Understanding Full-Grain Leather

Leather is graded by how much of the hide's original surface remains intact. Full-grain leather uses the entire top layer of the hide, including its natural texture and markings. It is the strongest and most durable grade, and the only one that develops a genuine patina over time.

Lower grades — top-grain, genuine leather, and bonded leather — involve sanding, splitting or reconstituting the hide to hide imperfections and produce a more uniform, lower-cost material. They look consistent from the day they are made, and they tend to look much the same years later, too.

We choose full-grain leather because we would rather work with a material that shows its history than one that hides it.