Real Leather. Stay Different
Leather and Hide Council of America partners with the African Leather and Leather Products Institute to launch Real Leather. Stay Different. African Talent Leather Design Showcase 2023 (RLSD African Showcase ’23.
- Partnership commits to “Educating the Next Generation of Creatives and Re-Shaping our Fashion Futures”
- RLSD African Showcase ‘23 will promote sustainable leather and leather products production among small and medium sized enterprises
- Dedicated series of fashion, production and sustainability workshops to empower African designers of tomorrow.
The Leather and Hide Council of America [L&HCA] and the African Leather and Leather Products Institute [ALLPI] have partnered to launch the Real Leather. Stay Different. African Talent Leather Design Showcase 2023 [RLSD African Showcase ‘23]. The new partnership, which commits to ‘educating the next generation of creatives’, aims to reshape education around the production and use of sustainable leather across Africa.
Through the RLSD African Showcase ’23, L&HCA and ALLPI will promote the development of sustainable leather production among small and medium sized enterprises. As part of the initiative, a dedicated education program will be delivered, via a workshop series hosted at ALLPI’s satellite design studios located in its ten member countries, that explores fashion, production and sustainability.
The workshops will be designed to help improve business efficiency and minimize negative environmental and social impacts. They will be open to creatives studying or working at small and medium sized enterprises and will showcase the future of leather design, its sustainability benefits and how innovations can be implemented within their creative practices to further reduce waste.
Real Leather. Stay Different. has a strong ethos of supporting the next generation of creative business talent with an aim to re-build, re-educate, and re-position. The new partnership brings to the forefront a common set of values to support sustainable leather value chains and emerging creatives through education.
The RLSD African Showcase ’23, is open to talent studying or working in art and design via the ALLPI’s design studios. Showcase participants will be challenged to design a single piece of apparel, accessory, footwear or furniture item using natural materials and 50% or more leather. Shortlisted finalists will be invited to create their design concept at one of the ALLPI’s satellite design studios. Finalists will present their work during a live showcase finale at the All Africa Leather Fair 2023 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Mr. Gehbregziabher Ghebremedhin, Programs Coordinator at the African Leather and Leather Products Institute, said:
“The RLSD African Showcase ’23 extends our commitment to bring the highest ethics for business and the environment to leather production systems, supporting sustainable small and medium sized enterprises and businesses while improving business practices and the environment.
“Not only will it become a platform to showcase beautiful leather and leather products but it will also highlight that leather bags, clothes, footwear and furniture, if maintained properly, can last indefinitely. As part of the prize for making the global finale, finalists will have their design on display at the African Talent Leather Design Showcase 2023 as part of the All Africa Leather Fair 2023, an invaluable and significant opportunity.”
Steve Sothmann, President for Leather and Hide Council of America, commented:
“The showcase’s mission is to spark the interest of African designers to work with responsibly produced real leather which puts hides that would otherwise go to waste, to good use. Real leather doesn’t just look good, it is better for the environment than its man-made alternatives and they make products so durable that each can last a lifetime – its quintessentially ‘slow fashion’.
“Too many of our fashion choices end up in landfill, creating an unwanted legacy from today’s society that will damage the environment for centuries. Fast fashion means not only more consumption, but the increased use of fossil fuels and associated environmental impacts in the form of toxics and microfibers. Working with ALLPI gives us the opportunity to empower the next generation with skills that reduce waste in the design process.”
For more information on the Real Leather. Stay Different. African Talent Leather Design Showcase 2023, visit https://chooserealleather.com/competition/africa-competition-2022/
Gärsnäs
Gärsnäs is a brand that has been around for 127 years and still manages to bring innovation to the table.
The Swedish brand mixes high technology with meticulous craftsmanship and sustainable materials – like responsibly produced leather and hardwood from local forests. The result is long lasting iconic goods that never go out of style.
Even though it is a big problem for Gärsnäs to keep up with growing technology, nothing beats the human touch. It’s the skilled hands of the designers and collaborators that bring the brand’s character to life.
“Curious and sustainable” is the powerful statement of Gärsnäs. It is both the future and the past. How does it feel to create furniture, sustainable furniture, for so long?
We are proud to be a part of Gärsnäs history: that goes long back to 1893. We benefit and take advantage of knowledge and craft, experience and tradition while moving forward and creating new designs for the future.
