What is Vegetable Tanned Leather?
Did you know all 1974 leather goods are made from veg-tan (vegetable tanned) leather? Some might confuse this with vegan leather (pleather) which is man-made & can be made from polyurethane, plastics, cork or even bananas, pineapples & mushrooms.
If that is your jam... then go for it. If not... keep reading.
Here at 1974... all accessories are made with vegetable tanned leather. This means that the by-product animal hides are tanned with various tree bark/plant based tannins instead of toxic chromium or chrome tanned leather (remember Erin Brockovich?). It can take up to two months for this process to take place where as cancer causing chrome tanned leather can happen within a day or so. This is also one reason why veg-tanned leather is more expensive… and I think, a bit more beautiful. It patinas (ages) like a dream and shows all the character from you and your journey. It also should last you a lifetime and beyond overall reducing the amount of "things" one can possess. Quality over quantity.
The Tuscan conceria (tannery) I buy leather from is apart of the Consorzio Vera Pelle Consortium... one that upholds/regulates many truths I believe in especially #4. This sustainability manifesto is a quick one-page read...Hope you'll take a second to glean and learn from.
In the meantime... what 1974 leather accessory can I make for you?
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Want to know more? Here are a few resources to check out.
+ Learn more about Consorzio Vera Pelle on Instagram