What’s the Difference Between Chrome- and Vegetable-Tanned Leather?

Most people love the rich, earthy smell of leather – every time I do a show, almost everyone who comes into the booth starts with "I love the smell of leather!" But what most people don’t know is that many leather products creating that alluring aroma are chrome-tanned. Unless you’re an avid reader of the Moxie & Oliver blog, you might not know what that means for your health.

Both tanning processes give unprocessed hides the color, texture, and suppleness we expect from finished leather, but the materials and techniques used to accomplish this result are different. To enlighten a little bit further, I’d like to explain the key difference between chrome-tanned leather and vegetable-tanned leather…

MATERIALS

Elements used in the vegetable tanning solution are completely natural – such as chestnut tree bark. Vegetable tanned leather typically comes from the tannery undyed and is a light flesh color.  This is what allows me to add color and pattern to it (using water based and safe paint and dyes).

On the other hand, chrome-tanning solution is mixed from various chemicals, acids and salts. One of the primary ingredients of chrome-tanned leather solution is chromium sulphate. This chemical helps to prep the leather to accept dyes (these are also typically artificial). The color that you see in chromium tanned leather - and this is the standard leather for almost all garments and accessories - is added in the factory. It may contain lead, and sometimes it's sprayed on with spray paint, a notoriously eco-unfriendly substance. 

EXPEDIENCY

The vegetable tanning process has been used for thousands of years and takes up to 60 days to complete for a single piece of dyed leather. Chrome-tanning was invented in the 1800s and these hides are done in about a day. The invention of chrome-tanning allowed leather handbags, shoes, and other goods to be mass-manufactured, but it yields an inferior product. As any leatherworker will tell you; vegetable tanned leather is the finest you can buy.

CONTROL
Okay, I'll say it - I'm a control freak, at least when it comes to my leather. As mentioned above, chromium tanned leather is soaked in huge vats of chemicals, softened artificially, and colors are added to the leather in the tannery. This means that when the leather reaches the artist or consumer, the color the tannery added is the last color it will be. No adding colors, no adding patterns... you get what you get. Veg-tanned leather, on the other hand, comes as a light fleshy color. No color has been added, so the artist/craftsperson gets to control the colors, and add pattern (which has long been the signature of my work). Because the veg-tanned leather is closer to the leather's natural state, the colors and patterns are permanent.

I often have customers ask if my leather is "buttery soft" as though a mark of a high-quality leather is thinness and softness, when in fact, the opposite is true. Vegetable tanned leather has a smooth surface but it's far from what anyone would consider "buttery soft". The softening takes time, and you have to break it in, but it will last for a lifetime of use. And, it won't give you or your kids lead poisoning (like some chrome-tanned leathers will).  Now, isn't that the mark of a high quality product?

xo
c

The Moxie & Oliver Creation Process

It all began with a search for the perfect leather belt. When artist Caitlin McNamara couldn’t find just that, the creating began. Moxie & Oliver has since expanded from a few belts to a plethora of handmade leather goods. Every piece is made completely from scratch, from beginning to end, in Caitlin’s Seattle studio.

All Moxie & Oliver pieces are made with full-grain tooling leather, which is the strongest type available, so that each item holds up for years of wear and tear. Caitlin’s signature process combines traditional leatherworking materials and modern techniques for a unique handmade experience. Every piece starts as a hyde of vegetable tan leather in a light flesh color. Vegetable tan leather uses tree bark and organic materials in the tanning process rather than chemicals. This means that it stays closer to its natural state, which allows it to retain colors and patterns in a way that chemically tanned leather doesn’t.  The vegetable tan leather used for Moxie & Oliver products comes untreated—all patterns, colors and dyes are added in the studio.

The hyde is then transformed cut into a shape using handmade patterns that are imprinted on it. Some patterns are branded onto the hyde and some are carved in. All stitching holes are hand punched then sewn together. The leather is painted and dyed in the studio, then stitched or riveted together by hand. All pieces include a protective topcoat so that the colors are permanent.

Since Moxie & Oliver began in 2004, Caitlin has been coming up with new patterns, items, and ways to explore the many uses of leather. The innovative line includes pretty much everything that can be made out of the material, including items that often come in only black, brown, or tan leather. Each piece gets softer and better with age, so you’re guaranteed to have a quality product that lasts!

Check out a video of the Moxie & Oliver process here.

Benefits of Vegetable-Tanned Leather

At Moxie & Oliver, all of our products are made with the utmost quality and precision. You can be sure your item will last and only get better with age and wear. Every product is made from vegetable-tanned leather—a traditional and natural method of tanning hides.

Vegetable tanning is one of the oldest methods used by leather designers for thousands of years. This traditional craft process uses tannins and other natural ingredients found in wood, bark, and plants to convert the animal skin to leather. The raw hide’s transformation into leather occurs slowly, generally over one month, within tanning pits or wooden drums. The final product is a warm, rich brown color that is durable and susceptible to carving or stamping.

These are some of the many benefits of vegetable-tanned as opposed to other forms of leather tanning:

Natural. The process of vegetable tanning showcases leather in its most natural state because it involves only organic ingredients from plant materials and vegetable matter. It’s the only form of tanning that retains the natural markings of the animal hide, giving the leather unique characteristics.

Environmentally friendly. There is no use of chemicals in this process, only natural ingredients. Because of this, any leather products that have been vegetable tanned can be recycled.

