Most bag descriptions say “genuine leather” and stop there, which tells you almost nothing. Genuine leather is a grade, and it is the third one down. What actually determines how a bag looks in five years is which layer of the hide it came from and how it was tanned. This page explains both in plain terms so you can choose on something real.

The four grades, worst to best

Bonded leather is leather dust mixed with glue and pressed onto a backing. It peels. Avoid it at any price.

Genuine leather is a real but low layer of the hide, split off below the grain, usually with a fake grain embossed on top. It is soft at first and then it cracks, because the strong fibres were in the layer above.

Top grain is the top layer with the surface sanded and refinished to remove marks. It is even, predictable and it does not develop much patina, because the part that would have aged was sanded off.

Full grain is the top layer with nothing removed. It keeps the scars, the pores and the insect marks, it is the strongest part of the hide, and it is the only one that genuinely improves with use. Everything we make is full grain unless a product page says otherwise.

Tanning changes as much as grade

After the grade comes the tannage, which is the chemistry that turns skin into leather. Vegetable tanning uses tree bark over weeks and produces a firm hide that darkens dramatically in sunlight and takes a deep patina. Chrome tanning takes a day, produces a softer and more colour stable hide, and is what most fashion leather is. Neither is cheating. They suit different bags, and a structured satchel and a slouchy hobo genuinely want different tannages.

The finishes we offer

• Full grain — the default across the range, marks and softens, best long term.
• Vegetable tanned — firm, darkens most, for people who want visible ageing.
• Top grain — even and predictable, stays close to how it looked new.
• Pebbled — textured grain that hides scratches, the practical choice for daily carry.
• Distressed — arrives with character already in it, so new marks disappear into it.
• Black leather — the finish that changes least, for anyone who wants year five to look like year one.

Choosing, in one line each

If you want the bag to tell a story, choose vegetable tanned. If you want it to look the same for a decade, choose black. If you are hard on your things, choose pebbled. If you are not sure, choose full grain in a mid brown, which is the most forgiving combination we sell.