Leather

There are substances, materials, and objects, however few and far between in today’s world of fast gratification and in-and-out of fashion goods, which improve with age – mature along with the passage of time, transform, acquire unique depth, intensity, and finish. Such is the case where good wine and quality wood, used both for furniture and exquisite musical instruments, are concerned, and such is the case with leather. High quality leather ages gracefully and serenely – it absorbs the traces of our lives and keeps telling its ever transforming and vivid story. The natural aging process does not compromise its quality in the slightest, but instead adds a layer of depth, melancholy, and personal expression.

At OCULT we create our products from high-quality leather with a natural finish – vegetable-tanned leather and full grain leather.

All the vegetable-tanned leather we use in our bags, wallets and other daily-use products comes from Italy and is sourced from animals reared exclusively for meat production. We only use smooth pieces of vegetable-tanned leather, and we allow the unique features of each piece to determine the texture and surface pattern of the object it will be turned into. The leather has natural and clearly visible pores and scars, as well as variations in colour, which we consider to be unique features, clearly deserving to be preserved in order to create exquisite products, each unlike anything else in the market.

The vegetable-tanned leather we use undergoes a process of tanning – a craft which has been practiced for millennia and which today combines the best of ancient traditions and modern, cutting-edge technologies, introduced to make the process environmentally friendly.

The full grain leather we us is sourced from a sustainable-leather producer DANI. DANI has in place systems for managing and recovering natural resources and the waste produced in all the production cycles. We value our collaboration with this company, since for them sustainability clearly means more than just satisfying the legal limits set by the industry. It is not just that they follow guidelines – they continuously look for innovative solutions to favour the environment and the people who work for the company. The full grain leather we source from them is an exceptionally soft type of material, and, unlike vegetable-tanned leather, it does not have scars and pores on its surface.

Canvas

Waxed canvas fabric or waxed cotton originated in the early 15th century when it was developed by sailors, who began treating sailcloth with fish oils and grease. They did this to waterproof the sails and keep them light, while the remaining sailcloth was used to produce the sailors’ capes and crude pieces of clothing, which, in turn, could withstand the winds and sea water, and keep the sailors warm. The idea was eventually picked up by the outdoor industry, where waxed jackets were initially produced for farmers and gamekeepers. Long since these initial appearances, the demand for the classical outerwear fabric has steadily been growing. It is no longer just its weatherproof quality that makes waxed canvas fabric so appealing and so regular an appearance in outerwear collections of leading clothing brands, but also its’ aesthetic appeal.

While majority of OCULT’S products will be made of vegetable-tanned and full grain leather, it is our great pleasure to give a nod to the unique material with an equally unique history and purpose that is waxed canvas. Some of our products will be made out of canvas fabric, and specifically that which is produced by the legendary British Millerain, a company which pioneered the development of waxed cotton.