Gärsnäs works with an extensive team of designers. You believe in genuine human craftsmanship. Could you describe this union process between creating with hands and also with extreme computer technology? What does it represent?
We are merging high technology with craftsmanship in the process of manufacturing furniture. The latest technology provides us with the efficiency and precision needed and also brings innovation to the developing process, where the technology allows us to produce in large-scale. The crafting embodies the handmade and the human touch, which are essential for the final result: it’s in our DNA and represents what the brand is all about. The object of design is worth nothing if it’s poorly made, it’s always better to make it simple, but well crafted.
How is this material seen, inserted, and thought within Gärsnäs?
Fact: Earth’s resources are burdened beyond the limit and we have found a quote on the Gärsnäs website that goes, “Our environmental requirements are very high regarding incoming material and processes. We seek the best methods and materials available from an environmental perspective.” So, still talking about materials: leather in furniture.
We love leather for many reasons: it’s durable, sustainable, and natural. We try to use mainly responsibly produced leather for upholstery and we mostly make the leather a part of the construction. Like in the Madonna and Hedda chairs, as well as in Hedwig, Ferdinand and Dandy easy chairs.
Leather can be treated and restored for being a long life material. It grows more beautifully and gracefully when it’s well taken care of.
Gärsnäs has a reuse system that is about the renovated, reupholstered, repainted furniture processes for the very same furniture. It is a responsibility for sustainability. It’s the Gärsnäs feeling, as you call it.
What does that mean to you? This feeling.
The Gärsnäs feeling is something immaterial yet worth mentioning; it correlates to our core values when it comes to our designs, which are solidness, thoughtfulness, and awareness. It is also about trust and faith. It represents high moral standards when we as furniture producers interact with a global market trying our best to achieve the environmental goals.
After the Second World War, the company adopted the modern Scandinavian style and started to produce not only furniture for homes, but it also increased its production for the public space. So, could you describe your creation process for, after such a long time as a brand, continuing to create with this unique style?
For us, furniture design is a matter of finding solutions for people interacting and socializing in different situations regardless if it’s about residential or public spaces. We try to add value to existing archetypes, a chair is a chair, but perhaps we can make it lighter and more durable and friendlier to the environment by reducing the amount of material. We can be innovative working with different techniques, and we focus on functionality when we develop furniture for office spaces, hospitality, education/universities, churches, libraries or residential areas.
Form follows function, which means we do not underestimate the value of aesthetics, but we collaborate with a number of skillful designers in order to create pieces of furniture with aesthetic value, which includes: material, techniques, colors, and more. For us, individual expression is highly important and we are constantly working with our heritage sprung from the Scandinavian tradition, which means furniture of high quality, mainly in wood, beautifully constructed and with emphasis on functionality. Materials are mainly wood coming from nearby locations in Scandinavia and Europe, as well as upholstery in fabric and leather.
We would like to talk about the classic Ferdinand. It is an armchair that has everything: comfort, practicality & its leather is vegetable tanned. A modern icon designed by Åke Axelsson. Do you believe that this chair is the design, the piece, the idea that represents the most profound originality of Gärsnäs?
Ferdinand is unique, because we have followed Mr Åke Axelsson since the 1970s, when he studied the ancient chairs and plenty of other historical chairs from ancient times. Ferdinand is inspired by these studies and is fulfilling all aspects of a sustainable chair. Nobody but Åke Axelsson, who has brilliant knowledge and craftsmanship, could make this happen.
What’s your favorite chair in Gärsnäs’ line ever?
My favorite chair ever is always the latest one, perhaps the Petite chair is my favorite.
We look forward to the favorites that are yet to come. Bring it on, Gärsnäs.
Credits: Gärsnäs & Metcha
VOLTA ATELIER
When you speak about VOLTA ATELIER: sustainability, social justice, refugees, social vulnerability, leather scraps, leather handbags, NGO are the incredible mix of words that come to mind.
They work in close collaboration with NGO’s (Non-governmental organizations. NGO’s take up and execute projects to promote welfare of the community they work with. As not-for-profit bodies they do not have any commercial interest). The atelier shows that beautifully made leather bags can have a huge positive social impact, from materials to the chosen team.
