What is Vegetable Tanned Cow Leather?

"Vegetable Tanned" is one of the tanning method from skin to leather.

 

Natural vegetable tanned leather is tanned using an age-old process that utilizes natural tannins and ingredients. Some ingredients can include extracts from tree bark, wood, leaves, fruits and roots. The hide’s final color may vary in color, tone and darkness depending on the mix of materials used in the process. 

 

Natural vegetable tanned leather is beautiful when it’s brand new or aging.
Just like a human traversing through life, it becomes filled with character as it evolves and ages with usage.

Natural vegetable tanned leather will develop a beautiful patina, as there are no vegetable tanned pieces that are identical, and none ever age the exact same way.

Over time the hide starts to take on a patina (a physical reaction to the hide surface) that is unique to the user.

Sun exposure, daily handling, water, and conditioning give natural vegetable tanned leather a rustic look over time.

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什么是植鞣牛皮革

常见的2大皮革：

~ 植鞣革 Vegetable Tanned Leather

~ 铬鞣革 Chrome Leather

​**植或铬是代表鞣制方式的称号，都是让生皮变成皮革的一个鞣制法

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• 植鞣革 Vegetable Tanned Leather

“植鞣革”是最古老的鞣制方式，历史悠久，公元前6000年到19世纪以前，所有的皮制品都是植鞣革。

植鞣制是一种加工方式，从生皮到皮革 (skin to leather)。

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在鞣制过程中，生皮在浸泡，除毛，清洗后，再与植物萃取里的「单宁酸」进行浸泡，如树皮、果实、根叶部位等等。让它们充分渗入到皮革内层，大约需要1到1.5个月的时间，鞣制时间很长，加上皮的种类不同，单宁渗透的程度与时间也会有差异。
植鞣革的知识非常多，从种类，岁数，国家，品种，鞣制法，规格等级，软硬厚薄，厂商，后制等等，加上皮革有多种鞣制加工方式。​

植鞣革的特点十分明显，它也是皮革中唯一的环保型皮革。吸水易变软，可塑性容易整型。每一块都拥有自然纹理，疤痕，血筋痕等等的原始皮肤特征。
因其天然、环保、复古的外观和大地色泽，就像人类穿越生活一样，随着使用的演变和老化，
它变得充满个性。由于没有完全相同的植鞣制品，也没有完全相同的老化方式，
这在每一块皮革之间创造了区别，独特与美丽。就像我们人类的皮肤一样，不完美但是独一无二。

植鞣革颜色会随着使用的时长逐渐变深，并因为使用习惯形成特定的形状和柔软度，也就是所谓的「养牛」。

换言之，植鞣革会随着你而变化。

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植鞣革的天然瑕疵

在坊间贩售植鞣革制品的场合中，经常可以看到类似于『皮革如同人的皮肤，纹路、表面伤疤、虫咬等皆为自然痕迹，并非瑕疵品』等等声明，这意味着什么呢？

 

严格来说，如果你花了1万元买了一个植鞣皮革包，这个包上面绝对不会有什么牛皮自身的天然瑕疵，并不是因为这张牛皮真的没有瑕疵，而是这种价位的包在制作上理所当然会避开这些瑕疵，所以才有要价如此高的立场。

至于其他售价比较低的植鞣革制品，确实出现一些天然瑕疵是合理的，所以才会有上述的那种预先打预防针的说词。

 

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• 铬鞣革 Chrome Leather (俗称速食皮革，也是百货公司常看到的皮革) 

19世纪后“铬鞣革”面世，可以说是现今速度世界的皮革快餐，速食皮革。

由于古老的植鞣革的鞣制时间长，价格高，市场上的90%皮革的需求量也被铬鞣革取而代之。

因为铬鞣革能够短时间大量生产、成本较低，所以抢占市场。

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铬鞣法采用化学工药剂进行鞣制工序，使用「铬粉」作为鞣剂，一天内即可完成鞣制工序。

铬鞣革加入了耐水和抗污特征、不易产生刮痕，但也很难出现养色后的温润美感。

使用植鞣革或铬鞣革，没有绝对的答案，仅在于皮匠的个人喜好以及对作品的风格诠释。

相对于总是面无表情的铬鞣皮革来说，我们喜欢植鞣革的变化，充满个性，也非常独特，

 

 

Recommended Leather

(Italian Badalassi Carlo Vegetable Tanned Leather)

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BUTTERO (plain)

• Buttero Vegetable Tanned Leather comes from Conceria Walpier Tannery in Italy.

• They are well known for their premium vegetable tanned leathers and the beautiful colors are able to produce.

• This veg tan leather is their top grade, it is full grain and has a nice balance between supple and firm.

• This leather has a beautiful smooth grain with a beautiful depth to the leather color.

• The vegetable tanned leather will have an amazing patina as it ages.

• The leather is dyed completely through and has a nice soft flesh side.

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MINERVA BOX (texture)

• Minerva Box Vegetable Tanned Leather comes from the Badalassi Carlo Tannery in Italy.

• This leather has a beautiful smooth grain with a beautiful depth to the leather color.

• The vegetable tanned leather will have an amazing patina as it ages.

• The leather is dyed completely through and has a nice soft flesh side.

• The grain has a natural pebbled texture that adds beautiful depth to the leather.

• Because it a natural pebble grain, it is inconsistent throughout the hide. There may be areas with lots of pebbles and other areas with less pebbles.