Italian Hide ‘Cammello’
A traditionally made, fully vegetable tanned quarter cow hide. The hides are sourced in Scandinavia then tanned, dyed and finished in Tuscany, Italy.
The leather is drum dyed to the classic ‘Cammello’ colour of a warm and pale tan shade, so typically used by the great mid-century furniture makers of Scandinavia. Absolutely no other finishes are applied to the top of this leather so it has a beautiful untouched natural satin surface. Natural marks, such as fat wrinkles and scars will be found across each piece creating non-uniform patterns and impressions, the hallmark of genuine leather. This leather is pale in colour and with time will darken in shade significantly as it is exposed to sunlight (which can be seen on one of our photographs). It will also build depth with a wonderfully rich, and often shiny patina over time, as it gets marked and scratched with wear and tear.
This is a leather that can be chosen if you a looking for a distressed, old leather or vintage look as although it starts off relatively uniform when new, the characteristics of old and vintage leather genuinely build naturally with time as you use the leather. This can be quite quick if the wear and tear is aggressive! This is a very natural product and so scratches and contact with oil and grease will be immediately noticeable.
This leather has no stretch and is suited to upholstery of simple shapes and smooth panels, such as dining room chairs and seat panels. Due to this leather’s stiffer handle we advise deep buttoning and complicated shapes must only be attempted by the most capable upholsterers.
Leather Care
Leather is a strong material and should be lived with, used and enjoyed. In general it’s best to take a relaxed approach and let marks and stains build up to create an overall picture of patination and wear.
If you want a perfectly uniform and consistent look choose a mass-produced commercially sprayed leather!
We choose not to apply any further treatment such as stain resistance which is essentially a plastic coating applied on top. We try to supply our materials with a minimal amount of finishes applied, avoiding unnecessary chemicals.
All leather will naturally mellow and fade with exposure to daylight. The most drastic fading happens where the intensity of light is very strong and exposure occurs over long periods of time.
Contact with water (or other liquids) will mark the leather and over time build a unique patina and weathered look. Be mindful that spills and marks are impossible to remove. Choosing one of our very dark coloured leathers is the simplest strategy if you want to avoid a potential look of heavy patination and marking.
Claims, returns or exchanges
Claims of any kind will not be accepted once the leather has been cut. It is essential that the customer has checked their leather for colour, quality and quantity before cutting. Howe will not accept any claim for problems arising from leather subjected to further treatments for flame-retardancy, stain proofing etc.
Damaged goods
Any requests for returns or exchanges of goods damaged in delivery must be raised with Howe within 14 days of delivery. Any claims made after that period will not be accepted. If a longer claim period is required due to exceptional circumstances we must be informed prior to payment of the invoice. All damage claims need to be supported with photographic evidence. In these cases Howe will cover the costs of delivery and collection to and from the customer and either an exchange or a full refund will be given.
Cancelled orders or ‘change of heart’
Requests for returns or exchanges of goods due to customer ordering errors, over-ordering or a change of heart must be raised with Howe within 6 months of delivery or collection. Any claims made after that period has elapsed will not be accepted. In these cases Howe is not liable for return costs. It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure that the goods are returned in perfect condition, rolled and not folded, and within a reasonable time-frame. Creases caused by the leather being folded renders it unsaleable and therefore skins that are creased or damaged in any other way while being returned will not be accepted for credit.
Leather returns must be sent to our studio address in Camberwell, London. We will exchange the leather for another selection, from the same batch where possible, but we can make no guarantee that this selection will be more suitable than the last. Photos and CFAs cannot be deemed a reliable representation of a whole selection, or even a single skin, so we do not supply them. We therefore advise that you come to the studio in person with your panel sizes or templates to approve the selection yourself.
Panel Size Information
These cow hide leather pieces are cut from the butt of the hide as this section provides beautifully even-textured leather. When new, faint shave lines from the underside of the leather can sometimes be visible across the panels. With time and use these naturally fade away, and we often find that the handling of the leather by your upholsterer is enough for these lines to mellow and fade away.
Skin sizes vary widely within a batch. These measurements represent an average sized skin.
Details
- Name: Italian Hide
- Colour: Cammello
- Animal: Cow
- Thickness: 1.0 to 1.2mm
- Minimum order: 1 piece
- Pieces range from: 8 to 14 sq ft
- Average piece size: 11 sq ft
- Price: £38.40 per square foot, including UK VAT
For trade enquiries and to request complimentary samples, please contact us at howe@36bournestreet.com
Ordering
If you’d like to place an order just tell us the number of skins or the square footage you require.
We will select pieces from the same batch, but we cannot accommodate further selection requirements.
Please note that CFAs are not applicable for leather, because tone, colour and grain texture vary from batch to batch, skin to skin and even within a single skin. Similarly it is very hard to accurately capture these qualities in photos so we do not, as a rule, supply photos of leather selections.
We encourage you to come to our studio in Camberwell, London and select the skins yourself from our current stock if you are worried about suitability for your job.
We’re happy to ship anywhere in the world! Customs duties and taxes may apply if purchasing from outside the UK and we cannot predict these charges. Please account for these and be prepared to pay them upon delivery.
Please see our full terms for more information.
