Winter Warmers – Leather Style Now!
As the nights grow cold and winter looms, leather offers winter warmth, weather protection and party-ready
The most widely used technique in worldwide leather production, and the most efficient, chrome tanning is used in the production of around 85% of all leather.
During tanning, the chrome links to the collagen which occurs naturally in the hide, changing its molecular structure. This stabilises it and extends its life – well-kept leather will last a lifetime and not start to biodegrade unless it is abandoned.
People are often confused about what type of chromium is used in the process. For tanning, a small amount of chromium (III) is used in the form of chrome mineral salts. This type of chromium is not hazardous to health. In fact, it is one of our dietary requirements, occurring naturally in foods including apples and green peppers. Drinking water is allowed to contain 50 micrograms (chromium III) per litre.
The toxic variation, hexavalent chromium or chromium (VI), is not used in the tanning process. It is possible for chromium (III) to convert to chromium (VI), but this needs extreme temperatures and oxidative conditions. These conditions are easily avoided by good tanners.
In recent years, tanneries have made great progress in the removal of any excess chromium from the water used in the process. This not only reduces the amount of chromium needed, as it can be reused, it also results in cleaner water.
As the nights grow cold and winter looms, leather offers winter warmth, weather protection and party-ready
Depending on whose estimate you take and how cattle are reared, it takes 20-40 kilos of feed to produce one kilo of beef. Those estimates often lead to the claim that if that feed were given directly to people it would nourish them more
The results are finally in for this year’s International Student Design Competition, and the 2022 People’s Choice Category Winner, receiving 2,490 votes out of a total of 37,000 from the public, is Lior Weinberg, with her entry Paradox of Fashion.
Many animal rights campaigners claim that the use of leather contributes to the death of animals, it is also claimed that farms exist purely for the creation of leather – can this be true?
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Stay different with our monthly roundup, which includes the latest on leather fashion and sustainable features, competition news and more.
