lifelong
magic
IL BISONTE’s leather
MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF FOREST
This article “May Contain Traces of Forest” is titled the same as a recently concluded exhibition at Circolo del Design in Turin. Its goal was to use contemporary art to close the cultural gap that exists between the almost dreamlike contemplation of a forest environment, and the concrete, everyday, familiar objects that come from it.
Il Bisonte’s products have always done the same: they carry with them – and into the wearers’ daily lives – the forest, its transformative power, its resilience and its scents.
They do this through a powder so fine as to be almost imperceptible, with an intense and persistent color. That powder, used in antiquity, has been called tannin since 1796 and is a completely natural substance with antioxidant properties found throughout the plant world (in wood, rhizomes, roots and fruits) that has been silently accompanying us for centuries, in the fruits we eat, the wines we drink and the clothing we wear.
Tannin, extracted from the bark of European chestnut trees, is the oldest vegetable-tanning secret, a true art form that has been well documented throughout Tuscany dating back to prehistoric times. Heedless of the passage of centuries, that perfect recipe is still unsurpassed today. Nothing has changed because those spells that create wonder aren’t to be changed, and what tannin does to leather is pure magic.
It is tannin that gives the leather its warm colors and unexpected transparency, its unmistakable woodland scent, unsurpassed softness, and uncommon strength.
And it is also tannin that makes vegetable-tanned leather products, such as bags and accessories, absorb the experiences of those who use them, thereby becoming truly unique pieces. All thanks to the one-of-a-kind alchemy generated by the ever-changing combination of leather exposed to sunlight and the daily experiences of each individual. It is based on these unpredictable parameters that tannin-tanned leather bears eloquent witness to the stories each life has to tell.
Foreword
BISON LEATHER HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT
“Is that your name because you use bison leather?” People still sometimes ask us that. No, to produce our bags and accessories we only use hides from adult cattle raised for food, which if not reused to make leather goods would have to be disposed of at significant cost to the environment.
It is true, however, that we owe our name to the bison, an animal that our brand’s founder, Wanny Di Filippo, considered an eternal symbol of strength, peace and resilience and the embodiment of a perfect ecosystem where animals, humans and land coexist in harmony.
More than 50 years since that name was chosen, his insight has become part of our daily commitment to create a better future for the planet. Sadly though, despite being recognized as America’s first National Mammal in 2016, America’s wild bison are scant and live almost exclusively in small, isolated, endangered groups. Since 2023, Il Bisonte has supported a campaign to repopulate large areas of the Rocky Mountains with bison, where they can live freely, protected by laws and the efforts of local people. The project is an initiative that we share with the Wildlife Conservation Society, whose activities are in accordance with the principles that back in 1905 inspired the first U.S. campaign to protect bison, which began with the personal commitment of the then director of the Bronx Zoo and Theodore Roosevelt.
A promise
CREATING VALUE, TOGETHER
Choosing leather is an act of taking responsibility for those who love our bags and accessories. For more than five decades we have shared this duty and honor with the world’s best leather artisans who work just a few miles from our headquarters in Florence, in the center of the Santa Croce sull’Arno tanning district, the oldest and most prestigious in Europe.
We know all the people who work our leather and call them by name, we know what water is used to tan it, what vegetable powders and animal fats are used to grease it, what air is used to dry it, what pigments are used to dye it. Some of our suppliers, like Marco (95 years old though you’d never know it), have been working with us since the late 1960s, when our brand was not yet a brand, but just a small artisan workshop in a basement in the center of Florence.
To the men and women who tan our leathers we are bound by solid relationships built on trust, shared love of quality, passion for superbly-made products and a mutual and specific idea of what environmental and consumer sustainability means.
And it is thanks to this familiarity that we are able to ensure anyone who purchases an Il Bisonte bag or accessory that they have made a true investment in value.
Foreword
BISON LEATHER HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT
“Is that your name because you use bison leather?” People still sometimes ask us that. No, to produce our bags and accessories we only use hides from adult cattle raised for food, which if not reused to make leather goods would have to be disposed of at significant cost to the environment.
It is true, however, that we owe our name to the bison, an animal that our brand’s founder, Wanny Di Filippo, considered an eternal symbol of strength, peace and resilience and the embodiment of a perfect ecosystem where animals, humans and land coexist in harmony.
More than 50 years since that name was chosen, his insight has become part of our daily commitment to create a better future for the planet. Sadly though, despite being recognized as America’s first National Mammal in 2016, America’s wild bison are scant and live almost exclusively in small, isolated, endangered groups. Since 2023, Il Bisonte has supported a campaign to repopulate large areas of the Rocky Mountains with bison, where they can live freely, protected by laws and the efforts of local people. The project is an initiative that we share with the Wildlife Conservation Society, whose activities are in accordance with the principles that back in 1905 inspired the first U.S. campaign to protect bison, which began with the personal commitment of the then director of the Bronx Zoo and Theodore Roosevelt.
MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF FOREST
This article “May Contain Traces of Forest” is titled the same as a recently concluded exhibition at Circolo del Design in Turin. Its goal was to use contemporary art to close the cultural gap that exists between the almost dreamlike contemplation of a forest environment, and the concrete, everyday, familiar objects that come from it.
