What is Vegetable-Tanned Leather?

What is vegetable tanning?

If leather continues to be so attractive, it's because of its versatility in use and treatment. Vegetable-tanned leather is a type of leather tanned with vegetable tannins.

What is vegetable-tanned leather like?

Vegetable-tanned leathers are those tanned using natural tannins like bark, wood, and other plants, including some fruits.

This type of leather features the shade or color of the material used in its tanning. Thus, the shade of this type of vegetable-tanned leather varies.

Thanks to this, a wide range of colors is achieved, from white or off-white tones to slightly pinkish hues, as well as more toasted and brown colors. With vegetable tanning, the tone changes depending on the time of exposure to the sun or light.

Vegetable-tanned leather is much more malleable than chrome-tanned leather. This type of leather is ideal for almost all the artisanal techniques we can use when working with leather. It's perfect for being hand-dyed, excellent for embossing, tooling, shaping, or engraving...

Undoubtedly, in addition to the extraordinary ability of this leather to be used in almost 100% of leatherworking tasks, the fact that natural products are used in its tanning makes the process itself clean and environmentally friendly.

Advantages of vegetable tanning

Vegetable tanning has many advantages for both the environment and the artisan and end user. Some of them are:

Environmentally friendly

Vegetable tanning uses natural tannins extracted from plants without damaging them or generating toxic waste. Moreover, vegetable leather is biodegradable and recyclable, reducing the environmental impact of its production and disposal.

Respects health

The vegetable tanning process does not use harmful chemicals like chrome, which can cause allergies, irritations, or skin diseases. Vegetable leather is hypoallergenic and breathable, promoting comfort and hygiene for the user.

This is something that end users greatly appreciate, especially at a time when sustainability is very important in all manufacturing processes.

Respects the beauty of raw materials

Vegetable tanning respects the natural characteristics of the skin, such as pores, wrinkles, or scars, giving it a unique and authentic appearance. Vegetable-tanned leather has a soft texture and natural look that becomes enriched with time and use, as it develops a special patina that enhances its beauty.

The versatility of vegetable-tanned leather products

Vegetable-tanned leather is a material that offers multiple possibilities for developing creativity and the best leatherworking techniques. It can be used to create a wide variety of leather goods, such as:

• Bags: the vegetable tanning process provides an ideal raw material for making bags of different sizes, shapes, and styles, from the most classic to the most modern. Vegetable leather adapts to market trends and preferences, offering a wide range of colors and finishes.
• Backpacks: it is also perfect for making resistant, durable, and elegant backpacks that can be used for both travel and daily life. Vegetable leather adds a touch of distinction and sophistication to backpacks, which can be personalized with details such as buckles, zippers, or embroidery.
• Wallets: very suitable for making functional, practical, and beautiful wallets that can be stored in a pocket or bag. Vegetable leather gives the wallet a natural and elegant look.
• Coin purses: finally, vegetable tanning provides an optimal raw material for making small, delicate coin purses that can be carried by hand or in a bag. Vegetable leather has a soft texture and a characteristic shine that gives coin purses a special charm, which can be dyed in different colors or printed with various patterns.

By knowing all these characteristics and peculiarities of vegetable-tanned leather, you will realize that it is an original and ideal material for your most fantastic and in-demand creations. Remember, you can find the best tanned leather in the Curtidos Cabezas stock.