Where is my wallet?
Many thanks to all of you who participated in the Italo Card Cases Pre-Sale. The initial production has begun. About two weeks ago the tannery began re-opening their facility. Their business is suffering from the global shut-down so they are very happy to have some work to come back to. The Italo pre-sale has been a big help. The Italo leather is our trademark Italian vegetable tanned leather. It is supple but firm. Natural characteristics, including some healed scars are emphasized by our finishing process. The rich, organic coloring showcases the real look and feel of the leather.
This leather has no protective coating. It is buffed with this machine shown above. Natural proteins in the materials give it a gentle luster. No coating certainly does not mean that it will not withstand hard use. In fact, this vegetable tanned leather tends to look better and better with use.
One of the skilled factory workers building your wallet.
After the finishing we normally personally inspect all leather that is approved for production but this time, given the situation, Manuel is giving every hide a close look for us.
The leather is then moved to the factory, just a few kilometers away, over the Arno River- the same river that runs through Florence. At the Factory the steel cutting molds have all been prepared. Cutting can begin right away. Here the dies are used with a "clicker" which applies pressure to the molds to cut the leather. With each cut the characteristics of the leather and its "flaws" are considered with a goal of creating a beautiful product with a minimum of waste. This is a job where an experienced eye makes all the difference.
Florence, Italy, near the Bosca tanneries and factories.
Stay tuned for more updates as the production continues. In the meantime- watch for news on our next pre-sale for the La Carta bags!
