The Virtues of Leather

 

 

Return to the Roots

Originally Published:  04 October, 2010

I would like to introduce myself as a leather technician, owner and co-owner of tanning companies Heller-Leder, Helcor-Leder-tec and Südleder. Outside of my daily business activities I am also president of the German Leather Industry Association (Verband der deutschen Lederindustrie) and of the ‘German Leather Development Group’ (Forschungsgemeinschaft Leder).

It is no wonder that I am very fond of leather and its image as both my parents’ family histories are connected to the leather business, meaning that I am the 4th generation of my family involved in leather manufacturing.
I want you to consider the following statements:

• Leather is a natural product
• Leather has specific characteristics which other materials do not have or not to the same extent
• Leather is distinctive
• Leather is valuable
• Leather arouses emotions

These five statements account for the image, the popularity and also the high demand for leather.
Myself, as a leather-guy and leather technician who has been dealing from childhood with this fantastic material do, however, see a huge risk to leather in the future.
During the 26 years that I have been professionally in the leather business this wonderful natural material has become more and more a product that is reduced to its technical characteristics and performance at the expense of its natural features.
The technical properties are certainly important, but should in many instances be an additional feature and rarely the main reason to use the material. To meet some technical characteristics we are in danger of destroying what really makes leather special, ie its naturalness, the outstanding touch and comfort characteristics compared to other materials, its distinctiveness and the emotions which it should arouse – and with all of that the real added value.
Why should I create a shoe lining leather that has an excellent perspiration fastness then apply a heavy finish on it to achieve good sweat rubbing fastness and thus negate the perspiration properties as the shoe is no longer able absorb the sweat? This is absurd.
Why should I use a car interior leather that cannot be differentiated with regards to comfort, feel or touch from synthetic materials? Automotive leather is now such a good technical product that it still looks brand new after five years while the car exterior shows its age. The natural look and touch is gone before being fitted in the car. It’s more plastic than leather.
Why should I buy a piece of furniture covered with leather that is resistant against all kinds of dirt and stains yet feels cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Leaving you sweating on it like sitting on piece of plastic foil? So much finish is applied that the natural appearance and handle is lost.
Why should I have an object made out of leather that has been stripped of everything that might be a sign of its naturalness such as hair pores, healed hedge cuts and bruises? The visual difference with synthetic materials has become blurred or lost (the differences in comfort and feel we have ‘killed’ by making the material meet ever more demanding technical specifications).
If this trend of viewing leather more and more as a technical product and no longer as a natural product with all its associated advantages but also with some disadvantages in order to maintain the naturalness, then we are running the risk of downgrading leather to the level of artificial materials.
In my opinion we are already going too far as the difference, depending on the leather type, in technical properties, is making leather difficult to distinguish, even for the experts, compared with synthetics!
Leather, once this happens, due to its premium price (hidden below huge amounts of finish in order to achieve the technical requirements) will increasingly lose more market share against other cheaper materials because nobody will recognise its value and, therefore, why should anyone pay more for it? Many hides simply don’t need to be corrected or buffed and can be processed with a natural grain intact. Natural leather is a premium material and can command higher prices. We should allow the leathers natural characteristics to show themselves.
Therefore, my appeal to you is to try new ways by returning to old values, which our customers in the North American furniture industry have done so successfully. Approximately 25 years ago ca. 90% of all leather used looked rather like a plastic cover but, today, aniline leather is now resurgent with all its advantages and also the few disadvantages …what a change!
Let’s try!
Thomas Strebost

Taken from LEATHER INTERNATIONAL, the link to the website and original article can be found here: http://www.leathermag.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/14512/Return_to_the_roots.html

On the Business of American Made Goods

Have you noticed that there has been a new push to buy American made fashion?  It's a slow movement, but it's definitely gaining traction, with websites and blogs popping up to keep us posted on the latest developments and the hippest shops.  I've seen a rise in American bags, accessories, leather goods and American heritage brand boots, shoes and blue jeans.  