Each creation is hand-stitched by artisan women in social vulnerability, such as refugees from Haiti living in South Brazil, victims of domestic violence or former inmates. The materials used are also one of a kind: transforming 100% scrap leather into designs to covet.
What an amazing brand! Read the interview with Fernanda, founder of Volta Atelier.
How did VOLTA firstly start?
Having worked in the leather accessories industry, I observed the environmental problem caused by the wasted material generated from production, leather among them. At the same time, I was already developing in Brasil projects for the use of artisanal work in accessories within a higher production scale. Working as a trend forecaster I had the understanding that there was room for purpose-driven brands. So, the decision of making accessories using 100% of upcycled leather and artisanal production was a natural consequence of my previous activities.
Do you guys believe that “Waste Is an Error of Design”. What does that mean to you?
The landfill problems we’re experiencing now are in great part a result of a culture of planned obsolescence, which was a design solution at its time. Once Design is concerned with all aspects of a product, waste management should be one of them, not only for the patternmaking creation or for the waste generated during production but also its after-use. The design should not omit this responsibility.
How important is your team during the entire process?
As a brand that produces artisanal products, we rely 100% on our team. Their importance is not only on the work they do. The artisans bring their journey to the brand. These Haitian women, for instance, are an inspiration for us. During their training, we learned about unimaginable difficulties they went through, forced by their circumstances to move to a foreign country, to communicate in a new language. We want our consumers to become part of this, and to be inspired by the story behind each item. That is why each product comes with a tag signed by the artisan who had hand-stitched it.
What is the connection u see between sustainability & working with socially vulnerable woman?
Sustainability and social justice walk side by side. From the seventeen United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, at least eight can be considered social goals, as the elimination of poverty, gender equality, social work, and so on. So, for us, sustainability is inextricable from social justice.
How does the reuse of leather happen?
One of the best parts of reusing leather is exclusivity: almost all our bags are one-of-a-kind. This also comes with some constraints. As we are not ordering the production of the raw material, there’s an inverted logic to plan our production. Our company cannot simply decide what to produce. In the beginning, our available material is used to decide what products can be made. I would dare to say it’s a completely new way of thinking production.
And how do you choose the perfect material?
We carefully select our leather scraps from tanneries and factories, after production or a collection. Having worked for this industry enables me to look at different sources to find what fits best for us. In our process, it is crucial to have a good assortment of colors, prints and embossing patterns. Brazilian leather is one of the best in the world but also using it makes sense for us from a logistical standpoint.
What is the big difference between hand-made goods from other types of production?
We believe the big difference is in the connection. There is a connection between the artisans and the items being made. The artisans are incorporating their time, work, attention to detail, and their heritage into the product. When this connection is perceived by the consumer, the product becomes meaningful.
New year, bigger goals — What are the ultimate goals for Volta Atelier?
Apart from business expansion while making a meaningful impact, we want to increase our product mix with items combining other upcycled materials and artisanal techniques. We also want to build collaborations and partnerships with like-minded brands, artists and NGOs.
This interview was first published on Metcha.com
Duke + Dexter Leather Sneakers - Built For The Stroll
Besides the handmade shoes Duke & Dexter has a customisation service 10F1. Make your shoes personal.
Leather is the material of choice in the new Duke + Dexter trainer, which combines rich suede or washable white Italian leather uppers and linings to create the ultimate sneaker for cool city living.
It features a custom sole unit with a specially padded heel section that has a seamless construction for extra comfort.
Handmade in England, each component is sustainably sourced and ordered to use so there is zero waste and nothing left over.
Where is this name 10F1 coming from?
The name 1OF1 was chosen as each custom pair we create is one of a kind, so they are 1/1. We work with clients on a one to one basis to ensure that we create a pair that is personal to them and cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
How does this customisation process works?
When a client gets in touch with us wishing to create a custom pair, they are put in direct contact with myself, the artist. I will then talk to them over zoom or email to find out their ideas and wishes for their custom pair, talking them through all our options. Once a design idea has been established, I work on creating design mock-ups to send over to them, getting the clients thoughts and opinions throughout the entire process to ensure it is exactly as they would like.