Il Bisonte’s products have always done the same: they carry with them – and into the wearers’ daily lives – the forest, its transformative power, its resilience and its scents.
They do this through a powder so fine as to be almost imperceptible, with an intense and persistent color. That powder, used in antiquity, has been called tannin since 1796 and is a completely natural substance with antioxidant properties found throughout the plant world (in wood, rhizomes, roots and fruits) that has been silently accompanying us for centuries, in the fruits we eat, the wines we drink and the clothing we wear.
Tannin, extracted from the bark of European chestnut trees, is the oldest vegetable-tanning secret, a true art form that has been well documented throughout Tuscany dating back to prehistoric times. Heedless of the passage of centuries, that perfect recipe is still unsurpassed today. Nothing has changed because those spells that create wonder aren’t to be changed, and what tannin does to leather is pure magic.
It is tannin that gives the leather its warm colors and unexpected transparency, its unmistakable woodland scent, unsurpassed softness, and uncommon strength.
And it is also tannin that makes vegetable-tanned leather products, such as bags and accessories, absorb the experiences of those who use them, thereby becoming truly unique pieces. All thanks to the one-of-a-kind alchemy generated by the ever-changing combination of leather exposed to sunlight and the daily experiences of each individual. It is based on these unpredictable parameters that tannin-tanned leather bears eloquent witness to the stories each life has to tell.
A promise
CREATING VALUE, TOGETHER
Choosing leather is an act of taking responsibility for those who love our bags and accessories. For more than five decades we have shared this duty and honor with the world’s best leather artisans who work just a few miles from our headquarters in Florence, in the center of the Santa Croce sull’Arno tanning district, the oldest and most prestigious in Europe.
We know all the people who work our leather and call them by name, we know what water is used to tan it, what vegetable powders and animal fats are used to grease it, what air is used to dry it, what pigments are used to dye it. Some of our suppliers, like Marco (95 years old though you’d never know it), have been working with us since the late 1960s, when our brand was not yet a brand, but just a small artisan workshop in a basement in the center of Florence.
To the men and women who tan our leathers we are bound by solid relationships built on trust, shared love of quality, passion for superbly-made products and a mutual and specific idea of what environmental and consumer sustainability means.
And it is thanks to this familiarity that we are able to ensure anyone who purchases an Il Bisonte bag or accessory that they have made a true investment in value.
21 days
No fewer than three weeks pass from when the raw hides, preserved in salt, begin to be processed, to when they are ready to be made into bags and accessories. The entire production process takes place inside the tannery: once selected, the hides are washed and rehydrated and then passed into drums, large cylindrical containers made of seasoned wood much like giant washing machines.
There is a dedicated drum for each step because – like with wine barrels and mocha coffee pots – the container and its contents work better together if they are used to each other. The one used for greasing, for example, with its wood already saturated with tallow (100% natural fat) has always been the same.
Once out of the drums, to get rid of any excess moisture, the hides are hung on special hangers suspended in the air, attached to mobile tracks where they remain, gently swaying, until they are completely dry.
21 days
No fewer than three weeks pass from when the raw hides, preserved in salt, begin to be processed, to when they are ready to be made into bags and accessories. The entire production process takes place inside the tannery: once selected, the hides are washed and rehydrated and then passed into drums, large cylindrical containers made of seasoned wood much like giant washing machines.
There is a dedicated drum for each step because – like with wine barrels and mocha coffee pots – the container and its contents work better together if they are used to each other. The one used for greasing, for example, with its wood already saturated with tallow (100% natural fat) has always been the same.
Once out of the drums, to get rid of any excess moisture, the hides are hung on special hangers suspended in the air, attached to mobile tracks where they remain, gently swaying, until they are completely dry.
Natural, volonata or vintage
When it comes out of the drums, full-grain vegetable-tanned leather is at a finishing crossroads, so to speak: it is at this delicate and complex stage that the choice is made whether to maintain and enhance the roughness and any small irregularities of its natural grain or to minimize them for the benefit of a more homogeneous texture.
Both options lead to a 100% natural product. However, its appearance, color and texture do change – even somewhat significantly.
Il Bisonte’s softer leathers are so because once dry they go through an additional drying step (called volonatura) and remain in the drums until – and with the help of heat – the mechanical stress “breaks” their inner fibers, ensuring unparalleled softness.
Our iconic vintage leather also undergoes a further special processing step that not only softens it but gives it a broken-in look.
Gianduia, Black cherry and Vanilla
In addition to natural – the most beloved color for those who really want their vegetable-tanned leather to mature and change in intensity and color every day – vegetable-tanned leather can be dyed an infinite number of shades without losing any of its naturalness.
Black, blue, red and caramel are the great classics, along with the timeless metallic silver and bronze which are produced by applying a vegetable-based film to the leather that will not flake off over time, as can happen with chemically treated leather.
