For a long time leather was restricted to the winter wardrobe but now this most animal of materials is making headway into summer collections. Perforated like lace, worked in woven strips of lamb leather, refined to the extreme, produced in a palette of bright colours, it has become light and airy, ideal for warm and sunny weather. At the Première Vision Leather show, tanneries showcase their creativity brilliance in bringing new life to hides. The fashion barometer is rising, things are hotting up!

1. SUMMER LEATHERS
Foralongtimeleatherwasrestrictedtothewinterwardrobebutnowthismostanimalofmaterials
is making headway into summer collections. Perforated like lace, worked in woven strips of lamb
leather, refined to the extreme, produced in a palette of bright colours, it has become light and
airy, ideal for warm and sunny weather. At the Première Vision Leather show, tanneries showcase
their creativity brilliance in bringing new life to hides.
The fashion barometer is rising, things are hotting up!
Record-breaking thinness
Technical wizardry and the wonders of tannery expertise mean that hides can became as fine
and light as the most vaporous of fabrics and thus earn their place in the summer wardrobe. By
delicately and progressively sanding the flesh side, the experts present at Première Vision Leather
can reduce leather to a thickness of just 0.4 or 0.3 mm.
For example, Conceria Gaiera Giovanni has produced 0.3 mm dipped lamb leather that is as supple
as silk and perfect for light and cool clothing. “For the summer, we often offer the suede finish for
footwear, because it is less likely to be exposed to rain,” our contact at Mégisserie Richard tells us.
“We can reduce the thickness to 0.4 mm, which is ideal for producing sandals with fine straps. But if the
leather is not to lose any of its strength or elasticity, you have to start off by using skins that are already
quite thin.”
For the summer season, Conceria Tre Emme has perfected an original article, made up of two
thin sheets of matt lamb leather joined together then covered with a shiny film, giving a surprising
appearance and texture. While Rial 1957, after having split the lamb leather to 0.2mm, bonded it
onto a silk organza backing that supports the material whilst at the same time giving it a blistered
effect and a dry texture that is ideal for the production of a summer garment.
NEWSLETTER 3
13-15 SEPTEMBER 2016
INTERNATIONAL LEATHER AND FUR SPECIALIST SHOW
Extra-fine lamb leather (0.3 mm)
from Conceria Gaiera Giovanni
Double-sided lamb leather coated with
a shiny film by Conceria Tre Emme
Lamb leather bonded onto
silk organza by Rial 1957

2. Jacket in dipped lamb bonded
onto a light tweed, light tweed
and leather skirt
Yves Salomon summer 2016
Double-sided leather coat,
dipped lamb leather dress
Yves Salomon summer 2016
Perforated leather: Cut-outs to keep
Light and airy perforated leather is the ideal article for summer. Particularly as it brings to mind
the very popular mesh fabric that is currently omnipresent in sportswear-influenced collections.
And thanks to mechanical and laser perforation techniques, the results are as varied as
they are infinite. But do we really know which is the best one to choose? The exhibitors at
Première Vision Leather have given us some guidance on the subject:
The first example, which is produced using rows of punches lined up on a plate or a strip, is very
respectful of the material. “We create our perforations using punches assembled in a row on a strip
activated by a very complex machine. We can offer around 20 patterns, depending on the distance
between the punches and their shapes,” explains Philippe Joucla of Mégisserie Lauret. But it can
only produce regular and fairly simple patterns and there is a limit to the thinness of the skin.
“The larger the perforation, the less we can reduce the thickness of the leather” adds Jean-Charles
Duchêne of Mégisserie Alric. Defying the laws of nature, Cuirs du Futur have produced a stretch
perforated article that is split to 0.2mm with 30% elasticity.
Perforated suede lamb
from Mégisserie Lauret
Perforated suede lamb
from Mégisserie Lauret
Extrafine perforated stretch
lamb leather from
Cuirs du Futur
Lamb leather from
Conceria Gaiera Giovanni with
diamond perforations, giving
“elasticity” to the leather

