Name applied to leather that has retained its original grain, whose coloration is obtained by immersion in a dye bath, and which does not receive an additional layer of finish.
Unsplit vegetable-tanned sheepskin, usually from a woolled sheep.
Calf, cow, bull, buffalo.
Calf leather with a smooth appearance, which is used to produce upmarket leather goods and footwear.
Goat, both wild and domestic.
This technique, which is more refined than reverse-welting but equally strong, is named after the machine’s inventor. The shoe’s component items, such as the welt, the upper and the sole, are assembled by means of two rows of stitches that are invisible once the shoe has been completed.
(also known as Norwegian welting) The upper is fixed to the sole by means of a double stitch on the leather, which is visible on the outside of the shoe. This technique was originally used for mountain boots.
Hand-stitching with two needles.
Leather is animal hide transformed by technical operations, carried out by tanners and megissiers.
Name applied to leather or to the flesh side of leather, which is covered with a coating or film, the thickness or lamination of which exceeds 0.15 mm but is no more than one third of the product’s total thickness.
Leather whose thickness has been reduced while retaining the grain side.
Leather whose surface grain is visible.
Tanned hide with an uneven and dark marbled appearance, and whose oil content exceeds 15% on average. This leather is therefore heavily fat-liquored (usually inside a drum), and in view of its heavy weight, is used mainly for footwear and sometimes for apparel.
The strongest type of leather, which retains its original thickness.
Leather decorated with motifs, normally using a hammer.
Leather that has received a finish that involves applying a thick layer of varnish to produce a characteristic shiny appearance.
Term denoting a leather with a velvety appearance. It has now been replaced by suede.
Leather derived from a sheep or lamb whose wool has not been removed. Normally produced from short-fleeced sheep.
Finish on leather, split leather, or leather cut, performed by reproduction, printing, or any other means, with the aim, in particular, of imitating the grain of the skin of an animal or an animal species, or the texture of another material.
The drum is the typical machine for tannery: it consists in a cylinder rotating around its own axis, filled with water, tanning agents and skins. The drum used to be a simple wooden cylinder and has now transformed into a complex computer-controlled machine that regulates the input of water, the temperature, the speed of rotation, and the release of tanning agents.
A thick tanned goatskin, with a characteristic grain that is visible, broad and uneven. It was originally manufactured in Morocco. Bookbinders make extensive use of it as it is very strong, pleasant to the touch, and lends itself successfully to decorative work (gilding and inlaid work).
Megissiers take small raw animal skin (such as lambs, sheep, goats and fishes) and convert them into leather. (See Tanner’s definition).
A leather made from cowhide, which is buffed on the grain to give it a velvety surface. It is particularly sensitive to light, and requires specific upkeep techniques.
Lamb and sheep.
Hide or skin that has been treated solely in order to preserve it before it is processed.
Grain-pattern leather made from goat or sheepskins used for book covers and bookbinding.
This used to be manufactured from real chamois skins treated with fish oil, but is now produced by processing domestic sheep or goat skins, under the name “wash leather”. The associated technique is known as “oil tanning”.
Name applied to leather or to the flesh side of leather whose coloured finish is obtained by the use of pigments.
This is regarded as the finest of leathers, as it retains its original grain, and allows it to show through. Its surface is somewhat exposed, and consequently it is not easy to care for.
Leather that retains its original grain, though a pigment protection prevents it from suffering damage. Its appearance and handle are less natural than those of aniline full grain leather but its upkeep is easier.
Aniline-dyed leather, incorporating a quantity of pigment small enough not to impair the hide’s natural characteristics.
Tanning is the essential operation that transforms an animal hide into leather. The hides used, mostly from the agri-food sector, are perishable materials. By stabilizing the hide, tanning prevents its natural decomposition and gives it qualities of durability, suppleness and resistance. There are several types of tanning (mineral, vegetable or synthetic), depending on the agents used in the process.
The leather is tanned using chromium sulphate- based (Chromium III) tannin, which renders it supple and elastic.
The leather is tanned using tree bark, fruit, roots and leaves. Often very firm, it possesses no elasticity and is sensitive to light. It is used for saddle-making, shoe soles and industrial beltings.
Tanners take raw animal skins and convert them into leather, using tannins made from mineral salts, vegetable matter or a combination of both. Skins from large animals (such as calves, young cattle, cows, bull-calves, bulls and buffalo) are known as hides. The same products from smaller animals (such as lambs, sheep, goats and exotic creatures) are referred to as skins. In French, a distinction is drawn between the processing of hides (tannerie) and of skins (mégisserie).
Leather obtained by tanning the hides of cattle (bull, bullock, caw).
Leather or skins prepared the opposite way round (flesh side) from normal. Their velvety appearance is created by buffing.
Tanning term used to refer to leather in its blue state, which is obtained immediately after mineral tanning and prior to dyeing and fat-liquoring operations.
Tanning term used to refer to leather in its white state, which is obtained immediately after vegetable tanning and prior to dyeing and fat-liquoring operations.