Archive for the ‘Leather’ Category
Leather handbags are popular accessories for women who want to project an image of success and poise. Leather bags come in all sizes and colors (thanks to artificial dyes) and even in all budgets. There is however, a huge divide when talking about quality leather handbags versus mass-produced, artificially marked and colored cheap leather.
Quality leather handbags have been manufactured by hand for almost two hundred years, most notably in Italy where tanning is an art passed down from grandfather to father to son. Care is taken in selecting the perfect hides and gently tanning them using traditional methods, not the fast-acting and harsh chemicals commonly used today.
Maxwell Scott Handbags is an example of a manufacturer who understands the importance of the skill and craft involved in producing soft supple leather that will last beautifully for a lifetime. Maxwell Scott consists of traditional Italian craftsmen who have worked with leather most of their lives. While the craftsmanship of Maxwell Scott’s bags comes from the workshop, the quality of the material is ensured by the hand-selection of hides from the Italian Vegetable-tanned Leather Consortium (or Vera Pelle Italiana Conciata Al Vegetale in Italian).
The Consortium began in the heart of leather country- Tuscany- in 1994. Tuscan craftsmen have produced leather accessories for centuries and it is considered the center of the finest leather anywhere. Where there is leather production, there also must be tanners. The Consortium formed when eleven traditional tanners banded together to help promote Tuscan vegetable-tanned leather. Today, the Consortium consists of 26 tanners and has been able to promote its leathers worldwide.
One of the main jobs of the Consortium is developing and promoting the brand. All leather tanned by the consortium bears their mark, much like certain Italian cheeses and French wines. Consumers can know for certain whether their bags and suitcases have been made with Consortium leather following their traditional standards. Not only is the quality important to many consumers but the environmental benefits of using a traditional plant-based tannin over chemicals is a consideration for those trying to reduce their carbon footprints on the Earth.
While animal hides can be tanned using chemical means, truly soft and long-lasting leather is tanned using tannins from chestnut or quebracho trees. Although the process takes much longer than quick methods, it produces a supple leather that ages gracefully over time and whose scent is pleasant and not chemical. Producing leather through these age-old means takes a total of 40 days, but like fine wines and cheeses, fine leather takes time to realize its potential.
Maxwell Scott Handbags uses only Consortium leathers for its bags. They handpick each piece with a trained eye and can produce a matching luggage set without the use of unnatural colorants and dyes.
Thanks to the Consortium, leather tanning will live on to be passed down to new generations. Traditional skills are being kept alive while the finest leather handbags are being produced.
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