When the client is completely happy with the design mock-up, I can then begin creating their unique pair. The hand-painting process will take a few hours to complete per pair, allowing them to be created to the highest standard. Once complete, I will seal the painting with varnish to ensure the design is durable and made to last. The custom pair is then carefully boxed up and shipped.
Can you say something about the leather that you use for this new line?
To ensure our hand-painted designs in this line are durable, it is important for us to properly prepare the leather before the design is carefully created on top. This process involves deglazing the leather and then using different grade of sand paper to ensure the surface smooth and therefore the perfect canvas for the paint. This part of the design process takes time and is very important to complete on every custom pair.
In Practice - Leather as a Part of a Circular Economy
How a local partnership transformed waste into beautiful and long-lasting product.
The story begins in Lynchburg, Virginia, known as the City of Seven Hills. Every hide in this collection was sourced from small farms that, like Moore & Giles, have called Virginia home for decades. Moore & Giles partnered with Seven Hills abattoir, a local processor who provides premium beef to restaurants throughout Virginia, to reimagine their by product as an unrealized asset.
Originally destined for a landfill, the hides were instead transported to St. Louis, where they were transformed into leather by Hermann Oak Leather in the same vats and vegetable tannage used to tan the harnesses supplied to westward-moving wagon trains starting in 1881. The quality and allure of the collection is matched by the sustainability and singularity of this locally sourced leather.
To watch the above story click the link to watch the video
https://vimeo.com/600907012
“The leather industry demonstrates how it contributes to a circular society, where nothing is wasted, everything can be re-used and ultimately can be recycled.”
The Chicago Leather School
“I have made over 10,000 pairs of shoes for customers since 1974.”
The Chicago School of Shoemaking opened in September of 2011. The inspiration for opening the school came from my 45 years as a custom shoemaker. I have made over 10,000 pairs of shoes for customers since 1974. I saw a niche I could fill by making custom fit handmade shoes and was able to deliver those products for a reasonable price to my customers over the years.
Many trained shoemakers immigrated to the US in times before mass production, expecting to continue their craft in America. Unfortunately, our culture veered away from valuing “slow-made goods” (making a pair of well-made shoes by hand takes approx. 40-50 hrs and more than 120 steps). This quickly diminished the ability to charge what the time and materials were worth and consequently the demand for hand-built footwear. This forced these artisans to shift their focus to repairing shoes and thus, shoe repair shops did a decent business. Currently, most of the shoemakers in the USA are doing business supplying costume footwear for theater and screen as well as for the top 1%. The School feels that there’s an opportunity to create footwear for yourself, family and friends and enjoy the satisfaction and empowerment that provides. One of our more simply made shoemaking styles can be created in 10-12 hours (with some experience) with a material cost of $75-80. They can also be repaired and resoled many times which adds to their sustainability.
The School is a thriving community of artisans with a penchant for making goods out of leather. In the beginning, our focus was helping students navigate footwear construction, then we quickly branched out to include classes in bag making, wallets, belts, collars, harnesses, cases and more. We wanted to provide an opportunity for people who may never have made anything out of raw materials before to experience what leather work could be for them. We believe that making things with our hands in this technological age helps people connect with themselves in a tangible satisfying way while creating lasting usable products.
We also get excited about introducing footwear construction to our “bucket list” students. So many of our attendees have said that making shoes someday was one of their dreams. Now they can achieve those dreams with us. We have also helped students understand what’s involved in making a career of shoemaking and leather working and are delighted that we can get them started down a rarely taken path.
The qualities of leather are uniquely suited to creating footwear. Certain types of leathers provide us with a material that can be molded and stretched, easily cut with sharp tools, and also add protection from the elements. The variety of leathers available in this current age is extraordinary—from bull-hide to fish leathers for example! Once one learns the general qualities of the tanning processes and what that produces, they can choose the right tannage, the correct weight and the proper finish for any leather working project. We hold 4 day Intensives on a regular basis that help students understand how to select the proper leather for each project and get them started on construction techniques.
In the future, we hope to reach out to schools and colleges to demonstrate what a course in leather working and shoe construction can offer their student populations and add to their toolkit. We’re poised to create a designated course for fashion and furniture designers and builders. The Chicago School of Shoemaking and Leather Arts is a “one of a kind” artisan space.
