A brief description of various types of leather and materials used by Pierotucci for their products.
Each type of leather used by Pierotucci comes from tanneries in Tuscany. 90% are historic tanneries in the Santa Croce sull'Arno area, a few kilometers from Florence and is one of the most important and largest leather processing districts in Europe with over 250 tanneries. These tanneries operate with great care and respect for traditional Tuscan procedures in the natural tanning of leathers and cuoio cowhides.
In order to really understand the quality and authenticity of a cowhide leather bag or accessory, you have to see how it stands the test of time. Once leather has been tanned it is not so easy to distinguish chemically tanned from vegetable-treated leather. The only persuasive proof of its naturalness is its ability to age beautifully without breaking. Genuine leather changes hue, darkening over the years. It can change shape, it can give way but it does not break. When Pierotucci's vegetable dyed leather products age, they do not degenerate, even those dyed from chemical colors.
The hides Pierotucci uses are derived exclusively from animals used for food and which would create serious disposal problems it they weren’t used.
The Pierotucci leathers are completely eco-friendly, made from vegetable-tanned processing which uses tannins from plant sources to treat the leather. This means that neither chromium nor other substances which are harmful to man and the environment are used for its production. The ban of toxic agents such as azo dyes, nickel and pentachlorophenol reduces the risk of intolerances related to the daily use of bags and small leather goods which are well tolerated even by those allergic to heavy metals.
Thanks to its chemical-biological characteristics, vegetable-tanned cowhide can easily be disposed of.
Even most of the substances used in leather-processing are reclaimed, processed and reused in other sectors. The hair removed from raw hides for example, is reused in agriculture as a fertilizer, while the sludge from the purifiers is reused to produce bricks.
The art of vegetable tanning has prehistoric origins that are well documented throughout Tuscany and subsequently, the Etruscans were a highly educated people in leather processing, for the creation of shoes, clothes, tools and jewelry. Thanks to its extraordinary resistance, cowhide was used by shepherds, farmers and soldiers. We remember well how all Roman soldiers were equipped with sandals and leather harnesses.
The tanning process already had strict rules in place by the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. They had been established by the Arte Minore dei Cuoiai (Tanners Guild) Statute since the inception of the Arts and Corporations of the Florentine Republic. The statute was for master craftsmen who were heirs to the centuries-old process of mixing plant-extracted tannins and manually working and handcrafting leather.
The Pierotucci collections have been developed from the tradition of leatherworking dating back to the Etruscan and Roman times using animal hides tanned in a natural way using tannins present in plant extracts. Choosing an accessory with vegetable-tanned leather means owning a unique product, an expression of a philosophy of life which safeguards the environment and our health. Vegetable tanned leather contains no toxic substances, therefore they are not harmful to humans or the environment. Furthermore, they naturally absorb parts of our lives and stand the test of time - in other words - they get better with age.
Pierotucci uses only high quality, top grain leather and hardware. Nappa lambskin, soft and malleable, is excellent for jackets and gloves. Calfskin and buffalo leathers, more resistant, are ideal for the production of bags, belts, wallets, key holders and other small leather accessories. Depending on the processing and tanning, the calfskin leather can have different textures, but it is generally soft, malleable and has a smooth surface. On the other hand, buffalo leather is generally thicker and robust with a rough, wrinkly surface.