WHITE LEATHER

There is one colour that stands out without even being a colour: white. White is by definition not a colour, so it dazzles, embellishes and unites. White leather can dress anyone’s feet but is also synonymous with luxury, it seems fragile but is actually very resistant: white leather makes a bridge between everyday life and high luxury. Discover in this article how leather is dyed white.

The making of white leather

In the tannery, white leather is not worked on in the same way as other leathers. The hide is not whitened, it is dyed like the other colours…although not quite like other colours: the tanning is more difficult, the range of possibilities is less vast. To obtain white leather, a vegetable tanning made from bark or plants is totally impossible as the pigments naturally dye the leather, giving it a colour that is almost brown which is impossible to turn white. For calf or goat hides, most of the time, the tanner will apply a mineral tanning, using mineral salts.

During the tanning, when it gets to the “wet blue” stage, a term used in tanneries referring to the leather just after the tanning, all the hides are blue. To obtain white leather from “wet blue”, the tanner has to use pigments during the dyeing and nourishing stages. At this wet stage of the leatherwork, there is a smaller choice of products that can be used in the dyeing of white leather. The same difficulties occur when trying to obtain pastel colours.

During the next step, which is the finishing one, the shade of white is chosen: pure white, beige, a bluey white, with a slight red…whichever white is asked for, the leather will have to have a resin finish. This keeps opacity, keeps the colour homogenous and guarantees the desired colour result. It also adds resistance to the white leather whereas waxy or oily finishes do not.

This finishing work on white leather requires great skill and precision as several coats need to be added in order to achieve a homogenous result. Resin is sticky and will attract particles in the air. It is therefore very important to make sure the leather stays clean during this stage of finishing. Once all this is finished, white leather can be worked on just like any other.

Things white leather is used for

It might seem fragile, harder to maintain and less sought after but white leather is a must, often used in small leather goods and shoes as well as furniture.

Which line of handbags does not offer a white leather option ? Leather manufacturers have made it flagship product and search for the most perfect pieces of white leather. A white full-grain calf leather highlights the lines of a bag, the beauty of its clasp, its details, shows the perfection of the item, but in a simple way. An exotic leather such as white crocodile leather has a satin aspect, it turns a product into a rare, precious and remarkable item…the epitome of luxury.

When dealing with white leather, it is impossible not to think of white leather sports shoes. The most chic pairs are worn on the green by golfers. They are made from waterproof white calf leather that has been nourished and finished to offer the best resistance while adding a touch of elegance. These trainers or sneakers are no longer only made for sport but have also made their way into fashion, the iconic model being the white leather ones. To give these comfortable and practical shoes a more precious side that they do not naturally have, a white python leather is the perfect choice.

White leather sofas and armchairs are not rare items in a furniture catalogue. Leather is considered to be a luxury coating, even more so as the shades go lighter. In interior decorating, white leather with a grained or satin finish brings light to a space as well as a certain simplicity which allows it to be added easily and makes it a luxury item. The maintenance on white leather is the same as any other colour, yet buying white leather often remains a dream, showing how much this colour can seem pure and inaccessible.

The colour white

The colour white is mostly associated with light. On a scientific level, it is the sum of all of light’s wavelengths. Put differently : add all the colours of a rainbow together and the result is….white. White can therefore be defined as highly luminous. It can be dominated by no other shade and characterised by no other colour, it is often considered to be colourless : the colour that isn’t a colour, has no pigment. It is often said that an object is whitened when the colour is being taken out.

Although not very present in nature, many natural elements are defined as white : white sand, white clay,…when they are actually beige, ivory, ecru or grey (horses are an exception, the coat that we think is white is called grey). The word white is therefore used to define anything that has a light tone, as opposed to dark objects, like in a game of draughts or chess.

White is therefore luminous, bright, light, without stains…and this gives it a highly symbolic dimension, often associated with religion. In oriental cultures, the colour white is associated with the paleness of death and mourning. In occidental cultures, it is associated with positive concepts : balance, pureness, neutrality. The perfect white of a wedding dress, symbol of pureness and innocence ; a white dove, symbol of peace, or a white flag asking for a truce.