Kudu Leather

Our Kudu leather is sourced from Charles F. Stead tannery in Leeds which is the oldest operating tannery in the United Kingdom.

A Kudu is an antelope from southern Africa. This animal lives in the wild and has flourished as human society has forced their predators away. As such the governments of the region regularly cull them to control the population and has set up initiatives so that this culling most benefits the local populations of the region. There is a thriving bushmeat trade which brings much needed jobs and work to the locals and in return animal products can be sourced ethically and sustainably from an animal similar to others species of Africa which are protected and thus poaching illegal.

These animals have a very unique hide from their life in the wild and their grazing habits. They regularly eat berries off thorny bushes and thus the hides are often very scratched and scared. Also, while their main predators numbers have dropped, they are still present in the wildlife parks of the region and thus some hides can have claw and tooth marks.

The hide typically has a buffed finish on the grain side but most prized is the reverse side suede which is often used for footwear,  refer to our page on Leather Phrases Explained. It is very soft and often shows some of the deeper scars and defects. Despite these defects the hides are very strong and resilient.