Sara McIntosh
Founder, CEO
Chicago School of Shoemaking & Leather Arts
Slow Fashion Challenge for International Design Competition
The Real Leather. Stay Different search for new design talent is now on.
Open to anyone studying art and design or who has graduated from art and design higher education within the last two years, the Real Leather. Stay Different. International Student Design Competition 2022 (RLSD ‘22) is run in partnership with ArtsThread. Its mission is to encourage a new generation of designers to reconsider their relationship with leather and other natural materials to create stunning designs where longevity and minimal environmental impact is key.
CLOSING DATE: 30TH JUNE 2022
The competitor has also announce the appointment of two industry-leading figures to the judging panel. Christopher Koerber, Managing Director of HUGO BOSS Ticino and Rosie Wollacott Phillips, Group Sustainability Manager of Mulberry, join celebrity fashion stylist, Mike Adler and the 2021 winner, and FIT NYC graduate, Emily Omesi for the final, in London on 15 September 2022.
Christopher Koerber, comments:
“For HUGO BOSS, sustainability means creating innovative, high-quality products while taking responsibility for ensuring ethical corporate governance. We bear responsibility for a complex global value chain and choose our suppliers and distributors carefully. We are committed to making it more sustainable from start to finish.
A significant contributor to achieving a sustainable future for fashion is advocacy amongst our peers and future influencers. Raising awareness amongst young designers about the role they can play by simply choosing more sustainable and appropriately sourced materials is vital. This is why I am pleased to support RLSD ‘22 as it will help to drive positive change and innovation by inspiring the next generation of design talent.”
Rosie Wollacott Phillips, Group Sustainability Manager at Mulberry, which since producing its first 100% sustainable leather handbag in 2019 has now committed to becoming net-zero by 2035 and to developing the world’s lowest carbon leather, added:
“I am delighted to be part of the judging panel for this year’s Real Leather. Stay Different. International Student Design Competition. It is an important opportunity for us to talk to tomorrow’s influencers and to encourage designers to really consider working with natural, sustainable, and responsibly sourced leather.
The leather industry diverts two million tonnes of global waste from landfill every year and converts unwanted materials into accessories, clothing and footwear which are made to last. Leather is a beautiful, sustainable material when sourced properly, and the proponents of slow fashion have a responsibility to champion it.”
Chairman of the judging panel Steven Sothmann pointed out the waste that the fashion industry creates, not just with disposable fast fashion but in its material choice:
“Forty per cent of hides from the meat and dairy industry are thrown away, ending up in landfill. So, when considering a leather purchase, you can do so in the knowledge you’re helping to reduce waste and lowering the CO2 emissions of landfill.”
Competition entrants will be challenged to design a single piece of clothing, footwear or accessory using 50% or more leather. Shortlisted finalists will be invited to present their design concept to the judges during a live showcase final, with an all-expenses-paid trip to London, during Fashion Week in September.
As part of the prize for making the global final, finalists will have their design professionally made to present to the judges.
The competition is now live, with entries being accepted until 30th June, more details here.
The Difference Between Synthetic and Real Leather
Real leather (leather) is a by-product of the meat industry. It is a natural, renewable material up-cycled from the hides and skins that would otherwise go to waste in landfill
Synthetic ‘leather’ is usually made with synthetic components like PU, nylon, PVC, etc. to have the same appearance as real leather. Sometimes these materials are labeled ‘Vegan Leather’ because they are not derived from animals. Technically none of them are leather, it is just a marketing shorthand used to describe them.
Want to know more about the difference in labelling? Check out our fact sheet Leather & Leather alternatives
How can I tell the difference between leather and synthetic leather?
Imitation materials usually have a rubbery or ‘shiny’ surface feel, which is uniform in appearance. They are colder to the touch and often there is a ‘plastic’ smell. Many have a textile backer or middle layer – this can be seen on cut edges. Synthetic materials will also burn more easily than leather, shrinking and curling with the heat.
Real leather usually has a natural ‘grain’ to its surface, but even when finished to be smooth it has a distinctive leather smell. Look for cut edges – you can see the texture and uniformity of the fibres through the leather structure. In more premium leather goods raw edges are finished with colour and polished. Attention to a detail like this is usually a sign that the material is leather.
Many synthetics are printed with a leather grain effect or products are made with a turned construction that hides cuts edges. It can make it hard to tell them apart from the real thing, so how DO you tell the difference and make sure you are getting value for money?
