Genuine Leather
Our raw material
Our Leather
Di Berardino uses exclusively leather from the Genuine Italian Vegetable-Tanned Leather Consortium.
Our leather tells who we are, where we come from and the choices we have made: the life we have lived.
The Consortium
The Genuine Italian Vegetable-Tanned Leather Consortium is a non-profit organisation that works to safeguard the centuries-old tradition of vegetable tanning, protect a typically Tuscan product, guarantee the quality of the raw material and workmanship, and promote the know-how of Tuscan tanners worldwide.
Today more than 20 tanneries belong to the Consortium, all located in the Tuscan tanning district between the provinces of Florence and Pisa: the only Italian district producing high-quality vegetable-tanned leather. A completely natural leather that takes time and craftsmanship to become a blend of technology and tradition.
Why vegetable tanning
Natural
The leather is tanned with tannins extracted from bark and wood, in a slow process that respects the fibre of the material.
Unique
Grain, shading and small irregularities make every piece different: they are the mark of an authentic material.
Better with time
With use the leather develops a warm, personal patina: as it ages it gains charm and character.
Certified
Every product made with Consortium leather comes with a numbered guarantee tag.
The guarantee tag
The guarantee tag certifies the origin, the expert workmanship and the natural quality of the vegetable-tanned leather produced by the Consortium tanneries.
Each tag is printed with anti-counterfeiting techniques and carries a progressive serial number that allows the Consortium to identify, at any time and anywhere in the world, both the tannery that supplied the leather and the maker of the product. The trademark may only be used by companies, like Di Berardino, that buy their leather from member tanneries.
Those who choose Tuscan vegetable-tanned leather are not only looking for quality and value, but for an emotion that grows day after day with use.
How to care for your leather
- Avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight and direct heat sources.
- If the item gets wet, pat it dry with a soft cloth and let it dry naturally, away from radiators and hair dryers.
- Nourish the leather from time to time with a neutral leather cream applied with a soft cloth.
- When not in use, store it in a cotton dust bag and fill it with paper to keep its shape.
- Remember: small marks and colour variations are natural features of vegetable-tanned leather.
Source: Genuine Italian Vegetable-Tanned Leather Consortium – pellealvegetale.it