Color. The tone of leather that has been vegetable-tanned is rich, warm, and vibrant. These blends of brown come from the natural materials such as bark and plant materials. One of the most unique aspects of this type of leather is that the color changes after being exposed to different elements such as light and oils, giving it a life that gets better with wear.

Value. Because of the time consuming process, vegetable-tanned leather is more valuable than chrome-tanned or other types of leather. It is usually sold at a higher price because of its intricate craft process, natural qualities and ability to age well.

All Moxie & Oliver products are made from vegetable-tanned leather, which is only the best type.

Start shopping and get your quality vegetable-tanned leather product at Moxie & Oliver!

The Poison in Your Purse

 

All too often when I am at the studio my son finds a little piece of scrap leather to chew on, and I let him do it.  I use vegetable tanned leather so there’s nothing in it – no pigments, no dyes, no artificial softeners – it’s just cow skin and tree bark. If I were using chromium tanned leather, however, this would be different.  Chromium tanned leather is commonly used in handbags, shoes, jackets, upholstery and other garments and accessories. 

Why would it be different with chromium tanned leather? Well, because chromium tanned leather can contain lead. 

Lead white was being produced by the 4th century BC and was a common ingredient in house paint in the 20th century.  Among the benefits of lead-based paint are reduced drying time, more vibrant colors, better coverage, and stabilization of the paint formula.  The risks, however, if the lead is ingested are horrible.  Lead is a neurotoxin and can, among other problems, cause damage to the brain, nervous system, stomach and kidneys.  It can also cause reproductive problems in adults.  Recognizing he US banned lead from house paint in 1978 but this does not mean it is gone from all paints, and certainly does not mean it is gone from paint in all countries.

In a day and age where many of the products that we have in our homes do not come from domestic sources.  In 2007 Mattel issued a nine million item toy recall for lead based paint and small magnet hazards. We’ve become more vigilant in testing children’s products for lead paint, thanks in part to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008, but the CPSIA will not protect your child from lead in leather.

Why? Because babies don’t just play with baby toys. As my son reminds me every time he picks up a piece of scrap leather, my keys, wallet, cell phone, or other non-toy item to chew on, some kids just like to stick things in their mouth.  The lack of testing standards for lead exposure in leather goods means that you can find lead levels up to 195 times the federal limit for children’s toys in your wallet.  You don’t want your kid even touching your wallet in this case, since lead can leach onto the skin, let alone putting it in his mouth.  And, if you’re of child-bearing age, you don’t want to touch it either since it can cause fertility problems.

There is also no CPSIA requirement for leather testing.  Despite ABC’s report on the lead hazards in purses, the CPSIA lists leather as an exempt material:

Title 16 §1500.91 (d) The following materials do not exceed the lead content limits under section 101(a) of the CPSIA provided that these materials have neither been treated or adulterated with the addition of materials that could result in the addition of lead into the product or material:

(d) (8) Other plant-derived and animal-derived materials including, but not limited to, animal glue, bee's wax, seeds, nut shells, flowers, bone, sea shell, coral, amber, feathers, fur, leather.

The current federal limit is 100ppm in children’s goods (toys and clothing) but without testing, how in the world would you know if those cute leather booties are safe for your child?  When their feet sweat, will the lead in those gorgeous leather colors leach onto your little one’s foot and into their skin?  Will they take that bootie off when they are in the backseat of the car and put it into their mouth while you’re driving down the freeway?

The truth is, you don’t know.  A few major retailers have had their bags tested as a result of the work of the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), but not four months ago the CEH posted a warning to avoid purses and belts from several retailers over the holidays as they still are not meeting the safety standards.  Lead contaminants have also been found in shoes and leather upholstery.

But I need a purse! Yes, probably true.  Well, don’t go running to a synthetic alternative to avoid the lead in leather problem.  Studies found lead in faux-leather handbags, too. So here’s what you can do:

* Avoid chromium tanned, or garment, leathers.  Instead opt for vegetable tanned leather (like the ones from www.moxieandoliver.com)

* If you were carrying a vinyl or faux-leather bag and want to stay away from real leather, consider canvas or another fabric instead. 

* If you really love that chromium tanned leather handbag, buy a lead testing kit.

The other thing to remember is that lead is a cumulative poison. What is in your handbag, belt, or shoes now probably won’t kill you, but your body doesn’t get rid of lead as quickly as it takes it in, so minimizing exposure whenever possible is the preferred course of action.

The potential of lead poisoning from chrome tanned leather – working with, touching, wearing, etc., – isn’t why I decided to work with vegetable tanned leather initially.  These dangers were not even in the news until 2007, three years after I started working with leather.  My reasoning was simple: the idea of trying to burn a pattern into a pre-finished, pre-dyed, leather when I have no idea what is in the dye is disgusting at a minimum.  Potentially deadly.

Vegetable tanned leather is a natural material – no dyes, not finishes, just hide and tree bark.  I add the colors with water or alcohol based dyes, and an acrylic topcoat. It doesn’t require special protection, ventilation, or caution to use these dyes. There are no warnings or MSDS sheets.

And, my baby can safely be in the studio with me.  He can touch the leather, and I don’t have to worry about him getting lead poisoning.

Be safe!
-Caitlin

 

*The photo above is an old vinyl/pleather “Stewardess” bag.  I used it as the model for my handmade, vegetable-tanned leather, Travel Bag collection.  All of the pieces at www.moxieandoliver.com are lead-free, of course!