Why is Leather so expensive?
Why is Leather so expensive?
I often get asked “Why is leather so expensive?” - I will try to answer that below.
Our leather is as complex as it is simple. It’s a skin, chemically prepared to last a lifetime. The skin in a co-product of meat industry and no animals are killed solely for the purpose of leather manufacturing. However, if no leather products are made, the skins (hides for bigger animals like cows) end up in landfills from the meat industry. Yes, that beef burger you ate, our leather bag (Vlad) is a co-product of that. The 8 steps below are performed in 2 factories in Kolkata, India. For the sake of simplicity, lets call Factory 1 as Wet Blue Factory and Factory 2 as Tannery. They are 7 kms apart in the same city.
Step 1: Preparing the Hide (2-3 days), Wet Blue Factory
The hide (Yes!!The one from your burger) is soaked in water for several hours or days to re-hydrate it and make it more pliable. This process is called "soaking" or "liming". Liming helps to loosen the hair, remove any flesh and fat, and break down the proteins in the hide.
Raw cow hide received from meat plant, with hair intact.
After the hide has been soaked, it is time to remove the hair. This can be done mechanically or chemically. The mechanical method involves using a fleshing machine to scrape off the hair and flesh from the hide. The chemical method involves treating the hide with a solution of lime and sodium sulfide, which breaks down the proteins that hold the hair in place. This process is called "unhairing".
Once the hair has been removed, the hide is scudded, which involves removing the remaining flesh and fat. This is done by using a curved knife to scrape the hide.
This finish is called Wet White
This finish is called Wet Blue
Step 3: Splitting (1 day), Wet Blue Factory
After the hide has been limed, unhaired and scudded, it is time to split it. The hide is passed through a machine that splits it into two layers: the grain side and the flesh side. The grain side is the top side of the hide and is used for high-quality leather products, while the flesh side is used for cheaper leather products. At Slow Fashion, we are exclusively using the top part of the leather for our bags. To know why, please jump to this blog.
Cross section image of leather
Step 4: Tanning (2-8 weeks), Tannery
After splitting, the leather is ready for tanning. All the wet blue leather (in the picture on Step 2) arrives at our tannery. Tanning is the process of preserving the hide and making it more durable. There are different tanning methods, including vegetable tanning, chrome tanning, and synthetic tanning. There are sevaeral educational videos on this but I am linking the ones closest to our factories processing capabilities. We have no affiliations with the factories in these videos.
Vegetable tanning involves using natural tannins found in plant matter, such as oak bark, quebracho, or chestnut. This process is slow and can take several weeks, but it produces a high-quality, environmentally friendly leather.
Chrome tanning involves using chromium sulfate and other chemicals to tan the leather. This process is faster than vegetable tanning and produces a soft, pliable leather.
Hybrid tanning involves using chromium sulfate and vegetable tannins to tan the leather. This process is faster than full vegetable tanning and produces a leather which enjoys the color variety and texture of chrome tan and strength of vegetable tanning. The obvious question is then why isn’t everyone doing this? It’s because of lack of expertise and knowledge. Hybrid tanning is a relatively new concept than other conventional tanning.
Synthetic tanning involves using synthetic chemicals to tan the leather. This process is faster and cheaper than vegetable or chrome tanning, but it produces a lower-quality leather.
Veg tanned leather
Step 5: Re-tanning (1-2 days), Tannery
After tanning, the leather is often re-tanned to add color, increase durability, or improve the texture. Re-tanning can be done using a variety of materials, such as oils, waxes, or resins. This process is called "re-tanning" or "fat-liquoring".
Step 6: Dyeing (1-2 days), Tannery
After re-tanning, the leather is ready for dyeing. Dyeing is the process of adding color to the leather. Dyeing can be done using a variety of methods, such as spraying, dipping, or brushing.
Dyed leather
Step 7: Finishing (1-2 days), Tannery
After dyeing, the leather is finished to give it the desired texture and appearance. Finishing can involve buffing, sanding, embossing, or applying a finish such as wax or oil. This process is called "finishing" or "currying".
This is the finished leather you see on your beloved bags
Step 8: Quality Control (1-2 days), Tannery
Before the leather is sent out to be used in products, it undergoes a series of quality control checks to ensure that it meets the necessary standards for durability, appearance, and safety.
The thickness of leather is important consideration while making a product
In conclusion, the leather manufacturing process can take 4-10 weeks, depending on the tanning method used.
Leather is priced by square foot and depending on the materials and tanning methods used (described above) leather can cost from 1 Euro / sq. ft. to as much as 35 Euros / sq. ft. on the very premium ends. A small bag like Maria uses 2-3 sq ft ( of leather and bigger bags like Dani uses up to 17-20 sq ft of leather.
Burnt leather finish, this is generated by two tone dyeing and wax finish on veg tanned leather
Just to put it into perspective, this is just the raw material creation for your handbag. After this, the finished leather goes to a 3rd factory (Handbag factory) where the leather is cut and stitched by the artisans to make your bag.
The picture below shows the raw material that comes from the tannery and then the finished product (Mari) created with it.
Mari is created with the same burnt leather as displayed above
Thank you for taking this small journey to understand why this bag is forever. Cheers !!
