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Archive for the ‘8. Designer Interest’ Category
Demystifying Leather Friday, July 30th, 2010
What You Should Know When Specifying Leather (PDF Brochure)
Here’s what you should know about when specifying leather:
- Raw material (geographic region, selection)
- Tannages (chromium, vege, chrome-free)
- Dyeing
- Embossing (texturing)
- Finishing (coloring, tipping, etc.)
You should care about these topics because you want to:
- Choose leather products that are suitable to their application and the client’s expectations
- Know your options when dealing with budgets
- Educate your client
Raw Material is Key
Care and climate affects the quality of leather hides. Cows raised in cooler climates, that graze on open ranges, and that have good veterinary care, have fewer defects (e.g. scratches, bites). Cows raised in hotter climates or that roam among barb wired fences have more defects.
Additionally, species of cow differ in size and shape. US cows, for example, tend to be smaller than European cows. Many South American cows are Zebus (they have large humps).
Remember that “defect free” doesn’t necessarily mean most desired and appreciated. Natural characteristics are often valued by leather connoisseurs. As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Why Does it Matter How Leather is Tanned?
Until a hide is tanned it’s a rawhide. To create a supple product, leather is either chromium or vegetable tanned. Chromium tannages, introduced in the 19th century are the preferred method for tanning leather. A chrome tannage yields a soft hand. Vegetable tanning is used when firmer leather is required.
Full Grain, Top Grain… Who Cares?
Full grain and top grain leather refers to the overall quality of the leather. Full grain leather tends to be relatively defect free (i.e., doesn’t need correction), and is undisputedly the leather of choice for clients looking for a product that ages beautifully over time.
Top grain leather refers to leather hides that need additional processing (i.e., “buffing”) to reduce or eliminate imperfections. Top grain leathers receive a heavier top coat of pigment to smooth out the finish and to give the leather protection against minor scratches and spills. Top grain leathers are ideally suited for heavily trafficked areas.
Why is Leather Dyed?
Fine upholstery leather should be dyed close to the final finish color. Dying the crust (i.e., tanned hide) to match the finished color helps to mask superficial scratches that can occur during normal wear. Budget leathers may well be produced on mismatched crust colors.
Why Is Leather Embossed?
Most people think embossing is simply for decorative purposes. Plating (embossing with a natural looking grain) is also common. If desired, plating can give a full- or top-grain leather a uniform look, or make a flat looking leather come alive.
The Finishing Process
Finishing (or top coating) is the final step to giving a leather product its unique characteristics. The purpose of finishing is to modify the leather’s color and to provide a protective surface.
Aniline dyed leather refers to a finished product that has been fully colored without the use of pigments.
Aniline dyed leather is a connoisseur’s delight. The natural grain is easy to recognize, and all the hallmarks of the leather are evident (e.g., fat folds, neck wrinkles, even minor scarring). Semi-aniline dyed leather refers to a lightly pigmented protective finish that gives the leather a more uniform appearance, and stain and water resistance.
To paraphrase Forrest Gump: “Green is as green does” Sunday, May 2nd, 2010
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rose, is a rose, is a rose,” wrote Gertrude Stein, but green is not always ”green.” Some of you have asked if Groove’s green. The answer is yes.
The industry has been chromium tanning leather for 150 years. Chromium tannages speed up the production cycle over vegetable tanning (the thousands year old method for tanning leather), and it allows colors to be absorbed more effectively. Far more recently, there’s been a quiet call for chrome-free tanning by the interior design trade, whereby chromium chemicals are removed from the process.
Look at the leathers in any designer’s resource library or at a showroom near you, and I can confidently say the vast majority of the leathers are chromium-based (some are chromium tanned with a vege-retan). Chromium tanning remains the industry standard, and the handling of chromium waste is well understood. The factories Groove uses (including it’s domestic facility) has on-site waste treatment operations. These are expensive operations that treat the water run-off from the tanning process by removing the harmful residue before the water is released into the sewage system. The techniques for maximizing the result of this process are honed, unlike the techniques for chrome-free.
What about Greenguard? Remember, Greenguard isn’t about whether a factory produces leather environmentally or not, it’s about volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released into the air (i.e., the “off-gassing” of products during their recommended use and applications). The water-based finishing products used in leather release naturally low VOCs. That “new car” smell isn’t coming from the leather, but the laminates, plastics, and glues used to hold everything together in an automobile.
It’s ironic that leather needs to fight the same “green” battle as the nylon carpet business, vinyl wall covering, wood laminate business, etc., but I recognize its the necessary reality.
Eventually, Groove will register with Greenguard and test its leathers, but this is probably a year away because of the huge expense. In the meantime, I’d remind designers that Groove’s product (a product of nature) and its production process are very green indeed.
Groove Leather iPhone App Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
Visit iTune’s to download Groove’s iPhone app.
To chrome or not to chrome…? That is the question Tuesday, August 25th, 2009
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Cradle to cradle Thursday, April 2nd, 2009
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or those of you who are interested in reading a frank assessment of the leather industry’s role in sustainability, I recommend “Marketing claims that miss out on the truth” (PDF format). In this article, Michael Braungart, author of “Cradle to Cradle” talks about how designers play an important role by selecting materials that are well understood and sound not only for the job in hand but for perpetuity. (Related topic “To paraphrase Forrest Gump: ‘Green is as green does’”).