Look for the label
If you are still unsure, look for the label. In the EU and the USA brands have a responsibility to clearly state the composition of materials used in the products they make and sell. If it is leather, the label will say that it is leather. If the material is plastic or polyurethane (PU) it is not permitted to simply use the term ‘synthetic leather’, it must state what that synthetic material is. Sometimes it is referred as Manmade Material, again this is not leather.
In an increasing number of countries, such as Brazil, Italy and Portugal, the term leather may not be used in conjunction with synthetic materials at all.
In the same way, if a material has a plant component, it may not be simply labelled, (for example) ‘Leaf Leather’, it should also state what percentage is plant-based and what percentage is other materials that have been combined with it, (this is usually done to add strength and stability.)
If the label is not clear, it is unlikely that the product is real leather.
How do I make sure I’m getting real leather?
Responsible brands are transparent in the labelling of their products.
Increasingly brands that use leather refer to Leather Working Group (LWG) certification to be open about the origin and best manufacturing practice of the leather they use. Look for this on product details or website descriptions.
If you are not able to access material label claims, you may need to message the brand for more complete information.
Want to know more?
How do I learn more about leather?
The Leather Naturally fact sheet, Everything You Need to Know About Leather looks at where leather comes from, its ability to be recycled and biodegrade as well as sustainability and manufacturing practice.
What does it say on the label?
Making senses of label confusion is clearly explained in the fact sheet, Leather & Leather Alternatives
Want would happen if we stopped using leather?
A study in the USA did the maths – Read the article here
How do synthetic and alternative materials differ in performance from leather?
The Research Institute for Leather & Synthetic Materials (FILK) made a wide-ranging study of the performance benefits of leather and a range of other materials to determine their strength and wear suitability for different products. You can read the full report here.
BMW Group Joins Leather Working Group
Leather Working Group has announced that BMW has become the second car manufacturer worldwide to join.
The BMW Group has set itself the ambitious goal of creating the most sustainable supply chain in the entire industry. All the while, the BMW Group is conscious of meeting its responsibility for using ethically sourced leather within its automotive supply chain.
BMW – Nadine Philipp, BMW Group’s head of Sustainability in the Supply Chain, Energy says:
As a leader in supply chain sustainability, joining the Leather Working Group is the next logical step for us. She emphasised that: “Leather is still in demand from our customers – depending on the model and region – and is very important in the premium segment. That is why supporting sustainable production and processing of leather at our suppliers is a priority for us.
With sustainability at the centre of their future strategic direction, the BMW Group decided to support their long-term concept of sustainable mobility and joined the LWG.
Read the full article on the LWG group website:
https://www.leatherworkinggroup.com/news/latest-news/leather-working-group-welcomes-the-bmw-group-as-a-new-member-
Read the press release of BMW Group:
https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/global/article/detail/T0365173EN/bmw-group-joins-leather-working-group-%E2%80%93-for-responsible-and-sustainable-leather-sourcing
The Leather Working Group (LWG) is a membership organisation composed of over 1300 members across the leather value chain, including leather manufacturers, brands, suppliers, traders, and associations. The group develops audit certification standards to assess the environmental performance of leather manufacturing facilities and promotes responsible practices in the leather supply chain.
For more information about the Leather Working Group, please visit the LWG website: https://www.leatherworkinggroup.com/
Photo Credits: BMW Group
What's Different About Leather for Automotive?
The leather seat in your car is not the same as your leather shoe , One4Leather explains why not…
Most consumers are not aware that there is much difference between the leather used in their shoes, their leather jacket, their travel bag or indeed, car seats.
Leather is an incredibly versatile natural product that can be used for a wide range of applications, but the end use help define the way it is made to produce the best results in wear. For example, a walking boot leather needs to be firmer for support, glove leathers need to be soft and tactile, saddlery needs to be beautiful but also hardwearing.
Automotive leathers are highly engineered and designed to combine the most stringent performance standards with aesthetics, hard wearing comfort and environmental requirements.
One4Leather has publish an easy-to-read explanation of how these different elements come together in automotive leather to create something that can withstand car interior temperature extremes, years of wear and tear, yet retain texture and appealing touch.
Read the full feature here.