Where to begin! Sheepskin is quite simply one of Mother Nature's perfect creations. No other natural or man-made fiber possesses the virtues of 100% sheepskin. The unique combination of the sheep's leather skin on one side and wool fur on the other offer remarkable properties:
Ounce for ounce, sheepskin is stronger than steel.
wool does not shed, because it's attached to the skin. It isn't woven and then brushed up, like wool pile fabric that is loose enough to be pulled out or worn off. Sheepskin wool is embedded into the leather.
Highly resistant to snags, tears, wrinkles, soiling and pilling.
Due to the leather/wool combination it never sags, always retaining its shape.
Static-free.
Flame resistant.
Wind-proof.
Retains heat, even when wet.
Acts as a natural moisturizer due to the high content of lanolin in the wool.
Water resistant. The seeded (or wool) side of the skin is naturally water resistant. We do, however, recommend treating/spraying the leather side with a high quality treatment.
Washable
Most sheepskin products can be gently hand- or machine-washed.
Organic
Sheepskin is a pure organic product, unlike any other fiber in the world. Sheepskin will return, in time, to its constituent elements.
Cool in Summer and Warm in the Winter
Its fibers breathe, acting like a natural thermostat for your body. These hollow fibers can absorb up to 30% of their own weight in moisture without feeling wet, keeping you perfectly dry regardless of the weather. The free flow of air between you and the sheepskin fibers is a comforting change from the clamminess of leather and vinyl.
A Recycled Byproduct
A sheepskin pelt is only one of many byproducts of the sheep farming industry. This byproduct of the food and wool industry is tanned and used in many wonderful ways rather than being discarded. At the end of a sheep's life, nothing is wasted.
Sheepskin is one of the few raw materials that nature will never exhaust. In terms of a human's basic needs, it has incredible value as both a food source, protective clothing, and in some cultures, shelter! The fact that it is both aesthetic and ecologically sound are pure icing on the cake. Please note that the sheep from which our products are derived come primarily from herds raised for their food value rather than their hides. Sheepskin is a recycled byproduct and no endangered species skins are used in our products.
The Tanning Process
Raw Skins
The raw sheep hides are first purchased by the tannery from a raw skin dealer or meat packing house. Then they are graded, salted, packed by the raw skin dealer and then shipped to one of our premier tanneries around the world.
Washing
The hides are unpacked at the tannery and then trimmed and graded for size and quality. Next they are washed several times to clean impurities and prepare them for tanning.
Tanning
Next, the skins are chrome-tanned, a process that ensures good durability of both the wool fiber and leather backing. This process preserves the hide and allows our finished products to be washed with minimal shrinkage.
Degreasing
The next step is to degrease the skins by washing and dry-cleaning them to remove the fat liquor content from the hides. This important step in the tanning process removes unwanted odors in the finished hide and insures that the skin will remain soft and silky.
Dye
The skins are then dyed to our color specs and dried to perfection before moving on the final finishing step.
Finishing
Finally, the skin side is buffed smooth and the wool side is trimmed, brushed, and ironed to a silky finish using the best technology available. The skins are now ready to be cut and sewn to create our beautiful sheepskin products.
