Tanning

Everything starts, naturally, with leather. We only use full grain hides from farmed animals. This guarantees first class leather with an even grain and none of the scratches and imperfections typical of hides sourced from wild animals. The “Il Gabbiano” tannery uses vegetables tannins and animal fats exclusively. We treat our superior full grain leather with natural, biodegradable materials only.

Press

Machine used to remove water from tanned leather. After the leather is hung from a machine know as a “turntable” and dried in the warm air produced by “hot sanders”. This machine allows tanned leader to expell all teh water in excess.

Dyeing

Once it has been tanned and softened, the leather goes on to the dyeing stage. We only use wool pads, which we pass over the surface by hand again and again. As a result, each piece of leather takes on unique shades of colour making it different from any other. Hand dyeing brings out the leather’s natural qualities, turning its individual surface features into marks of character.

Tanned and softened usinf a “fulling machine” and “perching knife”, the leather is dyed twice over using a hand buffing technique.

Polish

At this stage, the skill and flair of our craftsmen are equally as indispensable. While the roller turns mechanically, it is our experienced experts who decide where to apply the roller and when polishing is complete. Our craftsmen polish the leather again and again, causing the oils applied during tanning to rise to the surface and produce the brilliant shine. The endless shades of colour take on new hues. Each piece turns soft and supple.