At the end of last year I added 4 new leathers to my website, which took the number of leathers I had available at that time up to 92. Leathers do sell out and are replaced from time to time, but over the last 4 years the number of different leathers I offer has almost doubled. For a small business such as mine, this represents a serious investment in stock, and so my New Years resolution was to resist the urge to buy any more leather for a while. Those that know me will probably be shaking their heads and smiling to read that, and won’t be surprised that my abstinence lasted just 4 weeks into 2021.
At the end of January I was sent a sample of leather on spec by a supplier I use, and when I saw it I decided I couldn’t live without (when you see Shamen I am sure you’ll understand why I had to have it). This in turn started a conversation that resulted in me adding 4 more different leathers to that order. So here I am now, in early March, announcing the new 5 have gone live on my website store. In my defense, they are all stunning leathers!
They are all available to order now – I hope you like them.
Shamen.
Shamen is just wonderful. It’s another kudu leather, and those of you who have ordered either African Kudu or Dark Kudu straps will know just how good these straps are. Shamen however is something I could get only in a very small quantity – probably enough for only 50-60 straps. As with all the kudu I use, it is ethically sourced and the product of the annual kudu cull (organised by the South African government with the aim of controlling numbers and the ecosystem). The skins are used by a European based tannery to produce a high quality leather, but Shamen is a low volume run dyed a very dark brown colour that I hadn’t seen before. It has a distinctly matt appearance, with all the scars and marks that you expect from a full grain kudu leather. I made a strap from it using light brown stitching and just love it. Stock is very low however, and I know there won’t be any more when what I have is gone, so I am introducing this as a limited edition. If you want something in dark brown with bags of character then now’s your chance!
Tundra.
Tundra is something a little bit special. Made by a small independant Italian tannery, Tundra is a fully vegetable tanned leather produced in a centuries old process before being oiled. It is the oiling that results in the leathers naked appearance. It has pull up and bags of character, and will patinate wonderfully during the life of the strap. If you want a stock mid brown strap then I urge you to try Tundra!
Raven & Dark Chocolate.
For a long time now I’ve been looking for a black leather that is thinner than my usual stock, but is fully vegetable tanned and has the right look and feel. I came across this leather recently and realised it fits the bill perfectly. It’s produced by an independent tannery in fairly small quantities, and I took a sample of it last year intending to make a strap for myself to try it. Having worn the strap daily for a few months I can say it makes a fabulous watch strap and I was happy to buy more. I’ve called it Raven. It’s soft and pliable from the start, has a great structure and has a flat matt finish and a beautiful grain that gives it the antique look I like. In fact I love this leather so much that I bought it in both black and also in a dark brown colour, which I’ve called Dark Chocolate. I expect both to be very popular.
Ortensia.
Having launched Antique Green in November last year, and seen just how popular it has been and how well it’s been received by customers, I had to get some more of this beautiful leather in a different colour. Ortensia is the same gorgeous oiled veg tanned leather as Antique Green, but in this stunning blue colour. It’s certainly not a conservative choice, but it will get noticed! It works perfectly on my “87”.
