From wood to color - dyeing with plants

We keep getting messages from people asking us why we use real leather to make our products. They say it's not sustainable, but, in fact, it is very sustainable. We only use local skins that would otherwise have to be burned - a complete waste of resources in an already resource strapped world. 

These are natural resources that are produced when meat or dairy products are made. Just like the animal skins, other by-products are also produced, such as collagen, which is used to make gelatin. Gelatin, in turn, is used in the production of food and pharmaceuticals.

With as much thought as we put into producing our leather, we also try to make our bags and accessories in a way that utilizes existing resources and uses as few chemicals as possible. For the production of our collars, for example, we have made a conscious decision to use undyed linings and to dye them with plant extracts. This is because textiles today are dyed almost exclusively with synthetically produced dyes. These are largely made from fossil fuels and are problematic for humans and the environment, but are released into the world's water systems in large quantities outside Europe. The dyeing of the textiles we consume in Switzerland therefore causes enormous damage to people and their environment in faraway producing countries. However, fabrics can also be dyed with natural extracts derived from plants, which of course was done in our country until a few hundred years ago.

Anne from @yellowobjects has been dyeing with plants for a few years, currently still at home in her kitchen, but soon in a small dye house to be able to process larger quantities. Together with her, we defined two shades and made various attempts to arrive at the desired colors. 

To get the delicate pink-brown, Anne used the fallen branches of an old cherry tree that stands in the garden of a farm in the Bernese Oberland. The colors were fixed using tannins from oak galls and mordant salt. We are thrilled with the color and the possibilities offered by unused natural materials.