For over a hundred years, Horween Leather Company has been offering the best leather in the industry, and they proudly claim that they haven’t changed their techniques for over a century.
In the previous century, the human species developed new methods and techniques to reduce cost and improve efficiency in almost all fields. However, Horween Leather Company has strictly adhered to their traditional methods of leather creations and tanning.
What Does Horween Leather Company Do?
Horween Leather Company is an American corporation which specializes in the manufacturing and refining of leather and related products. It was founded in 1905 in the city of Chicago, and to this day, it is located in Chicago. It is among the oldest and continuously running tanneries in the United States of America.
Isadore Horween started the company in 1905, and the leadership of the company has been passed down to the generations. The 5th generation of Horweens is currently in command of the foundation.
Horween Leather Company provides high quality, naturally tanned leather made from cowhide. The raw hide is taken from the animals, salted to eliminate deterioration, dried and then the hair is removed with the help of chemicals.
The hide is treated with salt and other chemicals for 24 hours until it reached the optimal PH levels. The hide is then bated, tanned, and finished for final use.
What Is the Tanning Process for Chromexcel?
Everything that comes out of Horween Leather Company is vegetable-tanned the old-fashioned way. The company still performs the entire procedure in-house, and that is why they have been offering unparalleled Chromexcel since 1911.
Used in the Second World War, the Chromexcel from Horween is unmatched in its high-quality and is considered to be highly durable under duress.
Hide Selection
The procedure for creating high-quality Chromexcel begins from selecting flawless and clean hide from the animals. Depending on the demand, the hide is either cowhide, horse front hide of half hides (from different animals).
Chemical Cleansing
Once the hide is selected, the experts at Horween uses powerful chemicals and solving agents to dissolve hair from the hide and to clean the back of the hide. Once the hide is clean, the first round of preservatives is added to the freshly cleaned hide, and the hide is put through tanning in a chrome solution.
High-quality Dyeing
Once the hide has gone through the first round of cleansing and chrome tanning, the next step is the dyeing. Horween Leather Company uses its own patented and secret formulas for each stage and for the dyeing processes. The chrome salts give the leather a bluish tint, which is highly remarkable as a protective finish.
The Final Product
After all is said and done, you have what some might say is the finest piece of cow leather in existence, but now what?! This beautiful, sexy piece of tanned cow hide needs to be made into something that lives up to the extreme quality that this leather was made to. Master craftsmen use it to assemble their original and unique handmade watch straps, wallets, handmade in the usa belts and even small items like key chains, among many others. With proper leather care you can own these items indefinitely and they 100% look better the more they are used and worn.