3. Perforated vachetta
from Inter Leather
Laser perforation
from OSM Leather
Perforated leather, washed to
give a raffia effect by Bopell
Dress in perforated dipped lamb leather
Yves Salomon summer 2016
Lamb perforated using a punch
from Tannerie RG Deri
Punch-perforated leather
from Hiriar André
The latest state-of the-art technique is laser perforation, which has the advantage of being
extremely flexible, offering an infinite range of sophisticated patterns. However, Philippe Joucla
from Mégisserie Lauret underlines its high costs due to the time needed to expose each skin
to the laser rays. Its critics also complain about the trace of dark circles that it leaves around
the holes and the odour on the skin. But its fans, like OSM or Bopell get round this problem by
washing the skin with perfumed water.
Laser perforation
by Conceria Tre Emme

4. Lamb, leather for all seasons
Asatrueprofessionalwhoplansahead,RibaGuixaisneveratalosswiththearrivalofsummer.Aspecialist
of entrefino lamb leather, this Spanish tanner knows how to get the very best from this exceptional ovine
breed to make it just as irresistible when the sun shines. “For the summer, we focus on matt finishes
and dry, technical textures, like paper, obtained by washing and by methods that are in-house secrets. At
Première Vision Leather this season, we present a lamb nubuck that we are particularly proud of,” he told us.
The tannery also extols the virtues of their denim finish leather, which is always popular when the sun
starts to shine, in washed light shades or dark like raw jeans. In addition, the tannery produces extra-fine
articles at 0.4 or even 0.3 mm thickness, also eminently suitable for the summer temperatures. “Before the
hide is split, great care must be paid to ensure there is no damage on the flesh side, because with leather this
thin it will inevitably make holes”, explains the manager, illustrating the care and attention that is expected
by the luxury labels.
Until now, it was an accepted fact that when dyed leather was
exposed to the sun’s rays, the temperature of the surface of the
leather would rise...But now, with the new summer leather from
Tanneries Pechdo, things have changed. This leather is infrared-
resistant, reflecting the sun’s rays rather than absorbing them,
and thus allowing the surface temperature to be reduced (up to
20°C on dark leathers). Offering great thermal comfort, it also
ages better. Available in goat leather and sides of bovine leather,
it is particularly adapted to the production of sports gloves,
motorcycle gear and any other application where it would be
preferable to remain cool in hot conditions.
Heat-resistant leather
Lambskin with a dry texture
from Riba Guixa
Denim finish
from Riba Guixa
Poncho in suede lamb leather,
bikini in stretch suede lamb leather
Yves Salomon summer 2016

5. Fur for summer? A great mix!
With mink-coated shoes from Céline and jackets in Mongolian lamb from the sisters of Rodarte seen on
the summer catwalks, can we induce that fur does not fear a heatwave? Although fur has been around
since prehistoric times to keep us warm in winter, it is now becoming increasingly present in summer
collections.
A fairly recent phenomenon seen at Yves Salomon, the furrier-manufacturer who needs no introduction,
an exhibitor at Première Vision Leather. “We introduced it into our collections about 5 or 6 years ago. Like
all the fashion houses, we produce more and more collections to meet all desires and create favourite items.
Rabbit, fox, mink – it is not really the type of fur that matters but rather how is it is used. Our style teams
have perfected techniques that allow us to make it less compact. Woven, perforated, open-worked, or bonded
onto net braid, there are an infinite number of ways to lighten it”. And don’t forget that these light jackets,
sleeveless jackets and short coats arrive in stores in January or February, for the mid-season, but can also
be worn during the cooler summer evenings.
Sleeveless jacket of racoon and ostrich feather,
braided onto net, dipped lamb leather dress
Yves Salomon summer 2016
Jacket of silver fox and raccoon braided
onto net, patent eel leather skirt
Yves Salomon summer 2016