Natural Vegetable Tanned Leather - Volpi
Conceria Volpi in Italy is a tannery specialising in sole leathers for footwear since 1951. Their focus in this range of articles has lead them to develop leathers that have a tight grain and a very uniform finish. This makes their leather perfect for a range of other goods as well, such as belts, bags, and small goods.
Tanning and Manufacturing
In particular, their natural vegetable tanned shoulders are some of the highest quality finishes available in a natural leather. The full-grain hide is finished full-aniline giving it a range of character that develops wonderfully over time. One of the downfalls of naturally finished leather is that it often comes with noticeable defects, marks, and is highly susceptible to UV discolouration.
Finishing
While Volpi's shoulders will still have the beautiful natural fat lines and will develop a dark patina over years of use, they've also managed to create an article free of the less desirable aspects of natural leather. As such the yield per hide is tremendous, and it stores easily without needing to be hidden in darkness to avoid discolouration. Say goodbye to wasted leathers with short shelf life.
The surface has a wonderfully smooth finish with a low sheen. Meanwhile, the flesh gives off subtle suede-like feel that is desirable when used for interiors of products.
Crafting
Noticeably for crafters, Volpi burnishes wonderfully with only a few coats required. Refined pieces will come with ease when using this naturally tanned leather.
Being such a tight grain you will want to ensure a sharp knife when cutting at thicker weights, so as to not fight against the leather. With the light sheen finish you may find some rulers can slip during this fight the leather when cutting, making a sharp knife a must.
Applications
This article is incredibly versatile.
We find Volpi's natural shoulders to be an absolute favourite for tooling as well, giving a much nicer impression than it's more raw and rugged traditional counterparts.
On top of this it makes for a beautiful traditional wallet or clutch that has the expected luxurious feel of Italian leathers. Similarly in bags, briefcases, and knife sheaths, products made with this article convey a traditional quality and perfection.
Finally, our 3.5mm weights are the perfect weight for a durable belt. The tight grain of Volpi combined with a durable surface finish result in belts that fit the 'lifelong belt' title. Many articles need to move into the 4mm+ size to avoid bending and stretching out of shape, but not Volpi. The subsequent thinner leather makes for more comfortable belt that sits close to your pants.
Our Volpi leather is available in 1.4mm, 2.0mm, and 3.5mm.