And then there are the colors that change with the seasons: color swatches bearing Pantone codes arrive at the tannery and, after countless attempts, the leathers are dyed the perfect shade or even a more beautiful, unexpected one. After a summer dedicated to the vibrant notes of Grapefruit, Pistachio and Caffè Latte, the choice of Gianduia, Black Cherry and Vanilla for the FW24 Collection evokes the natural intensity of chocolate, the changing nuances of red fruit and the delicate sensuality of flowers.
Design follows leather
“Form follows function,” with these words written in 1896 and immediately becoming a motto, architect (and Frank Lloyd Wright’s mentor) Louis Sullivan recommended his colleagues never forget that the form of a building should depend on its intended use.
“Design follows leather,” on the other hand, has always been Il Bisonte’s motto ever since the days when founder Wanny Di Filippo cut, wove and assembled bags and accessories without even needing to design them. He would take leather into his hands and it was the leather itself that inspired him.
For more than fifty years, the story of our brand’s products has always begun with their same leathers: it is their texture and specificity that form their shapes and define their aesthetics. Choosing to leave the edges of a wallet untouched or the interior of a bag unlined, for example, is only possible if the quality of the leather allows you to enjoy the luxury of not having to hide anything. Using a single knot to adjust the length of a shoulder strap means playing around with the strength and elasticity of that material. Creating drapery around a drawstring closure means knowing that the leather you are using is perfectly textured to define beautiful swirls, without forcing it.
Design follows leather
“Form follows function,” with these words written in 1896 and immediately becoming a motto, architect (and Frank Lloyd Wright’s mentor) Louis Sullivan recommended his colleagues never forget that the form of a building should depend on its intended use.
“Design follows leather,” on the other hand, has always been Il Bisonte’s motto ever since the days when founder Wanny Di Filippo cut, wove and assembled bags and accessories without even needing to design them. He would take leather into his hands and it was the leather itself that inspired him.
For more than fifty years, the story of our brand’s products has always begun with their same leathers: it is their texture and specificity that form their shapes and define their aesthetics. Choosing to leave the edges of a wallet untouched or the interior of a bag unlined, for example, is only possible if the quality of the leather allows you to enjoy the luxury of not having to hide anything. Using a single knot to adjust the length of a shoulder strap means playing around with the strength and elasticity of that material. Creating drapery around a drawstring closure means knowing that the leather you are using is perfectly textured to define beautiful swirls, without forcing it.
Taking care
Taking care of what you own is still the simplest and most effective way to behave responsibly in terms of sustainable consumption.
Vegetable-tanned leather is not afraid of the test of time or use: the older it gets, the more beautiful and unique it becomes. But like any organic material, every now and then it benefits from a little care. Just apply a small amount of natural wax or calendula cream to maintain its softness over time. If it gets wet, simply wipe it with a cloth and let it dry away from direct sunlight. If, however, your product needs repair, you can request a remise en forme at all Il Bisonte stores.
Recommended reading (metaphorically): Antonio Pascale’s collection of short stories “La manutenzione degli affetti,” a love guide worth applying to everyday life.
Kintsugi a porter
Those in the know recall that a well-known American fashion designer, an early client of Il Bisonte, purchased a work bag in 1970 that he cherished. The same well-informed people know that, thirty-five years later, that same bag crossed the Atlantic Ocean once again to return to Tuscany, and was entrusted to the skilled hands of Il Bisonte’s artisans who specialize in restoration. “Fixing it will cost you almost as much as buying a new one,” they warned him. “It’s fine even if it costs me more. That’s not just a bag, it’s been my everyday bag for thirty-five years,” he replied.
The beauty of vegetable-tanned leather bags is exactly that: they keep track of the time we spend with them, they hold the traces of shared experiences. And it is precisely those markings that make them unique and immensely cherished, like broken china that – repaired with veins of gold – becomes even more beautiful and precious.
Kintsugi a porter
Those in the know recall that a well-known American fashion designer, an early client of Il Bisonte, purchased a work bag in 1970 that he cherished. The same well-informed people know that, thirty-five years later, that same bag crossed the Atlantic Ocean once again to return to Tuscany, and was entrusted to the skilled hands of Il Bisonte’s artisans who specialize in restoration. “Fixing it will cost you almost as much as buying a new one,” they warned him. “It’s fine even if it costs me more. That’s not just a bag, it’s been my everyday bag for thirty-five years,” he replied.
The beauty of vegetable-tanned leather bags is exactly that: they keep track of the time we spend with them, they hold the traces of shared experiences. And it is precisely those markings that make them unique and immensely cherished, like broken china that – repaired with veins of gold – becomes even more beautiful and precious.
Aging is beautiful
Right after it’s made, the most iconic of Il Bisonte’s leathers is the color of sand, milk, champagne, fresh hazelnuts and soft wood. Being organic and therefore naturally inclined to change, its soft beige – with the passage of time and exposure to light – becomes tinged with the warm notes of gold and the sweet hue of honey, then drifts toward caramel, and then even beyond chestnut to ebony.
Each of these amazing color journeys, lasting 20 or 50 years, is a singular itinerary that depends solely and exclusively on how, when and how much the leather is worn.