white leather now available
Stephanie Gibbs
Several clients have requested work in white leather, which is not a material that the studio has historically been able to source.
This is due to the fact that the leather used in bookbinding is calfskin or goatskin, both processed with vegetable tanning, which results in a tan, tea-stained appearance in the natural state. The resulting leather cannot be successfully overdyed white.
For the purposes of props, photography shoots, commercials, and the like, a source for white leather is now available:
Top image: white lambskin, garment quality, slight buttery undertones. Smooth surface. Thinner leather. Sourced in Los Angeles.
Lower image: white buckskin, craft quality, slight blue undertone. Grained surface. Thicker leather. Tannery in Maine.
For any project of an archival nature, white vellum or alum tawed pigskin remain the leather options for a white binding, if cloth or paper are not appropriate materials.