Italian Aniline Treated Leather: A Synonym Of Quality

Buyers Guide
Italian Aniline Treated Leather: A Synonym Of Quality

Italian aniline leather features

Italian aniline leather represents a timeless classic, and stands just for one thing, that we are in front of hides produced from high quality raw leather and that represent the worldwide best production in the tanning industry. In fact the main feature of aniline is its transparency, it does not hide any defect actually, in the presence of a scar or of an insect bite, aniline will emphasize it, since the color in that area will appear different, often darker. In order to be able to consider the effects of aniline on hides we have first to understand what aniline is. Aniline is an organic compound containing carbon, which is completely transparent, that allows to color leather without changing its natural look. All the features of the animal's coat are preserved including color shades, wounds that have healed and even insect bites.

Italian aniline leather

How was the leather processed in the past

In the past Italian aniline leather par excellence was cowhide, vegetable tanned, with its natural color. At the end it was used to color its surface with aniline applied by hand with a buffer or a sponge or through a spraying machine. This way of processing, of high level craftsmanship, is still nowadays a classic that is appreciated all over the world, for producing leather goods. Later, also out of the needs of shoes and leather goods shops, people started coloring leather with the drum, during the stage of tanning and dyeing. This procedure will color the whole section of the leather's width, allowing processing the edges of the finished products much easily.

A natural look

Leather colored with the drum, or with chrome tanning, finished with aniline colors, is however a product with a 100% natural look, transparent, with thick and brilliant colors. To distinguish aniline leather from a pigmented one is very easy, just look at it and it will be possible to determine what it is. As we said aniline is completely transparent while pigment produces a true film, which completely obstructs the animal's coat, producing a completely homogeneous aspect that is flat, lifeless.