Our leather selections explained below are our standard colors that we always keep in stock!

We have many more leathers to be viewed in store. If you are seeking a particular color, feel free to reach out and ask!

Latigo Leathers

Latigo Leathers are thick, belt-weight leather that are tanned using vegetable tannins and stuffed with oils and wax for a durable finish. This leather is best used for strap-based designs and can easily last 80-120 years when cared for properly. Our latigo leaher is both full-grain and top-grain leather (meaning it uses the full dermis). This leather will not stretch, crumble, nor peel and may patina (darken in color) with age (especially the undyed color).

For care, we suggest saddle soap and Huberds once-to-twice a year.

Oil Tan Leather

Oil tan leathers are made with chromium tannins and hot-stuffed with oils and waxes for a soft-ish yet durable leather. This leather can be used for a wide range of items – from straps to bag to boot manufactoring. Our oil tan leathers are top-grain (meaning it uses the best part of the dermis). Oil tan leathers will change color as you move in them (commonly called “pull-up” leather) and in strap form, may stretch and curl slightly.

Best cared for with Saddle Soap or Huberds once a year – but be careful, these darken quickly with oils!

Garment Leathers “Trifold” 3/4oz

These leathers are aniline dyed and tanned with chromium, for a thin flexible leather that can be used in jacket, bag, and shoe production. We stock two main “styles”; Butterball – known for a smooth grain and buttery feel, and Pheonix – has a larger grain and more durable finish.

Turning garment leathers into straps requires folding the leather thrice and stitching down the sides. This process is more expensive as it uses more leather and time.

For care, we suggest Huberds once-to-twice a year. Metallic leathers will fade with time and can be helped by metallic shoe creams.

What does strapping look like?

We realize that it can be confusing to understand what all these leathers will look like once they’re made into your custom item!

To make a garment leather into something we can use for a standalone strap (such as our Wrap Strap) or a backing (such as for a Double Layered Collar), we usually turn it into a “trifold”. This means that we take that leather, fold it in thirds and sew up and down the length of the strap! The result is a very durable, super soft and pliable strap, without having to “break it in”. This process is more expensive as it uses more leather and time.

To make a latigo or oil tan into something we can use for a strap (such as our LeatherDyke Suspenders in Oil Tan/Latigo or our X/Bulldog Harness), we cut a strap straight off the hide, in the width and length we need. No additional work is required to make it thicker, though we do sometimes split down straps to make them thinner! For latigos, all edges are beveled and sealed. No edge treatment is added to oil-tan leathers.

Want a Different Color?

Email us! Sometimes we’ll already have it in stock as a one-off leather. This usually adds $15 to your order.

If you want us to order in a full hide for your project, we have hundreds to choose from. A custom hide would add $300-400 to your order.

What about Suede? 

Technically, suede* is the underside or membrane side of leather. All our garment leathers can be reversed for a suede finish. Please specifiy with your order as our default is to present the smooth-side out. Suede leather are best cleaned with suede brushes or suede blocks.

*A suede split refers to when maufactorers split hides in half and then re-sell the bottom half of the leather. These are thinner, worse quality and cheaper.