SUPER-SMART LEATHERS If you liked the first conductive leather for touchscreens that allowed you to consult your smartphone without getting cold hands, then you’re going to love what follows! Intelligent leathers are making an appearance in our wardrobes.

Leather professionals are not short of ideas for placing their material at the heart of fashion and rendering it essential. Here is a round-up of the latest innovations from tanners at the Première Vision Leather show.

Easy Touch, the first conductive leather for touchscreensHave you ever dreamt of being able to answer your phone or check your messages during winter strolls without taking off your gloves? Why choose between being connected and having cold hands?

Pechdo Easy Touch leathers fit like a second skin and can be used to produce gloves - in lamb, goat or cow leather - that allow you to consult any capacitive screen (smartphone, tablet, PC) with great elegance and comfort. The touch functionality remains active in wet conditions and also once dried.

NEWSLETTER 116-18 FEBRUARY 2016

INTERNATIONAL LEATHER AND FUR SPECIALIST SHOW

Leather can enhance your well-beingLeather is a naturally breathable and temperature-regulating material and as such is ideal for prolonged and close contact with the skin. But these natural aptitudes can be further enhanced to optimise the well-being of wearers. As seen with the Microspike option offered by the English tannery Pittards on its lamb or goatskin for use in the glove-making industry, which increases the comfort and lifespan of the product by reducing the development of bacteria due to transpiration. Or Silverlining by Conceria Stefania, the fruit of four years of research. This specialist goat leather is used to line the insides of shoes where a silver-based treatment applied during the finishing stage slows the proliferation of odour-causing bacteria. A plus that is not just invisible but above all odour-free!

Item made using Silverlining goat leather from Conceria Stefania

Microspike lamb leather from the Pittards tannery

Cutting-edge technologies are not the only allies of modern medicine. Nature still has capacities that even the most sophisticated inventions cannot match. So, to prevent the bedsores that can occur when a patient is bedridden or chair-bound, sheepskins from Australian merinos are a very effective aid. Thanks to its high density of wool and very fine hairs, merino sheepskins distribute the pressure of the body over a larger surface area without contact with the skin itself, thus facilitating blood circulation and the evacuation of transpiration by absorption and evaporation. Sheepskin also encourages the muscles to relax, removes the sensation of chills and relieves pain in the event of rheumatism, sciatica and back ache. “The skins undergo mineral tanning so that they can be machine-washed”, explains Jean-Pierre Théron, Finished Products Sales Director for Rives SAS, which specialises in these sheepskins. Yet another little known quality of leather!

Thanks to their high density of wool, the skins of Australian merinos produced by Rives SAS can prevent bedsores

The medical properties of Australian sheepskins

Leather can be water resistant:

Shoes, clothes, bags - with patent leather, they will fear water no more! The resins that are used are guaranteed to be waterproof, and as well as protecting the leather during a shower of rain or an accidental spillage, they also protect it against wear and tear and other attacks. The finish can be used on all types of leather, whether bovine, ovine or caprinae. It takes the form of a liquid and up to six layers can be applied, according to a specialist from Ova Deri. But despite this patent finish, the leather retains its softness. After being lightly buffed, the patent finish can also mask superficial defects and therefore allows poorer quality and cheaper leathers to be enhanced. A patently good idea!

Waterproof leather that is environmentally-friendly? This is the latest innovation from the Portuguese tannery Carvalhos, pioneers in wet-white tanning (without the use of chrome or heavy metals) for the last decade or so. Today the tannery is going further with the creation of synthetically tanned leathers than are water resistant for up to 2 hours. Ideal for the outdoor market as well as for sports articles: Sailing, golf, mountain wear.

Patent bovine leather from Ova Deri Patent lamb leather from Dean Grained calf leather from Nuova Antilope

Matt leather is increasingly scratch-resistant

Although it has been very popular for many seasons now, stylists and consumers can sometimes be put off by the supposed poor rub-resistance of matt leather. In fact, the layer of pigment – often made from silica or polyurethane – which gives the leather its matt finish, also provides a degree of protection from scratches, and even from the rain. “Our matt leathers are particularly popular for the lining of watch straps,” the manager of Tanneries Haas told us. “If we want to improve rub resistance, we can add a spray of fixer,” suggests the manager of Primorpelli. However, when the matt layer is thinner so as to give a more natural result and is obtained by applying wax, it is less long-lasting as it will become shiny over time, and is also more sensitive to abrasion. “Softer articles are also more delicate,” adds a representative of Mégisserie Rousseau. It is clearly all a question of compromise.

