Material
Leather
Like all the materials we use, our leathers are carefully considered. Hewn is proud to work with the artisans at Horween for our goods. Located on the corner of Elston and Ashland in Chicago, a 15 minute trip from our studio, The Horween Leather Company has set the standard in quality since 1905.
Photo: Horween
Chromexcel is the original pull-up leather; using time honored techniques and formulas that were developed nearly 100 years ago. Chromexcel is still produced in the United States using a bark retannage from a proprietary recipe, and then genuine hot stuffed with a secret blend of natural oils and greases. It is characterized by a rich pull-up in full aniline, hand rubbed finishes. Pull-up is defined as the temporary displacement of the oil and wax blends within the skin that cause a lightening of the leather when it is bent or pulled. Made to this day with old world craftsmanship, modern Chromexcel carries on a long history of superior comfort and durability.
Latigo leather is a leather that has been tanned using a combination of chrome and vegetable tanning, which has been hot stuffed with oils and fat liquors, resulting in a rigid, but very pliable leather. This gives it great strength, but also great flexibility. Latigo does not have the distinctive pull-up that chromexcel exhibits, giving it a more clean monolithic appearance.
Photo: Horween
Thread
Thread is not only a functional component, but contributes to the overall aesthetics. All our hand stitching is performed using Barbour's 5 cord flax linen thread. Barbour was founded in 1784 by a Scot, John Barbour. Their home-spun Irish yarn gained a huge reputation for quality over decades and was used for just about everything from stitching up humans on the operating tables to parachute cord.
Barbour's Flax Thread is one of the strongest natural threads, twisted from the stalk of the flax plant. This is the traditional choice of thread for saddlery and luxury goods. The combination of this material and the wax/rosin coating that I apply produces a strong, resilient, and durable stitch. During the hand stitching process the wax solidifies inside the leather, this permanently locks each stitch in place. Waxed linen thread is rot resistant and is able to remain functional even if one or more stitches are worn down.
Hand saddle stitching is used for its mechanical properties, offering distinct advantages over a machine stitch. The lock stitch produced by a sewing machine is really two threads running in parallel. Once a thread breaks, the stitch unravels and the seam comes apart. The process of saddle stitching is more durable. Using two harness needles at the same time employs two threads that alternate sides and actually create two lines of stitching. If one of them breaks, the remaining stitch line holds the piece together and the seam is unaffected.
Zipper
The zip fastener is not the brainchild of a single, brilliant inventor – rather, it is the product of a long development process, spanning several decades. The first known introduction came into existence in 1851. Elias Howe, USA, registered the first patent regarding a closure device consisting of two reinforcements that were sewn onto the borders of each of two items of clothing that were to be joined to one another.
RiRi is the choice for many luxury bag makers and leather workers for one reason, they are meticulously crafted and beautifully designed. RiRi was established in an old pasta factory outside of Mendrisio, Switzerland in 1936 by inventor Dr. Martin O. Winterhalter. He was the first person who managed to create a good zip fastener without violating the preceding zipper patent. His Rinne-Rippe (groove-rib) patent spurred the launch of his companies in Germany and various other European countries. Famous for their smooth and tight fastenings RiRi zippers open and close easy and steady with small teeth which are attractive for manufacturers looking for a minimalist aesthetic.
