FAQs

Our leather is not special. It’s just leather.

85%-90% of the global bag market today is dominated the Synthetic leather (PU, Faux Leather etc. which is basically not leather) and honestly, they look quite alike. Just that they don’t last as long and don’t degrade naturally due to plastic base.

At Slow Fashion we just ensure that we use leather (100% residue of meat industry), treat it in an environment friendly manner with organic tannins and make your product with experienced artisans who are proud of their craft.

The collection of Slow Fashion Bags is made in our factory in Kolkata, India. Our team comprises of 36 artisans taking care of different departments such as pattern making, cutting, stitching, checking etc. Some of our experienced team mates are working with leather craft for over 30 years and we value their vast amounts of knowledge and understanding in making timeless products. Every accessory in our bags is our original design, meticulously made and embroidered by our superstars. In this way, individual products are produced for you in a very small edition and the highest quality.  We use different fabrics for different designs, please check individual listing description for accurate material description. The common ground is that all the bags are built to last and shine.

Leather work is one of the oldest crafts. The source of leather usually indicates different characteristics. Cow or Buffalo leather is usually thicker and stronger and is used for bigger and bulkier bags. Goat, Sheep or Ostrich leather is usually thinner and is used for lighter bags like crossbody’s and clutch. Like human skin the thicker the skin is the stiffer it is. Majority of our leather is from India although we do use leathers from different countries such as Brazil, Australia and Italy.

All of our leather is a co-product of the meat industry. We use full veg tanning and semi-veg tanning, which is a hybrid process of vegetable tanning and chrome tanning (the best of both worlds). Vegetable tanning gives you leather that ages and chrome tanning gives you a leather that is durable. This process allows us to maintain our vintage look that will last forever. Our leather is full-grain, which means the original grain of the leather has not been altered and top grain. For better understanding of the leather, you are getting click HERE.

Full Grain Leather – Unaltered leather taken from the outer skin of the animal, has natural imperfections.

Top Grain Leather – Leather taken from the outer skin of the animal, altered (kind of polished) to get rid of imperfections.

Split Leather – Bottom layer of leather, taken from under the top grain. We DON’T use it for handbags. Usually these are good leathers for shoe making.

Genuine Leather – Can be any part of leather including split. Altered to remove imperfections. We DON’T use it for handbags.

Bonded Leather – Leather shavings and remains bonded together by adhesive. We DON’T use it in our products.

Embossed Leather – Can be any of the leather above. Artificial pattern is put on the top by putting high amount of heat and pressure. For example, all of our safiano bag collections are embossed on top grain leather.

Synthetic Leather – Polyurethane (PU), Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC), Faux leather, Leatherette are NOT used in our manufacturing process. They are made from a plastic base and is then treated with wax, dye or polyurethane to create the color and texture of leather.

Hide (or the skin of an animal) as a product, goes through several processes before becoming finished leather. Our product is made through 3 factories (first one transforms animal hides to wet blue/white, second transforms the wet blue into finished leather and the third one makes your bags). It’s a fascinating process (except for the smell in the tannery) and if you would like to know more you can go HERE. Truth is, leather, like any other product, has cheaper ways to manufacture. Superior and inferior raw materials to get your product. At Slow Fashion, we see our products as investments that will outlast its owners, hence, we use the best products (in our knowledge) to ensure longevity. For example, leather tanning process can be 4 hours (chrome tan) or it can be up to 2 months (vegetable tan with tree barks). We use veg tan and mix tan (around 20 days) which considerably increases strength and bonding of leather with the tanning agent. Also veg tanning agents are natural and its environment friendly. Bottom-line, the time to manufacture and the raw material cost makes leather expensive.

Please use the “Notify Me” icon on the product page by providing your email address. As soon as the product is re-stocked, we would notify you over an email. If any product is end of life (meaning, it will not be in collection anymore) do reach out to sandi@leatherandtextile.com and we will try to work some magic (no promises) at our factory.

Orders are shipped within 2 days after receipt of payment. It’s normally shipped on the next day, however, during high sale and special offer seasons we encounter 1 day of delay.

All major credit or debit cards and PayPal.

Yes! We will email you the tracking information after the courier service picked it up.

We use Fan Courier and FedEx Economy services for shipping.

At this time, we provide shipping to with charge: Romania, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.

Countries we can ship to for an additional shipping fee: Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Iceland, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Grenada, Indonesia, Israel, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Brazil.

Countries we are unable to ship to due to EU regulations or due to the shipping service provider: Russia, Ukraine, Spain, Poland, Slovakia, Serbia, Luxemburg, Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Lithuania.

If your country is not mentioned in any of these list please contact us here before placing an order.

If you live in the EU then no. There are no customs duties to be paid when buying goods coming from within the European Union. Outside the EU this varies by country. Please check what your country's import restrictions are from the EU before purchase and understand that we are not responsible for any customs fees, duty fees, or applicable taxes on international purchases you might incur, since this fee is not included in the shipping fee. Shipping fee only covers the price of the delivery service, import tax is not included. Please do not ask us to mark your order as a "gift" this is against the law and we will not do so.

Please note that small delays can be expected due to customs, bank holidays or during buys around holiday shopping seasons. Generally, you have to receive your order in 6 business days after than your shipping notification email was sent. Please call the shipping service with the tracking number we provide; they can provide you with more accurate information about the status of your package than we can. You can also schedule the delivery time with them directly.

If your package shows it has been delivered and it is not at your business or home, please contact FedEx with your tracking nr. As a service standard, FedEx requires a signature on all deliveries. However, in some circumstances recipients can allow FedEx to leave your package without a signature. If the buyer allows delivery with no signature and the package gets lost or stolen, we won’t be able to resend the item or provide a refund of the order! Always ask for a signature as proof of delivery! Leather and Textile SRL is not liable for any loss in value if the recipients allowed FedEx to leave your package without a signature!

If you are not available to accept delivery of your shipment, your courier may leave you a delivery attempt notice. With your delivery attempt notice you can request a new delivery by contacting FedEx directly with your tracking number to schedule a new delivery. Do not delay the delivery and or customs process of your parcel, because they can charge you for additional storage fees. FedEx will only store your parcel for 7 days in total before the parcel gets destroyed! In this case we won’t be able to resend the item or provide a refund of the order! Completing the custom process and accepting the delivery of the parcel is the responsibility of the buyer and Leather and Textile SRL is not liable for any loss in the value.

Please contact us at sandi@leatherandtextile.com, before your product gets shipped. In the email, please include your order number and your full name and correct shipping address. If the item has already been delivered, we are unable to refund the order or ship a new one. It is the responsibility of the buyer to provide a valid shipping address at the time of the order and Leather and Textile SRL cannot be held responsible for any loss in value if the incorrect address was provided!

If the item was damaged during shipping, please contact us with photos of the package and item. We will need the documentation in order to file a complaint with the shipping provider in order to get a refund.

To be eligible for a return or exchange, your order must be returned within 14 business days of delivery or by the end of the fiscal month the item was shipped. For more information, please read our return policy.

If your bag gets dirty, don’t machine wash it. A simple swipe with a damp sponge or a soft bristle brush should be the most cleaning your bag needs. If necessary, use a mild detergent to help clean up any spills or messes. Air dry only.