What Is Vegetable-Tanned Leather? A Buyer's Guide

Vegetable-tanned leather is the leather most associated with quality, longevity and patina. This guide explains what it is, how it differs from chrome-tanned leather, and how to care for it.

What is vegetable-tanned leather?

Vegetable-tanned leather is leather tanned using natural tannins from tree bark and plant matter, a process that can take several weeks. It is one of the oldest and slowest methods of making leather, and one of the most durable.

How is it different from chrome-tanned leather?

Most modern leather is chrome-tanned, a fast chemical process taking about a day. Chrome-tanned leather is cheaper and more uniform but does not age the same way. Vegetable-tanned leather is firmer, develops a rich patina, and lasts longer with care.

What is full-grain vegetable-tanned leather?

Full-grain means the top layer of the hide is left intact, including its natural grain and markings. Full-grain vegetable-tanned leather is the highest quality combination available: the strongest part of the hide, tanned in the most durable way.

Does vegetable-tanned leather age well?

Yes. It is prized for its patina. With handling, the leather darkens, softens and takes on a character unique to its owner. Marks and a deepening tone are not flaws but the record of use.

How do you care for it?

Wipe with a soft dry cloth, keep it out of prolonged heat and direct sun, let it dry naturally if it gets wet, and condition it once or twice a year with a natural balm. Treated kindly, it can outlast almost everything else you own.

Which brands use it?

Quality leather brands favour vegetable-tanned hides for goods meant to last. Ormsby London makes its handbags from full-grain vegetable-tanned leather sourced from a family tannery, in numbered runs of fifty-six.