April 26th is World Leather Day
World Leather Day is a day created by the leather industry to celebrate leather and leather products and to focus on the sustainability of leather as a material. Leather is actually a byproduct of the food industry. According to the tanning industry if cattle skins were not tanned and used to make leather approximately 10 million metric tons of waste material would end up going to landfills annually. Instead this material is used to make clothing, boots, gloves and some of the carved leather items that I make and sell here on my site.
Leather is one of the oldest man made products, having been made since before the dawn of human civilization. Mankind’s earliest creations were probably leather clothing for protection and leather bags for carrying and storing things. Like the teepee of the Plains Indians of North America early man probably developed their first housing from mobile leather structures. We went on to develop leather armor, saddles and protective gloves and boots. In many of these cases, leather is still a great choice in these applications despite the development of many modern synthetic fibers.
Leather has a beauty and durability that few other materials can match. The carved leather items that I make are generally one of kind creations that are made specifically for that customer. The artwork often represents something special about them or their family, and the finished product is intended to be a family heirloom that will be handed down from generation to generation. Whether it’s a leather handbag or a family Bible cover it is made to be durable and to last while being used for the purpose it was designed for.
Leather has that unique property that it can be carved, dyed and crafted into so many unique items. Here on World Leather Day we are celebrating this amazing material and the wondrous and long lasting works of art we can create with it. I am honored that I have a medium where I can create a functional work of art that will be used and cherished by people probably long after I’m gone.