Reference

The Leather Library

A working reference on how leather is made, graded, finished and cared for. Plain answers to the questions the trade usually leaves vague.

Grades and layers

Which layer of the hide the leather came from, and what the words on a label actually commit to.

Finishes and textures

What was done to the surface after tanning, and how to tell a grown grain from a pressed one.

Hides and origins

Which animal, which country, and what those names do and do not guarantee.

Craft and process

How a hide becomes leather, how it is put together, and how it changes with use.

Care and repair

What helps, what harms, and what cannot be undone.

Leather goods

The archetypes, what distinguishes them, and what each one is actually for.

Corporate Gifts & Hospitality

Design & Manufacturing

Front of a Lunburg Signet card holder in amber leather, with two card slots, stitched edges and the Lunburg name pressed into the leather.

Small Thank-You Gifts for Employees That Feel Personal

Choose a small token of appreciation for employees with thoughtful gift ideas, personal messages and a considered approach to thanking a whole team.

Carved wooden arches frame stucco ornament and wooden shutters in the courtyard of the al-Attarin madrasa in Fez.

The Craft of Royalty: Moroccan Craft Traditions and the Masters of Fez

Discover Moroccan crafts through the royal commissions, carved interiors, embroidery and master artisans of Fez, then step inside Lunburg's family atelier.

Two women shake hands on a conference stage as one holds a wrapped bouquet.

What Counts as a Business Gift?

Understand business gifts, from small thank-yous to personal commissions, with examples for clients, partners and colleagues and advice on choosing well.

A Lunburg Memoir leather folio stands open on a wooden table, showing its tan lining and central zipped compartment.

Company Anniversary Gifts for Staff and Clients

Mark a company milestone with thoughtful gifts for staff and clients, from a useful leather piece to a personal detail that carries the date.

A brown menu cover with a debossed title lies between two restaurant place settings.

Leather or Leatherette Menu Covers: What the Difference Means in Daily Service

Understand leather and leatherette menu covers, from material composition and ageing to cleaning, page layout and a considered restaurant design.

A mahogany leather notebook, an open book and a leather pen case on a writing desk.

Choosing a Leather Notebook as a Corporate Gift

Choose a leather notebook corporate gift around the person who will use it, with guidance on sizes, refillable covers, leather and personalisation.

An open, empty tan leather notebook cover shows its card slots, pen loop and snap tab.

Leather Product Design: From Concept to Production

Develop a leather product from its first sketch to an approved prototype, with guidance on patterns, materials, production and design ownership.

Museum photographs of an English riding saddle and a black leather handbag with a gold clasp.

Saddler or Leather Goods Maker: What Is the Difference?

Discover how saddlers and leather goods makers overlap, what each makes, and how their techniques, French names and training routes compare.

How to Start Your Own Bag Brand: From First Sketch to First Production Run

Explore how to start your own bag brand, from choosing a first design and leather to approving a prototype and planning production.

An open navy leather notebook with a thank-you card in its inside pocket, resting in a tissue-lined gift box.

Gifts for an Employee Who Is Leaving: Choosing a Farewell Gift That Lasts

Thoughtful farewell gift ideas, from leather keepsakes to personal inscriptions, with guidance on long service, team collections and when to give.

A dark green leather notebook, a black pen and a handwritten welcome card on a wooden desk.

Welcome Gifts for New Employees: What to Give and When

Choose a thoughtful welcome gift, compose a note and plan the moment of giving, with ideas for individual new starters and a whole year's arrivals.

Artisan shaping a dark leather bag body on a wooden support in a workshop

How to Choose a Leather Bag Manufacturer

A practical guide to evaluating a leather bag manufacturer through bag-specific experience, leather behaviour, samples and project response.

Brown leather business bag beside a suitcase and chair holding a laptop, documents, notebook and pouch

Custom Bag Design: A Practical Brief for Business Use

A practical guide for organisational buyers briefing a high-end leather bag by use, contents, carry, compartments and branding.

Leather sample, folio sketch, paper pattern and snap fastener arranged beside a finished brown leather folio

How to Choose a Leather Goods Manufacturer

A practical guide to choosing a high-end leather goods manufacturer by project stage, integrated support, logistics and proximity.

Open leather portfolio with a cream interior and burgundy edges beside a ruler and thread sample

How to Choose Promotional Products: Assess a Leather Sample

A practical guide to assessing a high-end leather promotional sample for material, finish, function, logo execution and production approval.

Black single-page menu holder and cognac, burgundy and brown leather menu covers on a restaurant table

Leather Menu Covers for Restaurants: Choosing Your Design

A concise guide for restaurant, bar and hotel food-and-beverage buyers choosing luxury leather menu covers by format, feel, construction and personalisation.

Brown leather notebook and card holder with matching company lettering beside coordinated presentation boxes

Corporate Gift Ideas for Clients: Choosing a Leather Design

A practical guide to choosing a high-end leather client gift by occasion, format, order size, branding, presentation and budget.

Navy and burgundy leather notebooks arranged on a meeting table with a presentation box and dust bag

Employee Gift Ideas for Individuals and Teams

Employee gift ideas for HR, people, rewards and internal communications teams choosing high-end leather gifts for individuals or groups.

Brown leather briefcase, notebook, desk tray and memo holder beside a presentation box on a wooden desk

Corporate Gift Ideas: Choosing for the Recipient, Occasion and Budget

A practical guide to choosing high-end corporate gift ideas by recipient, occasion, format, personalisation, presentation and total budget.

Pale vachetta leather partly unrolled beside a honey-brown stitched leather strap on an oak atelier workbench.

Vachetta Leather: What It Is and How It Ages

Vegetable tanned cowhide. The word names the tannage and the hide only; the finish is independent.

Dark-brown leather rolls with a partly unrolled hide on a wooden atelier workbench.

Top-Grain Leather: What It Is, and How It Compares

Taken from the outer layer with the surface sanded away. What that costs is the grain and any patina. What it does not cost is strength.

Tanner wearing protective gloves unloading a damp hide from a wooden tanning drum into a collection trolley.

How Leather Is Made

Leather is animal hide chemically stabilised so it will not decay. That stabilisation is tanning.

Artisan gently working a small surface scratch with a fingertip on a mahogany leather briefcase resting on an oak atelier workbench.

How to Repair Scratches in Leather

Most scratches are not cuts. They are displaced fibre or a disturbed finish, and many can be worked away at home.

Cognac leather wallet with warm amber patina and gently darkened edges resting on an oak atelier workbench.

Leather Patina: What It Is and How It Forms

The record a leather keeps of the person carrying it. The only decoration in leather that cannot be bought, only earned.