Materials
Sheepskin or cowhide: which leather for your jacket
The two hides we use, what each feels like new and after a year, how they break in, and which to choose in the builder.
Two hides, two characters
Every jacket we stock is sheepskin nappa and every vest is cowhide, because each hide does one thing better. In the builder you can have a jacket in either, so this page is about choosing.
Sheepskin nappa
Light, supple and fine-grained. Nappa is sheepskin tanned soft, with a smooth surface that drapes rather than stands. A sheepskin jacket feels broken in within weeks, moves with you from the first day, and is the better choice for fitted cuts and for anyone who wears a jacket indoors as much as out. It marks more easily than cowhide and rewards care: a scratch often disappears with a rub of the finger, and balm twice a year keeps it supple.
Cowhide
Heavier and firmer, with a pronounced grain. A cowhide jacket stands on its own, takes months rather than weeks to soften, and then stays the way you wore it in. It resists scuffs, holds embroidery flat, and is the hide of every vest we make because a vest has no sleeves to give it structure. Choose it for a jacket you intend to hand down, for straight cuts like the trucker, and if you like a jacket with weight.
Side by side
| Hide | Weight | Feel when new | Break-in | Toughness | Grain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheepskin nappa | Light | Soft, drapes | Weeks | Moderate | Fine, smooth |
| Cowhide | Heavy | Firm, structured | Months | High | Pronounced |
Full-grain and semi-aniline
Every hide we use is full-grain: the natural surface of the skin, marks and all, not sanded or embossed. The finish is semi-aniline, a thin protective coat over an aniline dye, so the grain shows through, the colour stays even, and a shower does no harm. Natural marks, veins and small variations in shade are part of a real hide and no two jackets are identical. The leather page explains the terms you see on labels.
Which to choose
- Biker, café racer: sheepskin for comfort and drape; cowhide if you want the jacket to stand and last a lifetime.
- Bomber: sheepskin; the cut is relaxed and the knit does the structure.
- Trucker: either; cowhide suits its workwear roots.
- Vest: always cowhide.
Price and lead time
Cowhide adds €30 to a custom jacket; everything else, including lead time and the three-to-four-week delivery, is the same. Choose the hide in the builder and the preview updates.
