What do you think of the Italian natural veg tan leather used by Simmons Bilt?

[Alfredodelavega]

Hello everyone, I'm about to buy a second-hand Burg and Shild/Simmons Bilt collab jacket in Natural Veg Tan Horsehide. Have any of you tried this leather before? What do you think of it? Doesn't it take too long to break in? How does it age? Do you have any pictures you could show me? Thank you all in advance for your valuable advice.

 

[Tom71]

Hello everyone, I'm about to buy a second-hand Burg and Shild/Simmons Bilt collab jacket in Natural Veg Tan Horsehide. Have any of you tried this leather before? What do you think of it? Doesn't it take too long to break in? How does it age? Do you have any pictures you could show me? Thank you all in advance for your valuable advice.

Just to be clear: You are talking about the UNFINISHED horsehide, right?!

This leather is made from the Conipel tannery in Italy; it is one of my favourite leathers.

The idea of getting a whietish-pink leather only to watch it stain, darken and change starting ten minutes into wear isn´t for everyone, and it takes time to arrive at the caramel coloured, uneven patina it eventually achieves, but I guess that won´t matter too much if you are buying a used piece.
What may matter is to have a look at real stains (water, insects, grease etc.), as these will change the appearance of the whole jacket much more than with a brown or black hide (where 99,9% of stains will hardly show at all).

Break-in is easy; the hide is not insubstantial and has SOME stiffness to it. Compared too ther horsehides it is pretty pliable from the get go.
What I like is the slightly spongy, luxurious hand of the leather. In the beginning it has a somewhat "peachy" feel to it, almost as if it has very fine and short hairs. This changes to a more "laquered" texture over time, especially in areas prone to abrasion (shoulders, elbows, back).

I do like it, although I probably won´t by used as this is one to paint one´s own canvas.

 

[MrProper]

Just to be clear: You are talking about the UNFINISHED horsehide, right?!

This leather is made from the Conipel tannery in Italy; it is one of my favourite leathers.

The idea of getting a whietish-pink leather only to watch it stain, darken and change starting ten minutes into wear isn´t for everyone, and it takes time to arrive at the caramel coloured, uneven patina it eventually achieves, but I guess that won´t matter too much if you are buying a used piece.
What may matter is to have a look at real stains (water, insects, grease etc.), as these will change the appearance of the whole jacket much more than with a brown or black hide (where 99,9% of stains will hardly show at all).

Break-in is easy; the hide is not insubstantial and has SOME stiffness to it. Compared too ther horsehides it is pretty pliable from the get go.
What I like is the slightly spongy, luxurious hand of the leather. In the beginning it has a somewhat "peachy" feel to it, almost as if it has very fine and short hairs. This changes to a more "laquered" texture over time, especially in areas prone to abrasion (shoulders, elbows, back).

I do like it, although I probably won´t by used as this is one to paint one´s own canvas.

^exactly this.

 

[jkoj]

I acquired one last year. Love it.

 

[El Marro]

I have a SB x IH jacket in this leather, and I really like it. The smell of the leather when it is new is one of the nicest I have experienced, and I’ve had a lot of of leather by now.
I think @Tom71 summed it up really well, this leather is not for everyone. My girlfriend, for instance, does not like the jacket because it looks dirty to her. Where I see character she sees dirt.

 

[TartuWolf]

Where I see character she sees dirt.

Those two are not mutually exclusive! In face they are often comrades in crime
I'd still love a SB Vanishing Point..
But my heart for natural-ish leathers still lies in this Kakishibu Y'2 Type1, that's the dream:
https://www.snakeoilprovisions.com/...hibu-persimmon-tanned-horsehide-type-1-jacket

 

[Alfredodelavega]

Those two are not mutually exclusive! In face they are often comrades in crime
I'd still love a SB Vanishing Point..
But my heart for natural-ish leathers still lies in this Kakishibu Y'2 Type1, that's the dream:
https://www.snakeoilprovisions.com/...hibu-persimmon-tanned-horsehide-type-1-jacket

Unless I'm mistaken, kakishibu is a natural dye made from persimmon which will darken in contact with the sun, but as a result the leather is no longer raw, it has undergone treatment.So it's not the same thing.

 

[TartuWolf]

Unless I'm mistaken, kakishibu is a natural dye made from persimmon which will darken in contact with the sun, but as a result the leather is no longer raw, it has undergone treatment.So it's not the same thing.

Yes, that's exactly why I said "natural-ish". Not quite unfinished/undyed /natural/raw, but has similar qualities in terms of aging and patina development. And I suppose it's persimon-tanned, not persimon-dyed. Even says "Natural horsehide leather is minimally processed to allow natural markings and characteristics to show."
Anyway, for me that's even better than regular natural/unfinished/undyed/raw stuff as the starting point is much more attractive for me.

 

[Alfredodelavega]

Yes, that's exactly why I said "natural-ish". Not quite unfinished/undyed /natural/raw, but has similar qualities in terms of aging and patina development. And I suppose it's persimon-tanned, not persimon-dyed. Even says "Natural horsehide leather is minimally processed to allow natural markings and characteristics to show."
Anyway, for me that's even better than regular natural/unfinished/undyed/raw stuff as the starting point is much more attractive for me.

When you see that on an IH jacket made from the same raw leather, it's a dream come true.

 

[Tom71]

Yes, that's exactly why I said "natural-ish". Not quite unfinished/undyed /natural/raw, but has similar qualities in terms of aging and patina development. And I suppose it's persimon-tanned, not persimon-dyed. Even says "Natural horsehide leather is minimally processed to allow natural markings and characteristics to show."
Anyway, for me that's even better than regular natural/unfinished/undyed/raw stuff as the starting point is much more attractive for me.

I see where you are coming from.

I love the Kakishibu as well. It WILL darken, but essentially it will not change its basic characteristics. That does happen with unfinished hide.
Both have their place. The nice thing about kakishibu is that you are able to wear the same jacket for weeks and months, whereas with a new unfinished hide, you basically qwear a new jacket every day...