Jamie Moore

The Leather Guide

This thesis focuses on an unpopular subject in fashion – the manufacturing of leather.

Jamie was provoked by the horrific data she gathered on the topic of leather manufacturing. As a novice leatherworker and environmentalist, she was determined to share this with consumers and makers of leather goods to enable educated decision making about materials.

In the era of fast fashion, almost anyone who supports the counter fast fashion movement can tell you the difference between the environmental impact of organic cotton versus non-organic cotton. Why then are the differences between vegetable-tanned leather, chrome-tanned leather, and synthetic leathers so obscured?

Is the leather in a designer purse that shows, made in Italy, tanned in Italy, or tanned in Vietnam and stitched in Italy? Is it vegetable-tanned, chrome-tanned, or combination tanned?

The widely held belief that all genuine leather products are superior to faux leather, and that all genuine leather products are equal in quality – merely because they’re labeled as genuine – shows that the general public is under-informed on this topic. Shedding light on this topic is the aim of The Leather Guide.