Leather Selection

Leather selection is perhaps the part of my work that requires the most experience and produces the most significant differences in the final result. Choosing the type of leather isn't enough — you need to choose the right piece of that leather. Every leather is a natural material and as such is variable. Two pieces from the same calfskin, the same tannery, the same batch can have slightly different texture, softness and response to dyeing. The craftsman's task is to recognise these differences before cutting — selecting the piece with the right characteristics for that specific strap. The criteria I use for selection: grain uniformity in the cutting area, absence of natural marks (scars, excessive veining) that could compromise durability, response to flexing, thickness measured with a micrometre in the areas that will bear the most stress (the holes, the stitching, the ends). It isn't a quick process — but it's what separates a strap that lasts twenty years from one that deteriorates after two. For exotic leathers the selection is even more critical. The alligator's belly area has different scales from the back area. The centre of stingray skin has different beads from the edges. Python has scales that vary in size along its length. Every cut is a decision — and every decision has consequences for the finished strap.