Our Leather

Photo Credit: Leather4Craft

We pride ourselves in using the very best quality true luxury leather. We love how it smells, feels and looks! Leather should smell beautiful, feel soft and buttery and look incredible, with natural grains and variations.

These leathers will show vein marks, minor scratches, and variations in colour and grain. We can't emphasise enough that these are not defects. Here at DD Practical, we embrace the natural characteristics of the leather which are, in fact, considered the hallmark of true artisan-grade leathers.

You should expect your leather product to change with use, as it takes in the oils from your skin and develops a patina.

To quote Dr Mike Redwood (opens in a new tab), a world renowned Leather Industry consultant,"it doesn't wear out, it wears in."

If these leathers are not to your taste, we do have other options available through our Leather supplier. Please get in touch to discuss your requirements.

Please Note: Colours may vary slightly due to the differences in screen technology and variations between dye batches.

Leather Ranges

  • Our CountrySoft range is a vegetable re-tanned, waxy pull-up full-grain Leather. It is a heavyweight leather, tanned within Europe on heavy Ox hides to ‘Reach’ standards. Widely known as a ‘Crazy Horse’ type of leather.

    This leather is buttery soft to the touch, but tough. It’s important to note that this leather will pick up marks and scratches easier than other leathers. This is called a patina and is a highly coveted feature for leather lovers.

    We would recommend Pueblo or Buttero for those who don't like marks.

  • Badalassi Carlo Pueblo is a rugged yet elegant vegetable tanned full-grain leather.

    Rubbing the leather with a dry cloth can change the look instantly, making it darker and smoother. The more you use your leather products, the more ‘lived in’ look you’ll achieve.

    A world renowned leather tannery based in Tuscany, Italy, Badalassi Carlo is a proud member of the Consorzio Vera Pella Italiana. They produce their exquisite leather using traditional methods.

  • Walpier Buttero is famous across the globe for it's super smooth vegetable tanned full-grain leather.


    Buttero has a matt finish with a firm feel and is resin backed - great for belts and bags. This leather will patina over time, ageing gracefully throughout its life.


    A world renowned leather tannery based in Tuscany, Italy, Conceria Walpier is a proud member of the Consorzio Vera Pella Italiana. They produce their exquisite leather using traditional methods.

Customisation

We handstitch everything using Handmade Linen Meisi thread from Pro Atelier Plus. Available in 14 colours, this is natural waxed linen thread which does not melt or swell when wet and is resistant to deformation and stretching.

Combined with top quality fixings and fastenings, we can create a multitude of Practical Leathercrafts that truly are unique and personal to you. Fancy a bright Purple notebook cover with Bright Pink stitching? You got it! 

We are always discovering top quality and practical hardware so we have lots of options available. Where possible we try to source Stainless Steel or Brass Cast hardware - it costs more but it will last longer.

Part of Leather UK!

We work together with Leather UK - the trade association for the UK Leather industry, to help protect and promote the industry. We are trying to tackle the misinformation and falsehoods about leather and we are proactive in educating consumers.

There is a misconception that animals are reared for their hides which in turn affects the environment around us. This simply isn't true in the UK.

We are participating in the LEATHER FOR LIFE initiative, which is there to educate everyone about the sustainability of Leather.

Leather UK has created incredibly helpful and easy to understand videos, infographics and FAQs to help us to educate everyone about the Leather Industry.

Photo credit: Fish2Commercial

Leather Care

Will my product get damaged?

Leather is skin and it can get damaged just like our skin can.

If you leave it out in the sun, it will get sunburnt, change colour and dry out. If you drop it on the path, it will get scratched up or grazed.

Just as our skin needs a little TLC to thrive, so does leather.

Does leather mark?

Our CountrySoft and Badalassi leather ranges will pick up more marks than other leathers which have been treated to keep a uniform look. What we love about our leather is that it will develop its own character every single day that you use it. It quite literally grows with you. Everyone is unique and has their own tastes so it's up to you how you care for your leather. Some people like their leather untreated and let it get scratched up and absorb the oils in their skin. Others prefer to give it a little condition now and again.

Leather UK have provided a really in-depth guide to Caring for Leather (opens in a new tab) which is really worth having a gander at.

I've read leather can tarnish metal hardware?

We prefer the term 'patina' but yes, if hardware is constantly in contact with leather, it will patina. It doesn't get rusty or anything, it just darkens the metal and it can develop marks.

We learnt that the hard way very early on in the business.

We did discover however, that metal polish and a lint free cloth works wonders at cleaning up the hardware and making it shiny again. We personally use Austosol Metal Polish.

Don't Do's

Don't clean your leather products before first establishing what kind of leather it is. You can take the Leather UK Interactive Quiz (opens in a new tab) to work out which type of leather you have and the recommended products to use.

Don't use household products or tips off the internet to clean your leather products. Not all leather is the same and some cleaning products could cause extensive damage.

We don't advise putting leather in the washing machine, however, we have two customers confirm they put CountrySoft Leather products in their machine at 40 degrees (accidentally) and they came out unscathed! The dye did run a little onto something white which is now pink.