The Process of Making Leather

ECCO imports rawhide from all over the world. In ECCO’s beamhouse, the leather is washed several times in large drums to remove dirt, hair and natural fat. The hides are also processed in various machines that cut off the excess fat and make the hides slim.

In the tannery, the hides undergo a chemical tanning process which makes them soft, flexible and stable in water. The hides are then referred to as wet blue because of the blue-green shade which they acquire when they are treated. The wet blue is tanned in drums with colour and is dried, stretched, sprayed and pressed to get the right look, feel and quality of the finished leather.