How Are Leather Briefcases Made?

The leather industry is one of the world’s largest and most profitable ventures. Leather products are widely used in our day-to-day lives. Most of our shoes, bags, wallets, and jackets come from leather. Good quality briefcases are also made from leather. 

Leather briefcases are popular among lawyers and corporate personnel. It conveniently adds a sleek and professional look and is very functional too. A good leather briefcase can store important documents and even carry a laptop for work. And if you are curious as to how these leather briefcases are made, below is a brief background of the steps that are involved. 

• Separating Animal Hide

Leather is created by removing the skin from animals such as Cattle, Ox, Horses, and Hogs. The removed skin from these animals is separated into two categories. The first type is known as the hide, which has been tanned under the sunlight. The second type is called suede, which is made by removing the outer layer of the animal’s skin using chemicals or heat. Each category has a different texture or feel to it, and both can be used as a base to create leather products such as Von Baer Bags.

• Leather Tanning

There are two types of leather tanning: natural and artificial. Natural tanning involves treating the animal hides with oils such as Coconut or Castor Oil. On the other hand, artificial leather tanning is achieved by exposing the hides to UV rays in a tanning facility. This is not the most acceptable method, because it cannot preserve the natural colour of the hides.

Some manufacturers dye their hides in an effort to achieve that natural tanned colour for their laptop bags, wallets, and other leather products. These include full-grain leather, cattle hide, vegetable-tanned leather, and other fabrics that are treated with colourings. 

The top manufacturers of leather products include countries like Africa, Australia, and India. Each of these regions has its unique tanning methods. They also use several ingredients to give the leather a specific quality. These ingredients include grease, wax, and resin. Most of the leather products you find in the market today are already blended with a few of these ingredients.

• Leather Enhancing

Tannins are an additional ingredient that are used to make leather harder and more durable. They also add a sweet smell to the leather, which many people like. Waxes can be used to add a shine to the leather and make it more lustrous as you can see from most bags, shoes, and briefcases. Creams and fats are often used to give leather products a longer life span. 

• Ethical Concerns 

The leather industry has been plagued with ethical concerns during the past decades. That’s because hunting and skinning wild animals like Alligators and Crocodiles became an industry-wide practice. 

Due to public pressure, however, leather manufacturers switched to a more sustainable process of creating their products. Hence, companies that aim for sustainable fashion only uses the hair and hide of dead farm animals to manufacture leather. 

• Mass Production

Many manufacturers take advantage of advanced methods and technology that can help them mass-produce leather products daily. But if you want to acquire good quality leather, you must be mindful of the processes and methods that were used in making them. Sometimes, leather manufacturers are just concerned about the quantity, and not the quality of the products they sell. 

So, if you want to make sure that you get a quality leather product, you should avoid those that were made from synthetic tanning hides. Briefcases that are made through artificial tanning methods are usually quality compromised. Try to be more circumspect when you are purchasing from a certain brand. Always read the fine print, and research the methods they use on creating their leather products.

Conclusion

The quality of a leather briefcase can’t be compromised by cutting corners during the tanning process. You need to make sure that you are purchasing a leather briefcase that has gone through the natural process of tanning because that is the best route to maintain quality. 

A leather briefcase is a favourite among professionals because it is functional, sleek, fashionable, and easy to clean. You just need a damp cloth to clean or wipe the briefcase to keep it clean and shiny on the daily. If you want to keep it in good shape, you can apply your briefcase with wax once in a while. 

Apart from being durable and strong, leather briefcases are also water-resistant, making them a good choice for a lot of people. This makes it quite universal in function and use. While a briefcase can be used for work, it can also withstand harsh conditions of outdoor adventures.