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    • Our Materials

    We believe in the timeless adage “You get what you pay for” but how do you know if you’re buying quality? Read below.

    Full Grain Leather Zipper Tote

    Our Leather:

    Cost aside, we love to use full grain leather because it is a pinnacle in bovine leathers. "Full Grain" means the leather’s surface does not get sanded or buffed to remove all its natural hide characteristics (marbling, grain variation, gradients, etc). Every hide is wonderfully unique and will develop a gorgeous patina like no other leather can. Simply put, it’s heirloom quality leather.

    Lesser leathers get smothered with pigments (or worse) to make the hide surface uniform but also to conceal inferior quality. This coating often makes the leather look and feel like plastic.

    Go shopping and you'll find inferior leathers are the majority, particularly on coveted fashion brands. When a brand is vague about their leather ("premium leather", "polished pebble leather", "Split Leather", "bonded leather", "leather", "genuine leather", "glovetanned leather", "cowhide leather", etc) you are paying for label cachet, not quality! 

    "Price is what you pay. Value is what you get." - Warren Buffett

    Sustainability - Vegetable vs Chrome Tannage

    Virtually* all the leather we use is vegetable tanned, meaning it’s made from natural tannins (like oak bark) rather than chemicals that can be harmful to the environment. As part of our sustainability initiative, we compost and recycle more than 90% of our studio production waste.

    Chrome tanning is faster (thus less expensive) but not as durable long-term, and it does not develop amazing patina like veg tan.

    *We specifically use Chicago's Horween Chromexel leather (a vegetable / chrome combination tannage) for our No.325 workshop apron straps because its application requires minimal stretch. It’s also one of the finest leathers ever created!  Trust us.

    Our Hardware:

    We use solid brass rivets and hardware because its hand, appearance, and durability are superior to ubiquitous plated hardware. Plated hardware is cast from zinc (a brittle base metal) then plated to look like aged brass, marine brass, etc for a fraction of the cost. Inevitably this plating wears off and looks shabby, and the product often gets discarded because it’s not worth restoring. If a brand is vague ("gold color", "vintage brass", etc) about their hardware, you are buying plated hardware!  

    For products with non-brass finishes, we like to use solid steel or nickel over solid brass because of its durability, hand, and appearance.

    "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten." - Benjamin Franklin

    Our Fabrics:

    • Duck Canvas - It's worth the higher cost to use numbered duck canvas (verses regular canvas) because the warp and weft are made from plied (twisted) yarn, making it more durable and denser than plain canvas. Our products hold their shape and last!
    • Waxed Canvas - We source numbered duck canvas that's fully impregnated with wax. It's a stylish, traditional method for water repellency that develops a gorgeous patina over time. No other fabric has as much personality as broken in waxed canvas! 
    • Twill - 100% cotton with 3/3 yarns. A classic, time-tested material popularized by our military during the Great Wars. Perfectly designed for durability and adventure.
    • Repurposed Fabric - We love to give fabric remnants a second life in our products. Our favorite up-cycled material is vintage awning cloth because it’s naturally water resistant, comes in fun colors, and is super durable. Part of our Sustainable Collection.
    • Cordura© - A longstanding leader in woven nylon performance materials.    

    If a brand is vague about the fabrics they use, you are not getting a premium material!

    "Quality means doing it right when no one is looking." - Henry Ford

    Our Webbing:

    • Cotton - We have mil-spec (circa WWII) webbing custom made from a mill in Pennsylvania that has been in operation since 1905. 
    • Nylon - Mil-Spec / Berry Compliant. Designed for the battlefield. More than adequate for daily use. 

    Our Thread:

    We exclusively sew American & Efird. It's worth it because of their consistent quality and our machines love it! You get what you pay for. 

    • Bonded Polyester - It's UV resistant and commonly used on automotive, marine, saddles, and outdoor gear. Bonded thread has a resin coating that strengthens as well as reduces friction. Heat weakens thread. 
    • D-Core - Cotton wrapped w/ poly core. We use this on our chef aprons and on our overlock machines that take lighter thread. Super strong for apparel weight.