What's Vachetta Leather?

Vachetta leather is a vegetable tanned leather commonly used for handbags and other fine accessories.

Many staple accessories today such as handbags, belts, and wallets have benefited from the different uses leather offers. Each item becomes unique based on the type of leather used. In this article, we'll discuss Vachetta leather as one of them, how it is made, what type it is, and what leather craftsmen commonly use it for.

WHAT TYPE OF LEATHER IS VACHETTA?

Vachetta leather is a robust, full-grain, and vegetable-tanned leather made from a young cow or steer’s hide. It's a leather type mainly used for luxury bags. Because of its supple and versatile nature though, it caters to an array of diverse products. Its other uses include wallets, furniture, and shoes, among others.

Vachetta leather has characteristics that set it apart from its counterparts thanks to its unique tanning process. Its natural look makes it a great addition to the classic design of several bags, shoes, boots, and sneakers.

Most of the best vachetta leathers come from the same consortium of tanneries in Tuscany, Italy.

IS VACHETTA LEATHER VEGETABLE TANNED?

Vachetta leather is made through a vegetable-tanning process, meaning that this process only uses plant-based materials instead of chemicals. This type of tanning takes several months and is the traditional way of preserving a hide. The result is a smooth, durable, and natural-looking leather that wears well with time!

HOW IS VACHETTA LEATHER MADE?

As you might have already inferred above, this unique type of leather is typical for its full-grain, uncorrected surface. However, it's also known for an even-toned and lesser-marked skin and a supple, soft, and almost silky essence. While the former comes from the youthful and carefully sourced hides, the latter is because of its high fat content, which comes from the little treatment it gets, giving it room to retain more natural fats.

Vachetta leather retains its standard quality because fattening oil is further incorporated into the leather as part of the tanning process. The added fat can be of either mineral or animal sources and results in the leather having a softer, more medium temper than other veg tan leathers that tend to be more firm.

See how to use use a pippin punch in vachetta leather for installing collar buttons when making a leather bag.

USES FOR VACHETTA LEATHER

You could have picked up specific hints on this type of leather, judging by what we discussed above. Vachetta leather is excellent for several products ranging from small leather goods to large accessories. While it is mainly associated with luxury bags, its applications are far beyond that. This type of leather is primarily becoming known for its dominance in the fashion world. Small leather goods such as sandals, wallets, and even leather bracelets come from vachetta. The leather’s durable nature also makes it ideal for briefcases and bag shoulder straps.

Being a completely vegetable-tanned product, v achetta leather is also devoid of toxic substances, lessening any allergy risk associated with the everyday use of a particular object.

Browse our line of Vachetta Leathers and show us what you make using #buckleguy