Colour Me Happy – The 10 best coloured leather right now

1st April 2022

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Looking to brighten up your wardrobe and boost your mood? Coloured leather could be the answer.

Dopamine dressing is big news this season after top-to-toe brights made waves at fashion powerhouses Versace and Valentino.

Fuchsia pinks, Kermit the Frog greens and sunshine yellows are key hues that are a far cry from the loungewear boom the last two years have encouraged.

“The pandemic has forced many of us to embrace utilitarian dressing, which places practicality over aesthetics,” says fashion psychologist Shakaila Forbes-Bell to Harper’s Bazaar.

“Humans crave novelty so I expect many of us will embrace joyful dressing and creative aesthetics during the initial post-lockdown period.”

While black is the most obvious leather choice with classic biker jackets and trousers in dark shades having stood the test of time, there is an explosion of different colours of dyed fabrics that deserve a spot in your wardrobe this season.

Despite colourful clothes feeling like a more frivolous purchase, the process used to turn leather into rainbow hues requires the same expertise.

Before any coloured pigments are added, all leather, whether black or bright, needs to go through a tanning process in order for it to be prepared.

There are three types of methods to stabilise the leather; chrome tanning, vegetable tanning and chrome-free tanning.

The former involves the prepared hides being soaked in chromium, a safe substance that is used to produce around 75% of leather made today.

Vegetable tanning is an ancient method over 2000 years old that uses the bark, wood and nuts of trees and shrubs.

The hide is put into tanning pits or tanning drums for the natural materials to work their magic.

The final method refers to all other tanning processes grouped together and often requires other chemicals and specialised performance equipment.

“Chrome tanning, for example, is the most common method and it produces a consistent, stable leather that can be used for a wide range of applications including footwear, bags, clothing, gloves and furniture”, explains a spokesperson for the industry members association, Leather Naturally.

“Vegetable tanning produces a firmer leather that gradually softens with wear, making it good for small leather goods, belts or structured bags. Chrome-free tannage is often used for the automotive industry.”

It is only after this process that dye can be applied.

The hides are usually placed in large drums for the coloured dye to be added and, after drying, various pigment finishes are applied.

It’s no wonder leather separates are so valued after so much work had gone into producing the durable style, but are brights really worth the investment?

It’s a firm yes from us.

Hardworking and long-lasting, coloured leather is guaranteed to make you smile. As the warmer weather approaches, bold separates can be teamed with cool textures like silk tops or relaxed ripped jeans.

Try clashing colours with opposite hues or opt for tonally chic outfits in varying shades.

After enduring the last two years, you deserve to dress for the way you want to feel so let coloured leather be a part of this new chapter of style and lead the way for happy times to come.

The 10 best coloured leather right now:

Remain Birger Christensen                        Dress, Whistles

Jacket, Karen Millen.                                    Bag, Mulberry

Skirt, Loro Piana.                                        Jacket, Celine

Trainers, Nike                                          Trousers, Diesel

Shirt, Nanushka                                     Bag, Ted Baker

By Joely Chiclott