Carroll Leather

Wholesale leather supplier, Carroll Leather has introduced a new article at their recent trade show. We wanted to share this product with the leatherworker.net community because it is a fresh outlook on a vintage leather. The new pattern is called "Cheyenne", as you can see in the image it is a vintage/distressed article but also has added durability. You will notice a subtle crackle effect in this leather but the unique aspect is it's protective top coat. Most leathers like this will scratch easily or even fade in the sun; Cheyenne will do neither! Consumers are constantly wanting a crackle and distressed look but dislike the fact that it is usually a pure aniline and will scratch and show markings. We have responded to the markets needs by introducing new pattern and making it affordable for all industries. This leather is sure to redefine the market with it's unique finish. Cheyenne is created on South American raw material that will average 45 square feet and is a leather that represents vintage art. Each hide is dyed and will display natural characteristics such as brands, healed scars and insect bites. Hides are given a unique wax treatment for the crackled look and feel that will appeal to any leather enthusiast. Cheyenne is finished in Italy using modern tanning techniques which are environmentally safe. For more information on Cheyenne please visit Carroll Leather

With fashion and decorating trends changing daily, one trend that has been consistent for most of 2015 is the desire for distressed leather hides. This type of leather has always been a popular choice for western themed homes and cabins but is slowly catching on in the urban and contemporary styles. Distressed leather has become a diverse product due to the variety of colors it is offered in today. In the passed aged leathers were only offered in brown but today you can easily find shades of red, blue and gray. Having multiple color options for distressed leathers gives a completely different perception and an idea that it can be used for more than just western themed applications. Distressed leather is also diverse in the way that it is produced. The most common look is a crackle effect that portrays an aged or antiqued look, this effect is accomplished by adding oil or wax during the tanning process. In most cases the leather will continue to age over time but some leathers will not crack or break after use. Another type is a sanded or buffed look, this represent a more worn and used look and will usually seem more sophisticated than a crackled leather. Distressed leathers can easily stand alone but also pair well with a decorative leather. Numerous saddle and furniture makers pair floral or gator print leathers with a crackled or sanded leather to create a beautiful rustic or western product. Carroll Leather offers a nice collection of distressed, aged and worn leathers from the finest quality cowhide.

Try George Jackson, they are a distributor of our leathers and have several locations in Canada.

When buying leather hides several customers aren't aware that the raw material used to produce leather has a large impact on the price. Cattle farms are located all over the world and are used primarily slaughtered for beef but certain countries and continents have different methods of raising cattle. The two most popular leather supplying continents are Europe and South America. Cattle farming is a huge business in South America as the terrain and countries are great locations for raising cows. The terrain and open fields make for excellent grazing and offer plenty of room for several hundred cows to be raised. These are good conditions for breeding cattle but one thing to remember when purchasing raw material from South America are the natural characteristics that are included. Most hides that come from South America will include insect bites, healed scars and brands. Insect bites are most commonly caused by ticks, being out in a large field or wooded area makes for an easy target. Healed scars can be caused by the animal brushing up against a fence line to ease an itch. Brands are a pretty common thing in the leather industry and are used to mark the cattle to signify the ranch that owns the cow. Brahma cows are the most popular breed that are found in South America, these are large cows that feature a hump on their neck. These type of hides will feature a hole in the neck area that is pictured in this blog post. These leather hides are considered a good value and are usually purchased in large volume by furniture and shoe makers. European cowhide is considered to be the nicest raw material selection. These cows are raised in much better conditions than those in South America. European hides are typically extremely clean and will feature little to no natural characteristics. Most these hides are collected and sent to Italy where tanneries are considered to be the best. Typically made into aniline leathers that will look and feel more natural than pigmented products. Neck wrinkles are sometimes visible in European leathers and only guarantee the quality and authenticity of the leather. Healed scars can also be present in European raw material but are not as common as South American raw materials. The big difference between these raw materials is the price. Typically European raw material is more expensive and used for upholstery leather; but is a lot easier to cut and work with because it won't have as many natural characteristics. If you are a trained leather cutter then it might be worth the savings to purchase South American leathers because you are familiar with the product and the characteristics that come with it.

It looks like it was produced in France, is that a suede leather?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that brown is still the most commonly used color in upholstery leather, but since we are a leather supplier we have realized that several other colors of leather have grown in sales over the last year. We researched our color sales and found that red and burgundy colors have sold extremely well in the last year and have accounted for 12% of our sales. Gray accounted for 8% while another 5% of sales were in blue, and various neutral shades making up 26% of the total. Color and texture define a living space and create a sense of emotion, it's easier to accomplish that by not relying on brown all the time. Different shades of red, blue and gray were among our top selling colors in 2014 and with the global color authority - Pantone naming the 2015 color of the year as Marsala we don't see the red and burgundy sales slowing down anytime soon. Brown is still the classic and traditional leather for upholstery and will continue to sell well as the year goes on, there are so many shades of brown the possibilities are endless. If red, blue and burgundy is not your cup of tea there is always the neutral colors as an option. Neutral colors are guaranteed go always have a place in the market as tan, beige and taupe are always a crowd favorite. You can use these type of colors as accents on furniture, saddles or any type of leathercraft that needs a burst of color. Also available in other color options are decorative embossed leathers, these leather will provide exotic flair to any boring application. You can find colorful decorative leathers in a number of prints such as: crocodile, alligator and floral. Give your work the extra flair that will make it become a conversation piece and everyone asking "how did you do that!?". We have over 100 color and patterns and Carroll Leather and would love to start serving the Leatherworker.net community, we will only post useful information to help educate this forum on leather trends knowledge of leather. Thank you for the opportunity to become apart of the forum and blog as our goal is to network with our customers and provide a better understanding of the leather industry. If you have any questions or have interest in requesting samples please contact us by email or private message within the forum.

If you have a large supply of scrap leather (100+ pounds) our company purchases scrap leather on a regular basis. Please contact 828.264.1427 if you are interested in selling scrap.

Several car owners and collectors are always faced with having to restore their car interior. Most consumers do not know that all leather is not the same and that certain leathers are better for automotive use. The three most popular types of leather are: protected/pigmented, aniline, and semi-aniline. Each of these are all genuine but have their own suitable application. Aniline and semi-aniline products are typically used for residential furniture. Aniline leathers are the softest and most natural leathers on the market but are not suitable for automotive use because they scratch easily and can fade in direct sunlight. Semi-aniline products will give you a little more protection than an aniline but run the risk of fading in the sun. Last but not least we have the perfect leather for automobiles - pigmented/protected. These type of leathers will feature a nice pigmented top coat giving you a scratch free surface and won't fade in the sun. There are advantages and disadvantages when selecting a pigmented leather. You lose the natural look and feel when selecting a pigmented product but it will ensure color consistency throughout the hide. Although protected leather is the first thing we suggest, there are customers that still prefer a natural looking leather which will work in a "show car" that is not driven daily. For more information about automotive leather please contact Carroll Leather.

We are Carroll Leather, a wholesale leather supplier with over 40 years experience buying and selling leather hides. We carry hundreds of patterns and colors that feature unique tanning and finishing. We primarily carry upholstery weight leather that is suitable for furniture, handbags, garments and crafts. We would love to become a leather supplier to everyone on this forum, please visit our website at www.carrollleather.com to view our products and request samples.

We are new to this forum and hopefully will become a valuable resource to many of you. We offer a suede leather called Opulence, you can visit our website and request samples using our shopping cart.