Hunter is a new leather that was launched last week, and something I’m quite excited about. It’s another kudu leather, but one that has been processed as a nubuck. It has a beautifully soft feel, is very pliable, and has a texture like velvet, but it retains many of the scars and “imperfections” associated with kudu leather.
What is a nubuck leather?
The skins from most large animals that are used for leather are so thick that they have to be split into two thinner layers before being tanned. These layers are the outer layer (known as the “grain side”), and an inner layer (also called the “flesh side” or “split”). The inner layer is shaved and processed as a cheaper leather – it doesn’t have the structural integrity of the grain side, and won’t patinate as a top grain or full grain leather will. Suedes and bonded leathers are made from the inner split. The better quality, more durable, outer grain side is graded and used to produce either top grain or full grain leathers.
A nubuck leather is a top grain leather that has been sanded slightly to produce a leather with a slight nap of fibres, giving it a velvet-like finish. Unlike a suede, which is produced by sanding the cheap split leather that is left after the outer layer of the hide is removed, a nubuck is always produced from the better quality outer layer of leather. A nubuck will therefore be thicker than a suede, but also tougher and more resilient, and although the light sanding will hide some of the minor imperfections in the hide, with a material like a kudu skin there are plenty of marks that show through.
Because nubuck is made from top-grain leather, it is far tougher and more durable than a suede, and is more breathable too. This particular nubuck leather is dyed a lovely olive green colour, and is so soft and pliable it not only looks like velvet it wears like it too.
I’ve called this new leather “Hunter”, and it’s available now. When making this strap from it for myself I chose natural coloured linen thread to stitch the strap because I think it works best, but either olive green or grey threads will look equally good too. The straps produced from this leather are quite thick at around 5mm, but because of the pliability and softness of the leather they are very comfortable to wear. This is one leather that can definitely be described as “soft as butter”.
Some comments on caring for a nubuck leather strap
Nubuck leather is not as difficult to care for as some people think, but havinga nap means they do need to be looked after in a slightly different way to a standard leather strap. To care for a nubuck leather strap properly you will need a nubuck brush or block. They are inexpensive, costing a few £s only, and look very similar to a suede brush (but with softer bristles – a suede brush will often have have metal bristles, wheras nubuck brushes tend to have rubber bristles).
First remove all surface dirt with a slightly damp cloth, and let the strap dry naturally (out of direct sunlight and away from artificial heat). After it has dried, brushing the nap of the strap with the nubuck brush in small circular motions will remove any dirt that has become trapped and revive the nap. Doing this regularly will keep your strap looking good and preserve the nap of the leather.
A discount for the first 10 customers.
As an introduction to this leather I have created a discount code that will give the first 10 customers a £20 discount off the cost of their Hunter strap. The discount code is HUNTER20. If you use this code at checkout you will receive £20 off the cost of your order as long as (a) you have a Hunter leather strap in your basket, and (b) you are one of the first ten customers to order a Hunter strap.