzia gave us the full tour of the tannery and explained the vegetable-tanning process, which takes about a month.

After the hides have been carefully washed and cleaned, they are placed in large drums, where they soak in natural tannins. They are then hung up to dry, and greased, to regain their full texture, flexibility and softness, before being dyed.

Vegetable-tanned leather is rare! Only 10-15% of leather worldwide is vegetable tanned.

Simone, the director of the tannery, explained that each hide can be divided into different parts, that vary in texture, thickness and flexibility. Different parts of the leather hide are then used for different purposes. 

All our leather journals & accessories are made from the shoulder, which is the strongest, most rigid part of the hide, and presents the least wrinkles - ideal for long lasting journals designed for everyday use.

We had the opportunity to discover, touch and smell different kinds of leather. 

We only work with beautiful, high-quality materials, but this visit truly made us realise what a precise, artisanal craft vegetable-tanning is. Certified by the Genuine Italian Vegetable-Tanned Leather Consortium, this is a premium-quality material that makes us proud. 

Warm greetings from Carlo, Simone, Cinzia & the whole paper republic team (and our leather companions)! 

 

Steffi
CSO (Chief Sustainability Officer)