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  • Narrator: This is said to be the world's oldest

  • leather-making tradition.

  • It's called vegetable tanning,

  • and it's a process that has been perfected

  • over generations here in Tuscany.

  • Artisans spend four to six weeks

  • perfecting each piece that they touch.

  • Vegetable-tanned leather is considered higher quality

  • and will last longer than synthetically treated leather.

  • It takes at least 28 times longer to make,

  • which is part of the reason why vegetable-tanned leather

  • only makes up roughly 10% of all leather available today.

  • It can also cost around three times more

  • than the cheaper version.

  • So how exactly is vegetable-tanned leather made?

  • And why is it so expensive?

  • Vegetable tanning is said to date back to roughly 6000 BCE,

  • when people living in early civilizations

  • sought a way to make animal skins

  • resistant to weather and decay.

  • Genuine vegetable-tanned leather

  • uses these natural tanning agents

  • from sources like quebracho, chestnut, or mimosa trees.

  • The substances, known as tannins,

  • will naturally bind to the collagen proteins in a hide,

  • turning it into leather as we know it.

  • Just as they do for trees,

  • the tannins protect hides being turned into leather

  • from bacteria and other substances,

  • which gives leather the longevity

  • and versatility that it's known for.

  • Until the 19th century,

  • vegetable tanning was the only way to make leather.

  • But today, 90% of all leather goods

  • are made using chrome or mineral tanning,

  • a leather-making process that uses synthetic tannins.

  • On first glance, consumers may think

  • this softer leather is of higher quality,

  • but it won't have the same life span.

  • When the hides arrive at the tannery,

  • they soak in water for 24 hours to remove the salt

  • that kept them preserved on their journey.

  • Narrator: Then they are dehaired and limed,

  • a process that prepares the skins

  • to receive the tanning substances.

  • Leather makers add the hides, along with the tannins,

  • to this large wooden rotating vessel known as a drum.

  • The hides stay here for three to seven weeks to tan.

  • Here's where you can begin to see the differences

  • between vegetable-tanned leather

  • and its modern-day alternative, chrome tanning,

  • where hides sit in a drum with water and synthetic extracts

  • for only a single day.

  • Just this difference in production time

  • adds to the price of vegetable-tanned leather.

  • Once the hides have been removed from the drums,

  • skilled artisans inspect each piece.

  • Depending on the final product,

  • the leather can be retanned, dyed, or greased.

  • This process is known as fatliquoring.

  • These three procedures can be done to adjust the elasticity,

  • softness, or color of the leather.

  • Whether they happen depends on the vision of the artisan.

  • Narrator: The tanned hides dry on hooks for several days

  • in a special environment-controlled room.

  • The humidity and temperature in the room

  • have to be just right.

  • This is something that can't be learned quickly

  • and shows the skill of these leather makers.

  • The time of the year, the weather,

  • and the humidity in the factory itself

  • can all play a part in adjusting

  • for this perfect temperature.

  • If any hide is overdried,

  • it must be taken back to the drums and reconditioned.

  • You can tell vegetable-tanned leather apart

  • from mineral-tanned leather

  • by its two defining qualities.

  • First, it changes color in the light

  • and develops a rich patina.

  • A patina is the shine that develops over time

  • on a leather product that makes it unique.

  • Second, vegetable-tanned leather

  • will become more supple with age.

  • These qualities are made possible

  • by the natural properties of the leather.

  • Vegetable tanning leaves the hides in an organic state

  • that lets them age like skin.

  • With synthetically treated leather,

  • each piece is the same.

  • That's by design.

  • Leather produced with vegetable tanning, however,

  • will garner the most beautiful patina

  • as it is worn or used.

  • No two pieces will age the same.

  • After it's dry, the hide goes to the staking machine,

  • where small hammers repeatedly pound the leather

  • to make it softer.

  • Sometimes the leather mills for several hours in a dry drum,

  • giving it a special natural grain.

  • In the end, the leather is trimmed, measured, and packaged.

  • Finished products are valued for their variations,

  • which can add to the price.

  • Artisans take pride in the natural markings and differences

  • that prove the leather's authenticity.

  • Narrator: All vegetable-tanned leather from Tuscany

  • must meet a set of specific standards

  • for the consortium to verify it as authentic.

  • Tanneries must use all-natural, raw materials

  • and ensure that no animal is killed for its skin.

  • And in the end, the most important mission

  • of vegetable tanneries in Tuscany

  • is to keep a cultural craft alive, no matter the cost.

Narrator: This is said to be the world's oldest

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为什么植鞣革如此昂贵(Why Vegetable-Tanned Leather Is So Expensive | So Expensive)

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    joey joey 發佈於 2021 年 06 月 30 日
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