Full grain leather

We work with full-grain leather for its strength, natural touch and ability to age well.

Full-grain leather retains the original outer grain of the hide. It has not been sanded down to remove its natural structure or covered with a heavy coating to create a completely uniform surface. Fine folds, pores and small healed markings may therefore remain visible. These variations are part of the hide and differ from one piece of leather to another.

Because the grain remains intact, the selection of the hides is important. Each hide is checked before cutting, and the pattern pieces are positioned according to its thickness, stretch and natural structure.

Each material is selected in relation to the construction and intended use of the design.

How leather ages

Full-grain leather is selected for its strength, durability and the way it develops over time. The natural grain remains intact, without a thick surface coating that can crack or peel away. Through light, movement and touch, the leather becomes softer and more polished in the areas that are handled most often.This gradual change is known as patina. It gives the material character and makes each bag age differently.

Pull-up and surface marks

The oils and waxes within our leather allow light surface marks to soften or disappear through gentle rubbing. When the leather is pressed, folded or lightly scratched, these oils and waxes can shift within the fibres and create a lighter mark. Rubbing the area with a clean, dry finger creates warmth and helps redistribute them, often reducing or removing the trace. This natural response is known as the pull-up effect.

Deeper scratches do not disappear in the same way. Over time, they become part of the patina and character of the leather.

Water-repellent treatment

Our leathers receive their water-repellent treatment during the tanning process, rather than through a coating applied afterwards. The protection is worked into the structure of the leather itself. This slows the absorption of moisture without sealing the surface, allowing the grain, softness and natural warmth of the material to remain present. A heavy surface coating can make leather feel colder and more closed, and may crack or peel over time. By integrating the treatment during tanning, the leather remains supple and continues to age naturally.

Water-repellent does not mean waterproof. Leather should not be exposed to prolonged rain or immersed in water. When a bag becomes wet, excess moisture can be removed with a soft cloth. It should then be left to dry naturally, away from direct heat.

The leather manufacturer we work with: Richard Hoffmans
European Gold Rated tannery partner

We have worked with the German tannery Richard Hoffmans since the early years of the label.

Richard Hoffmans is a family-owned tannery specialising in calf leather. The tannery holds a Gold rating from the Leather Working Group, an independent organisation that assesses leather manufacturers in areas including water use, energy use, chemical management and traceability.

We visit the tannery to inspect hides, compare finishes and develop colours together. Seeing and handling the material in person allows us to assess its grain, softness, thickness and response to light. Working directly with the tannery gives us a closer understanding of the material and allows us to develop leather in relation to a particular design.

Read more about our work with Richard Hoffmans here.

Archive editions

For our archive collections, we work with deadstock or available materials that have a lower pricepoint than our main articles to stay accessible

Deadstock leather

Alongside newly produced leather, we work with selected deadstock from a French supplier of surplus materials from the luxury industry.

These leathers already exist but are no longer required by their original producer. They may come from surplus production, discontinued colours or cancelled developments. Because the available quantities are limited, we use them for small editions and individual projects. Once the available hides have been used, the same material cannot usually be reordered.

Vegan alternatives

Alongside leather, we work and experiment with materials made from plant-based and residual resources. This research has led to projects using VEGEA, made partly from residual matter from Italian wine production, and MycaNova®, developed from a residual stream of mycelium in collaboration with the Belgian company Citribel.

VEGEA is a plant-based alternative made from grape waste skins, seeds, stems, left over from Italian wine making. Blended with grape seed oil polymer and non-toxic polyurethane, it creates a durable and textured material. Founded in Milan in 2016 by three young entrepreneurs, they were awarded the Global Change Award for their concept and won the growth grant from the European Union.

MYCANOVA® is a double up-cycled product, made from mycelium. In 2020, we started a collaboration with bio-engineers from the Belgian company Citribel. They use sugar molasses - a residual product from the nearby sugar factory in Tienen - and ferment it into citric acid, during which mycelium is naturally formed. Until a few years ago, this was considered a waste product. The collaboration led to the mycelium being dried and ground into powder which, combined with binding agents and backing materials, became a vegan leather alternative. After two years of experimenting, adjusting, and testing materials together, a new double up-cycled product was born, named MycaNova®.