MATERIALS
Some notes on the leather used at Louise Goods:
Around 2018 I was introduced to an Italian tannery by the name of Conceria Walpier out of Florence, Italy. We at Louise Goods have historically worked with sides of leather - picture a cow, side view. That belly/ankle situation at the bottom tends to get stretchy, with fibers not as compressed as what we see in the shoulder/back/butt of the cow. We recently switched over to double shoulders - cow again, but a bird's eye view, and shoulder region. A smaller cut, but there is less waste! And no stretchy bits - these fibers are tight. Consistent, with minimal scarring. You still get a bit of grain of the neck in parts of the leather, which are my personal favorite - but only a few pieces per hide will feature this grain, because it only reaches across a portion of the leather. Over the last few years I've observed that my clients lean towards a matte leather - my friends, I heard you, and this is your holy grail. We got you matte!
I also want to comment on the range of color the Italians pull off - the jewel tones they achieve take my breath away. This is a vegetable tanned full grain leather - and the color is struck the whole way through - to the point where I chose not to "ink the edges". The burnished edges in our collection feature a clear burnish, which allows the gorgeous flesh side to give you a pop of color beneath the top side. This was all intentional. Man, I love leather. This was a cow! Who lived! And died, I might add, for the meatpacking industry. Did I mention this is an upcycle? If we don't make leather out of the leftover flesh, it gets burned. In acid. In the ground. My friends, I implore you, if you want to wear leather sustainably, shop specifically for leathers made as meatpacking byproduct. Honor the whole animal by using it, rather than wasting it.
The patina that develops over time is worth a glance. When I sell these in person, I think the Emerald patina example that I show everyone skews the sales into the Emerald's favor, because the patina is that impressive. If you're reading this the day of our launch, I promise to get you patina examples of all 5 colors over the next few months. For now, enjoy this glimpse of our Emerald Osbornes in action!
top to bottom:
brand new Emerald Osborne
12 month patina
18 month patina
Some helpful advice when selecting a color:
Natural
A true natural vegetable tanned leather, which will darken with age. A niche choice; has a cult following similar to raw denim. Basically, if you know, you know. Keep in mind this pink color will not be around long - it really does begin to darken within the first week or two, and the speed of color change relates to how much sun it sees, how much you touch it, and if you oil it regularly (you can, but don't lose sleep over it). No two pieces will age the same - if you and your friend both bought a wallet in this leather, in a year or so, they'll look different. If you're into the experience of the journey, this is the leather for you. Also, of all the vachettas, carving leathers, and general natty veg I've worked with, this one darkens the fastest. If you need patina and need it now - you will not be disappointed by this Natural veg!
Tan
A classic. Safe for gifting, safe across genders, this gorgeous tan doesn't get old. You really can't go wrong with this one. It is the classic, go-to leather color, and we couldn't not include it in our line up! Heads up - is the first time we're seeing styles like the Palmetto in this color! I'm gonna go ahead and tell you that in terms of brown, this lands on the yellow side of orange, and I personally prefer the depth that this color brings to the table. I know I keep telling you how great the Italians are, but like, this is a complex tan. I don't know how they do it.
Bordeaux
A gorgeous alternative to dark brown leather, and a great option for someone who already has their black & brown pieces established in their personal collection. To be honest, when I unrolled this color, I was not immediately moved by the Bordeaux. It wasn't until I saw it made into actual pieces with thread and hardware that I understood the mystique embodied by this positively divine plum color. The highs and lows of the pigment are brought forth in the shadows of pockets and folds, and seeing it next to brass hardware - the purple/gold secondary complementary color dynamic - wow, this is the one. I can't wait to see how the patina builds on this color, and if the Emerald's any indicator - she has a future ahead of her. !
Emerald
The bottom line here - the Italians have nailed jewel tones in vegetable tanned leather! This stuff is breathtaking. Emerald started out as a holiday drop in 2018, then became the best seller when it was added to the line in 2022. This particular green is having a moment, but for good reason. !
Black
You can't go wrong with a black leather wallet, honestly. A staple for many, this particular black leather is SUPER MATTE, per your requests, and will patina noticeably, with the oils from the leather rising to the top to bring a natural shine to its surface. If you need a black wallet, there is only one option here, and it's a no-brainer.
For a few notes on leathercare, head here!
Re: Thread --
I've used a variety of threads over the course of my career as a leatherworker and am a big fan of Ritza 25, aka Tiger Thread. This is a flat polyester braid that functions a little differently than a traditional 3-4-5-6-7 ply twist, in that the filaments of the thread are actually braided together instead of just twisted. It's harder to break these stitches at stress points because of the nature of the thread construction. For unseen stitches with less pressure points, I am currently using Vinymo, which is a tiny twist with a slimmer profile. This contributes to flatter pockets, which keeps the profile of the wallet nice and slim.
And last, but certainly not least, hardware:
We use a lot of brass. Brass is an alloy that can have different ratios of copper/zinc which can change the warmth of the color of the brass. I work hard when sourcing hardware to keep the brass matching per piece, so I work with multiple sources to ensure that it looks great on the finished product, be it a backpack or a keychain. Brass is also great for folks with nickel allergies!
I frequently pair copper rivets with brass hardware - mixed metals can be really beautiful and this is no exception. Copper rivets are also technically stronger than the brass and nickel "jiffy" rivets, but this is kind of like comparing a Ferrari and a BMW - one may be marginally fancier/stronger than the other, but they'll both get you where you need to go without the wheels falling off (or your rivets popping off).
For zippers - Riri, 100%, unless otherwise specified in a one-off piece. Riri zippers are really smooth, the teeth are well-polished, and the zipper pull options are really high quality.