There are plenty of viewpoints about the merits of domestic vs. international production, and I'm not looking to get into that debate.  What I want to focus on is the intent of our consumption.  In general, I think that this Americana movement is a great sign that people are looking to support their local and national economy through thoughtful consumption.  Because really, thinking about our impact on the world and those around is is at the center of our morality. 

The thing is, everything of value has a cost and when we pay less for an item, someone else pays more. Poor working conditions, unfair pay, even slave labor are going on RIGHT NOW to bring American consumers cheap and expendable goods. 

 

It’s my opinion that American companies who use imported materials only go half way.  If you pride yourself on your American purchases, do your homework and find out where the materials are sourced as well. It’s a long chain of events and you deserve to know what you're really paying for.  

The Value of Handmade

What is the value of handmade?  It's a question that many of us ask ourselves as we price our handmade goods or search for the perfect handmade gift.  Monetary value can be broken down easily enough.  Add the cost of materials, a decent hourly rate and you've got a number.  Prices allow us to buy and sell, but do they really reflect the value of our goods?  

 When we buy handmade we're demonstrating a value that goes beyond price.  To buy handmade is to invest in an art form, a way of life and a cultural ideal.  It's to take part in a system that supports the individual, the artist and the entrepreneur in a society and an economic system that leans in the opposite direction.  

At the Aurora Shoe Company we are proud to be a part of the handmade culture.  Aurora Shoes are made with pride in Upstate New York using only American sourced materials.  This means a lot in an age when many products are assembled under sub-standard or unregulated working conditions using materials that are often produced in even less desirable conditions.  All of these materials and products travel great distances to finally make it onto the shelves of American shops where the shipping, import taxes and marketing costs result in products whose pricing does not reflect their quality.

At Aurora Shoe you pay for what you get:  high quality materials, superior craftsmanship, serious comfort and a solid guarantee.  You can see the Aurora Shoe production process for yourself by watching this video, filmed by a local newspaper about a year ago.  

The next time you decide to spend your hard earned money, consider what you're investing in and look for the real value that isn't reflected in its price.

Let's Talk About Leather

If you wear Aurora Shoes then you know that the secret to our shoes' comfort lies mostly in our high quality leather.  We don't mean to downplay the importance of good design and solid soles, but if the top leather wasn't thick and supple enough to stretch like it does, we'd be making an entirely different kind of shoe. 

A sampling of our gorgeous leather awaiting straps and buckles

As you probably know, we pride ourselves on using locally sourced materials.  While Chicago may not sound very local to our fellow Central New Yorkers, it's just about as local as it gets in manufacturing these days.  Local enough in fact for Dave to plan a family road trip to visit the Horween Leather Company over the 4th of July weekend.  Dave enjoyed touring the factory and returned home with a renewed appreciation for the fine work that Horween does.

image via Horween.com

The Horween Leather Company was founded in 1905 and is one of the oldest continuously running tanneries in the United States.  Having started in the heyday of Chicago's meat packing industry, Horween is the only remaining tannery in the city today and is now in its 4th generation of family ownership.

Dave's view of the Cordovan Floor

In the leather industry Horween has become synonymous with quality.  They supply the only leather used to make NFL footballs and NBA basketballs.  We love using Horween's Chromexcel leather because it's the best we can find.  Like us, Horween understands that compromising on quality is not an option.  While perusing their website, the quote below struck a chord and reminds us of our own shoe making philosophy:

"As tanneries go we're not the biggest, the fastest or the cheapest, which means we need to be the best. Our business is built on doing things other people don't, won't or can't."
Arnold Horween Jr.
President, 1983 - 2003

Arnold Horween Jr. via Horween.com

 Horween's dedication to producing the finest leather for our shoes requires mature hides, top quality ingredients (food grade beef tallow, cosmetic grade beeswax and tree bark to name a few) and plenty of time.  It takes 28 production days to create the supple, weather resistant leather that we purchase.

Chromexcel leather air drying via Horween.com

When I asked Dave what part of his visit made the biggest impression, he focused on the amount of skill that leather production required and the attention to detail that Horween displayed throughout its production process.  We pride ourselves on the craftsmanship that goes into the making of our shoes and are glad to be working with the Horween Leather Company.

You can read more about Horween on their website or at their blog.