manbefair quality Eco-leather

The word Eco is often used to point out that the product is at least less damaging to the environment than a conventional product. As can be understood in the context of manbefair bags and accessories, we would like to tell you.

The heart of a good bag is the leather. Knowing a few facts about good leather will help to point you in the right direction.   Above all, it may interest you to know what's so special about manbefair Eco-leather.

We have worked extensively with our Indian leather suppliers to develop a first-class leather, which meets both the requirements of our customers in an impressive look and feel as well as being the environmentally friendly and fair product our high standards demand. The results of this process are currently various eco-leathers, low-pollutant leathers and various colour variants.

There are two main methods of leather manufacturing. The most common form of leather tanning uses chrome and for a long time, the original and sustainable art of tanning with plant substances had almost disappeared.

The Chrome tanning process, also known as mineral tanning, is a relatively modern process that is today used to process over 90% of leather. The skins are treated in drums with a solution of sulphates, acids and salts. The advantage of this method is that it's relatively simple, and can get the desired result in one day. It is therefore cheaper than vegetable tanning. The result is a soft leather, consistent in feel and colour. The disadvantage is that it often retains a chemical smell and sometime behaves quite synthetic. If Chrome tanned leather is produced in regions with low environmental standards, then the probability is strong that the environment and human health are polluted during production.

The leather used for the production of manbefair Eco-leather bags is exclusively expensive, vegetable tanned full cowhide. Our supplier has many years of experience in producing vegetable tanned leather in the traditional way and process. The tannins come from natural tanning agents.  Thus, the use of harmful chemicals such as chromium, heavy metals, formaldehyde, short-chain chlorinated paraffin, volatile organic compounds, Alkylphenolethoxylate, etc., is avoided. Our supplier has had this independently confirmed by one of the world's leading inspection, classification and certification bodies.

The manufacturing process is very time-consuming and can take up to 8 weeks, which makes this leather more expensive. The residual waste from vegetable tanned leather can be recycled or used as fertilizer. The promotion of vegetable tanning by other manufacturers is therefore a big concern of ours.

The result of the vegetable tanning is certainly a deep, rich, natural color, a pleasant smell and a superior feel to the leather. The longer you use it, the more beautiful it is. If it is well maintained, it has the potential to develop a rich patina. Products made from this leather can be used for generations sometimes.

Another question that comes up is how in Hindu India, where cattle are still considered sacred, can cowhide be processed at all.  The cow hides that we use for our bags are all from cattle that have died either of natural causes or are part of the diet of the non-Hindu population.

The cattle hides should be of particularly high quality, because vegetable tanned leather is not as forgiving as Chrome tanned leather. In particular, because these animals are typically free-range year round and not kept indoors, there are 7 established levels of quality.  The skins used by manbefair meet the top 3 levels.

But the best skins and the best methods are useless in the wrong hands. Therefore, for our manbefair bags, we have a partner who fully controls the finishing of the leather with their own staff for the general process of natural, vegetable tanning, cutting and production of our bags to ensure fair working conditions. All management and employees in the tannery, the bag manufacturing and service and we, ourselves, are in communication with the customer as a team that wants to manufacture products for our good but also for very demanding, world class customers.  The result is fashionable products that are characterized by their manufacturing method, quality and naturalness.

The photos that we use on our site come as close as possible to the real thing. But please understand that depending on the color of your screen, the colors may vary slightly. 

Here are a few tips for leather care.