Bull leather with a natural grain and matt finish from Tanneries Dupire

Matt nappa lamb leather from Mégisserie Rousseau

Matt calf leather from Tanneries Roux

Matt cow leather from Moden Pelli Matt cow leather from Tanneries Haas Matt sheep leather from Conceria Tre Emme

Leather can be washed

“When times are hard, economically, labels make few leather garments and tend to use leather as an adornment on textiles” explains Jean-Charles Duchêne from Megisserie Alric. This explains why tanneries are being asked to produce washable leather, suitable for machine washing or dry-cleaning. And it is no easy task when one considers leather’s natural aversion to water and liquids in general.

“Vegetable and synthetic tanning is almost wholly incompatible with washing; washable leathers are generally chrome tanned,” Jean-Charles Charles reminds us. “The entire tanning process is affected by this goal”, explains our correspondent from Megisserie de la Molière. “Tannins, fatliquoring agents, colorants and resins are chosen to be wash-resistant, whether using water or solvents.” “Operating conditions, such as the temperature or the application time for the products are also important,” explains the representative from Fazer, which proposes pre-cut patches in lamb or goat leather in smooth or suede finishes. Once this complex equation has been resolved, the leather is tested alone and in the presence of the textile - stretch or not - to which it will be associated, to ensure that it maintains its dimensions, aspect, texture and that its colour does not leach onto the fabric. And also this for a surcharge of barely 15%.

“We recommend washing items at 30°C on a wool or delicates programme using a liquid soap and no fabric softener, gentle spinning and then drying flat, out of the sun”, explains the expert from Sofacuir. “After the product has been washed, we even recommend ironing the leather with a warm iron, stretching it slightly”, adds Jean-Charles Duchêne. Easy advice to follow to keep your garment looking like new.

Mégisserie de la Molière produces its washable lamb leather in dipped, suede, perforated and stretch versions

Washable black stretch lamb leather and nude dipped lamb leather from Alric

Fazer offers patches of washable lamb or goat leather, in smooth or suede finishes, pre-cut to the size and shape the customer requires

Washable lamb leather from Sofacuir

And tomorrow?

Première Vision Leather reveals the emerging trends launched by tanners and informs you about the new research and development avenues that are likely to influence the development of tomorrow’s trends.

“We want to innovate but maintain our standard of quality,” is the summary from Bonaudo. All those we asked share the same objective: to improve existing articles as much as possible. Make dipped lamb even softer and lighter, smooth calf leather more transparent with an even finer grain, suedes more shimmery. The aged appearances of the vintage trend are clearly no longer in demand. Relma Guyard & Chesneau want to soften their goat leathers to make them suitable for clothing. Alric want to develop the very elitist baby calf, “where there is great potential for footwear and leather goods”.Whilst the Dupire tannery seeks to broaden their range of supple grained bull, but also produce a stiffer, non-drummed leather ideal for allowing a stitch and return finish. Tarnsjo is experimenting with all sorts of waxes on vegetable tanned bovine leathers to multiply the palette of shines.And in light of the success of stretch skins, a number of exhibitors are thinking of taking the plunge, such as RG Deri and even Sibel, with even more adaptable pythons.

This is not textile!

To better infiltrate the fashion world, leather can take on the appearance of....fabrics.

Knitwear Sure Skins uses digital printing to give sheepskin the appearance of a cable knit, further accentuated by embossing that adds extra relief.

DenimAt Curtumes Fabricio, leather looks just like denim once it has been spray dyed and covered with a film imitating the weave.

Tartan triumphEjaz Tanning Company weaves narrow strips of lamb leather into an incredibly soft tartan..

Suede appearances After having refined their goat suede to just 0.4mm thick, Pellami Daniele pleated the material and bonded it onto a stretch canvas.

And finally, Tari uses a latex glue that is guaranteed not to run to affix narrow bands of dipped entrefino onto a canvas backing. Simply impressive!

QuiltingThrough precision sawing, SCP split a sheep skin in two then filled it with goose down to make an ideal material for quilted jackets, and in addition also decorated it with multicolour patches using an offset printing technique.

Woven Once the water snake from Curtidos Parera has been given a nubuck finish and bonded to a textile, it is sliced into fine strips to be woven and give the impression of a plaited textile.

CashmereAnd as for the lamb leather tufted to cashmere by Fedi Silvano, it is quite simply astonishing, and earned them a PV Award. So many skilful and clever ideas!

Waxed cottonAt Conceria Tirrena, with the help of digital printing, the material is covered with a pattern that is made even more credible by its shiny finish.