Return of ancient technique attracts luxury brands
The product, known as basil (or basan, which is close to the French name ‘basane’), is the result of vegetable tanning. CTC has produced a set of prototype products from the leather – credit card holders, key-rings and so on – and displayed them at the Le Cuir A Paris event in February. The organisation said some luxury branded goods manufacturers were already showing an interest in incorporating basil products into their gift ranges.
CTC’s chief executive, Marc Folachier, told leatherbiz.com that reviving the ancient process of veg-tanning sheepskin was allowing tanners to produce a leather that meets the demands of the big luxury brands. “There used to be very little choice over what to do with this kind of sheepskin,” he added. “We are now able to increase the choice, and this will help us give the big luxury brands a raw material they will enjoy using.”
