Raw material selection
The acknowledged superior material for gloving and soft shoe leather comes from the "CABRETTA" (Hairsheep), from Ethiopia and other sub tropical regions.

This material offers all the features required, its thin tough structure giving strength and maximum dexterity, hard wearing and comfortable.

To ensure continuity of supply and quality Pittards have staff permanently resident in Ethiopia, working with local farmers and tanners. The skins purchased are all by-products of the meat industry in the country of origin.

Tanning

After removing the hair, all skins must be tanned. This is the all-important process that turns them into leather. It converts the skin into a stable, consistent condition that can be worked on in many ways to produce different leather types.

Wet blue

After tanning, the resulting product is a distinctive blue shade-therefore known as the "WET BLUE". This is a function of the chrome(III) salt used in the tanning process. The skins are then dried and sorted according to type, weight and quality. This sorting ensures that only the best material for the particular product is used in the manufacturing process.

Dyeing
After the material has been sorted it is dyed into the required shade. This process starts to impart to the leather some of its final characteristics. Different processes produce different properties in the leather. For example a leather that needs to be very water repellent will require a special treatment. The unique Pittards WR100 process requires a number of these special processes to ensure properties are permanently tanned right through the leather.

Finishing

Once dyed, the leather is dried and further worked to develop the natural inherent suppleness. Having reached this stage you will no doubt have realised that the manufacture of leather with good technical properties is a highly technical business undertaken by skilled craftsmen,requiring a unique blend of modern science and traditional craft skills.