Bison!

We now have bison leather card holders available in the shop! These are the same as the Salvaged Leather Card Holders you know and love, but are made in new bison leather. They are currently available in a beautiful light gray or a rich brown. I'm obsessed.

As of now, the Salvaged Leather Card Holders will only be available in black or white. The brown option will only be available in bison.

So why bison leather?

When I started the handbag portion of Heist, I made the decision to use only salvaged leather for a couple reasons. First off, I really like things with history. Second, I love turning something old and discarded into something new. And third, I have no desire to support factory farming operations. But as much as I love working with salvaged leather, it certainly left some things to be desired. 

Garment weight leather comes in many different weights, the heaviest stuff is what I like to use to make my unlined items. Black leather has proven pretty easy to find, but brown or any other colors...not so much. Also, with some recent expansion into more retail opportunities, I was craving something a little more consistent. And have you smelled new leather?! Yum.

I spent more time than I care to admit searching out a way to add some new leather to the line (ethically!) and it proved to be impossible. Like, not exaggerating, impossible. Between that beautiful, organic, free-range farm and the slaughterhouse are brokers and middle men and who knows what, which makes it impossible to track where a hide comes from, let alone to know how that cow was raised (or slaughtered). I know, I sound like a Portlandia episode, but these are the facts.

So to make a long story longer, I found bison leather. Free-range animals (if there's any doubt, take a look at a buffalo hide and note the marks and cuts of a range animal), that produce a beautiful leather that is 40% stronger than cow leather. Also, the hides I use are all American, not artificially embossed or treated and are tanned with earth friendly materials. Sold.

Is it the perfect solution? No. And some might find issues with using bison leather...or any leather at all. But these are compromises I can live with...especially when I see how beautiful these pieces are turning out. And that new leather smell? I assure you, it's like heaven!

And for all you vegans, have you seen our Vegan Card Holders yet??

To read more about the ethics of leather click here. To read more about the opaque nature of the leather industry, click here.