Our Leather

Our Leathers

Mossop Leather, is leading supplier of Footwear upper leather in the African tannery industry since 1846. We offer a diverse range of tannages, including fashion and industrial footwear and lining. Our unique school shoe upper material, Tek-Tan®, is renowned. All Our leather is processed at our Wellington, Western Cape, South Africa location.

The chrome-tanned hides used by Mossop Leather are softer and more supple than vegetable-tanned leather, with superior water resistance and colour retention. Sides undergo retanning for strength and desired characteristics. Leathers are dyed using drum-drying techniques, with options like Optimum leather technology for additional properties. Some leathers feature a semi-aniline finish, allowing natural characteristics to show while ensuring colour consistency and clean-ability, while others are fully pigmented for industrial use. Finishing processes like milling and wax/oil treatments enhance the leather's appearance and feel, highlighting each hide's natural variations and beauty. Mossop Leather takes pride in providing unique, high-quality leather products.

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Our Specialities

Armour

Walkcool

Walkdry

Bactroblok

Walkair

Oily Pull

Shield-Tan

Embossed

Vlamprufe

Pigmented

Nubuck

Tek-Tan®

Nappas

Waxed

Tek-Tan®

Crust Upholstery Lining

Shoe Upper

Get to know our Optimum Range

For more information, click below and learn everything there is to know about Our Optimum Range.

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Fast Facts

We are members of SATRA, one of the world's largest authorities on leather and footwear.

Mossop Leathers has been ISO 9001 certified since 2015

LWG promotes sustainable leather and achieved a silver rating goal in 2022.

Our LEATHERPRINT initiative is an industry-first. A physical manifesto, in the form of a garden, guides us in responsible production activities.

The Optimum Range of exclusive high-performance leathers represents a continental first. We have developed a range of leather technology for the highest footwear demands

We examine chemicals to monitor restricted substances in our leather constantly.

We have reduced our water usage by 30% through our water recycling program

Sourcing from accredited LWG suppliers ensures no habitat destruction in hide procurement

Pathfinder Program: We manage tannery waste by reusing offcuts in smaller industries and exploring recycling options for wet-blue shaving and buffing dust.

We supply leather for the footwear, leather goods, and upholstery sectors. The breakdown of end uses is 52% for footwear, 35% for school shoes and belts, and 25% for upholstery crust lining."

Over 90% of Wetblue hides are sourced locally.

Since 2021, our landfill waste has been reduced by 28% through local recycling sorting.

We process the equivalent of 700 cows’ hides daily, preventing this food waste from being sent to landfills.

Our solar energy system currently provides 55% of our electricity from a renewable green resource, further reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.

Our staff reflects the ethnic demographic representation of the region.

Our Lab

Our Lab is a shared space for us and our customers, where we conduct experiments, trials, and store our conversations, memories, dreams, developments, and creations. All of these elements have contributed in some small way to the beginnings of what we now call OUR SHADES. This range reflects our heritage, culture, and appreciation of the South African landscape, its fauna, flora, and peoples, which is vividly evident in our array of colours.

Inside the Lab, you can experience our latest collection, Our Shades, and explore our new colours and articles. Please book a visit with one of our sales team members.

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Know Your Leather

Leather comes in a range of different cuts and sizes. Here are a few of them.

Our Leather

Leather Terminology Explained

Aniline

Dyes and finishes that contain no pigment that shows the natural markings or characteristics of the hide.

Semi-Aniline

It is Aniline leather to which a minimal matching pigment layer is added to even out the colour and adds protection.

Cementable

Refers to leather/s that can be glued as a means of final attachment during the construction of leathergoods.

Combination Tan

Using more than one tanning process on one hide. Different results are possible when the leather is treated more than once. For example, it can be made softer and more flexible or firmer with a tighter grain.

Chrome-Tanned

Or also known as Mineral–tanned, by using chromium sulphate, that is soft and flexible, suppler and more pliable with many colour options available.

Corrected Grain

Leather that has been sanded or buffed to make its surface more even and uniform. It also removes blemishes.

Oil-Tanned

Soft, flexible and durable. Usually thick and can leave an oil residue.

Substance

Is the thickness of the material, usually in millimetres.

Full Grain

Leather that has its surface left completely intact, showing all natural characteristics of the hide. It retains all of the original texture and markings of the original hide.

Hot Stuffed

Leather that has been nourished and conditioned with unrefined oils and greases. This is achieved without the use of water and emulsifiers and gives a much richer feel. Hot stuffed leathers typically exhibit pull-up and good water resistance.

Pasted

Leather that has been dried by fixing it to large glass or ceramic plates. Pasted leathers have very little stretch and smooth grain character.

Pigmented Leather

Has been coated with a flat surface colour on top of or instead of the usual dye finish. Done to add durability and to hide natural blemishes.

Split Leather

Made from the lower level of a hide, split from full grain leaving a grain and a split. Split Leather is mainly used for suedes, linings or pigmented finishes.

Mill-Dyed

Leather that has had dyes introduced during retannage. Also referred to as drum-dyed.

Toggled

Leather that has been air-dried after being stretched on a metal screen and clamped into place.

Grade

Reflects the finished quality of the hide.