I introduced kudu skin to my web store back in 2016 when I first launched African Kudu. It quickly became one of my most popular leathers, and so the following year I added a slightly darker coloured version of the same kudu leather to my web store (which I imaginatively called “Dark Kudu“). Ever since it has been a firm favourite with my customers, and also one of my own personal favourites. It is this Dark Kudu leather that I have decided will be “in the spotlight” for August.
Dark Kudu
Kudu are antelopes that inhabit the African savana. They are wild animals, and live in a particularly inhospitable environment. As well as being prey to lions, hyenas, cheetahs and leopards, during a life in the wild, kudu regularly graze amongst the sharp, thorny trees in the African brush. A combination of all these factors leaves their hides with natural scars and scratches that make each piece of leather completely unique. The scars that develop are one of the most distinct characteristics of the leather as they are preserved in the hide during the tanning proces, but it does mean that scarring will be different from strap to strap. No two kudu leather straps will be the same – some will have more scarring than others.
The fibres are extremely tight in kudu leather, resulting in a durable and strong leather that is just perfect for a watch strap. The leather has a soft, almost brushed, texture which makes it extreemly comfortable to wear from the start. There is absolutely no “breaking in” period with a kudu strap, and I often get emails from customers telling me the kudu strap they have received is the most comfortable strap they have ever had.
All the kudu leather I use is the product of wild stock. The kudu has what is termed as “least concern” conservation status, which basically means the population is stable. This is partially the result of an annual cull of wild stock mandated by the South African government, the aim of which is to prevent over population. It is this annual cull that produces the skins that are tanned for the African Kudu, Dark Kudu & Shaman leathers I use.
Over the years I’ve used many different thread colours to stitch Dark Kudu leather. The leather is a mid brown colour so a darker thread will work too (butterscotch and light brown are popular choices), but without a doubt my personal choice has always been “natural”. In my opinion, the off-white colour of natural thread works so well that I can’t see why a different colour thread would be used.
A promo for August 2022 and the T’s & C’s
During the entire month of August 2022 you can use the promo code DK20 when ordering to get £20 off the cost of a Dark Kudu strap. Simply enter DK20 into the “coupon code” box at the top of the checkout page and click “apply coupon” – doing so will reduce the cost of your Dark Kudu strap by £20 (my website will recalculate the total cost automatically).
The coupon code DK20 is active from now until midnight (BST) on Wednesday 31st August 2022. This offer is applicable to online orders placed in August 2022 where the promo code is used at checkout, and applies only to straps made from Dark Kudu leather.