Hello people!
This is my 10th blog of Rustic Town. Time for some anniversary party, eh? Hurrah! Lol
Of late, I have been really busy promoting Rustic Town leather bags and accessories at various expositions, trade fairs, etc. So far, we’ve notched up quite a few orders from the US and the UK. So here I come…with zapping work schedule :)
Anyway, in between, I also have to thank you, fellow bloggers, and readers, who posted their valuable comments and feedback on my blog post. I’m sorry but there’s a bit of a technical glitch that’s stopping us from posting a few interesting comments that you guys have posted to me.
One such viewer, Altie058, made a few interesting observations about the blogs (Howdy, Altie058!). Alongside, he/she also asked me to explain a bit about how leather bags at Rustic Town are made, as well as talk about important leather terminology (jargon, parlance, whatever you may call it).
Fair enough, I thought. Maybe what I had missed out earlier was that fundamentally, people need to understand the basic concept behind the process of making leather bags and understand the associated relevant words.
While writing the ‘behind-the-scenes’ process of making leather bags would need a separate blog space (I’ll write a blog on that as well), I’d love to present the most relevant glossary for Rustic Town.
Unlike other glossaries, the list is non-alphabetical and involves easy to remember basic-to-know, simpler terms.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy the process of knowing a bit more about the world of leather:
HIDE(S): the skin of an animal, especially when tanned or dressed. At Rustic Town, we use goatskin leather.
VEGETABLE TANNING: The conversion of rawhides into the leather by treating with water solutions of tannin extracted from materials of vegetable origin such as woods, barks, fruits, fruit pods, and leaves. This process is environment-friendly as against the conventional method of tanning that uses harmful chemicals.
LEATHER: a material made from the skin or hide of an animal by tanning or a similar process.
VINTAGE LEATHER: Leather products that resemble the appearance of old, retro design. It has unique qualities, such as wrinkles, scratches, and other imperfections that add to its aged appearance, thereby giving it a classic look.
100% ECO-FRIENDLY LEATHER: Leather processed using the traditional technique of “vegetable tanning”. This gives leather its unique natural characteristics and is environmentally friendly.
DISTRESSED LEATHER: Leather that has been treated to age the appearance of the leather, while not weakening the overall integrity of the product.
EMBOSSING: Impressing a pattern onto the surface of the hide to create visually exciting designs.
FULL GRAIN: The outer layer taken from the hide’s hair with only the hair removed. The hide has not been buffed, leaving the grain and natural markings.
BUFFING: A process that reduces the appearance of surface blemishes from leather hides. Leather that is not buffed is called full-grain.
TOP GRAIN: The top layer and highest quality of the hide. When leather is split in processing, the top grain is the upper portion of the hide. Because of its strength and beauty, this supple layer is the standard of fine upholstery.
A bag carried on the shoulder by a long strap and closed by a flap, used especially for school books.
A large bag with a long strap, worn across the body.
A rucksack; a piece of equipment carried on a person's back.
A cylindrical, square, or triangular travel bag.
A diary of daily record of news and events of a personal nature.
A large bag with parallel handles that emerge from the sides of its pouch.
It is a leather bag that carries or holds single or multiple wine bottles for storage or transportation purpose.
GYPSY BAG: Bag with unconventional and non-conformist design.
SLING BAG: An unstructured shoulder bag.
A briefcase is a narrow box-shaped bag or case used mainly for carrying papers and other documents and equipped with a top handle. Many professionals use briefcases to carry important papers and laptop computers.
So there you have it, a common, abridged glossary specifically modified for leather products that are showcased in Rustic Town.
I hope to cover all basic workable leather jargon to start off your daily conversations with leather aficionados :)
Feel free to share your comments on any other topic you want me to write on, and I shall definitely work on it. Till then…
Love, XOXO