Leather Sourcing in Italy

Earlier this year we travelled to Florence, Italy to attend Pitti Uomo 92, one of the largest menswear exhibitions in the world.  With a free day before setting up at the show, we rented a car and headed west towards Pisa and the small town of Santa Croce.  At only 17 square kilometres Santa Croce manages to house over 400 leather tanneries and factories.  This riverside town has a deep rooted history in the leather industry and is responsible for producing more than three-quarters of all the leather used in Europe today.  In a single afternoon spent in Santa Croce and and the surrounding areas we were able to visit manufacturers of nearly every component involved in the shoe making process.  Follow along with us as we buy materials for the upcoming season and give you a behind the scenes look at some of Italy’s best leather showrooms, factories and tanneries.