Full grain, vegetable-tanned leather is in a class on its own. Unlike the materials filled with chemicals that we are used to, veg-tanned leather actually ages; it scratches; it bears the scars of life. It reveals imperfections. But it does so in a way that leans towards eternity: time doesn’t beat it down, it ennobles it. Like a fine wine, it will only improve with age. Yet it’s not for everyone: if you are looking for a sleek, sanitized, glossy product, this may not be for you. Vegetable-tanned leather breathes life; it’s both vulnerable and strong, sensitive to its environment and incredibly resilient, changing over time. It is durable, sensual and tough. If this describes who you are or what you are seeking, then you may enter this old, new world.

“A single step away from the source can only lead one astray” — Masanobu Fukuoka, “The One-Straw Revolution”

My father taught me the craft, but at the end we are different. He was masterfully creating objects for an immediate use; I create objects that have a story to tell, not only a practical purpose to fulfill. Enhancing what Nature has already created rather than transforming it is what I am after. —All photos below ©Frederic Vigne.