We're thrilled to announce our Spring '22 Collection, consisting of four incredible new leathers: Cognac Ponte, Pine Green Maya, VERY RED Koala, and Natural Uragano. We still have limited amounts of winter colors for select products, such as Black and Walnut Buttero, Novello Koala, and Turquoise Ponte, which are being phased out over the coming weeks.
Today, we're going to do a deep dive on all four stunning options for Spring. First, we have Ponte leather in "cognac". Offered by the master tanners at Conceria Il Ponte in the heart of Tuscany, their namesake article has warm color, without appearing too shiny. The grain is very tight, smooth, and consistent, and the flesh side is burnished, retaining tons of character. Working with Ponte leather is a lovely experience because it is so supple and flexible. I think that the Cognac color is a great choice for the (slowly) warming Texas weather.
Next up is one of the more exciting offerings for the season, at least for my eclectic tastes: Maya leather in Pine Green. Maya hails, again, from Conceria Il Ponte, but unlike smooth Ponte leather, Maya is buffed and textured to create gorgeous patterns. It is almost reminiscent of a polished stone floor. The dry and soft handfeel of Maya makes for awesome watch straps.
Number three is an update to a leather that we have used for quite some time: Koala, from Conceria Puccini (Tuscany). No, it's not koala. It's cow. I don't think I'm legally allowed to use actual koala hide here in the states... Anyway--Koala is a bit of a hidden secret in my neck of the woods. During the tanning process, it is fattened with Puccini's proprietary blend of oils named Sego, and uses natural tannins from the Quebracho and Chestnut trees to achieve a firm but yielding hide. Koala patinas with use, breaking in and softening over time. When Puccini released this fire engine red, I simply had to add it for the season.
Finally, we have a long-time favorite of mine: Uragano in Naturale, from Conceria Puccini. Uragano has a rustic, artisanal look to it that I can never get over. The color selection sticks to a warmer, darker palette, but naturale is the exception. The tempered color variation comes from oils and fats used in tanning this hide that are still very present when you touch it. Warm and supple, Uragano is going to pair exceptionally well with the rest of this season's colors. Because it is so fair, the Naturale Uragano will patina quite fast, darkening up and gaining a bit of shine as the oils and fats in the leather are brought to the surface through friction and sunlight.
I hope that you've enjoyed this exploration of our offerings for Spring '22. Again, we still have limited amounts of last season's colors if you missed out, and I gladly take commissions wherein I can order any color and texture your heart desires, straight from the famous tanneries of Tuscany.
Have an amazing weekend, an incredible Spring, and I'll be back soon with more in-depth looks at our process.
-Thomas