In principle it is the way the skin of the animal is tanned and treated. In modern tanneries there is little difference in terms of environmental footprint and time taken to make, though historically vegetable tanned leather took many months to make. The difference for the crafter are important to note for making up:

Vegetable Tanned Leather
Will wet form cold and mould to shape
Can be carved and tooled
Can be embossed with dampening
Can be edge treated with slicking
Is often in natural and can be easily dyed

Chrome (Mineral) Tanned
Some will form with heat
Comes coloured and finished usually
Can be heat embossed or foiled
Can be edge treated with Leading Edge
Usually thinner thickness leathers

You can find out more about different leather types and definitions from our Leather and Leathercraft Glossary which is free to download

Click to download your free Leather and Leathercraft Glossary

We are the UK distributors for Tandy Leathercraft, stocking around 70-80% of the Tandy products. A Tandy catalogue is available to purchase on request.

A one stop shop for all your leather and leathercraft needs, Tandy tools are just a part of our range. We also stock our own range of Leather Stains, Edge Paints and finishes, as well as stocking from UK manufacturers such as HipKiss, Somac, and John James.

We have put together a separate section of starter tools and a video to explain their uses:
Click to Shop
Click to Watch

Before you report your delivery enquiry please check the following:

• Have you checked with members of the same household?
• If your parcel was sent to a work address, have you asked your colleagues?
• Have you checked with your neighbours?
• Please double check any secure outside locations such as your porch, shed or garage.
• Have you had a text SMS message or email from the courier attempting to deliver?

If your parcel still hasn’t been located please email ‘sales@theidentitystore.co.uk’ with your order number and we will check with the couriers for you as soon as possible.

We offer chances to visit our stock room in Matlock through the year, with several open day events and Saturday opening from 10am to 2pm when we are not at shows.

You can find out more on our page VISITING THE STOCK ROOM which has details of opening times.
Appointments are possible mid-week with Peter, please arrange in advance by calling 07970 689115.

Yes you can collect your order. Place your order and select the collection option at checkout. This will remove the shipping charge and notify us of your intent to pick up. We will email you when the order is ready for collection.

We have put together a separate section of the tools and materials you will need to help you get started belt making. We also have a downloadable guide with tips and instructions.

Click here to view the project

There are different ways to edge leathers depending on the type. You can find out more from our YouTube video which goes through two methods, one for treating vegetable tanned leather and one for treating chrome (mineral) tanned leather types.

Click to Shop

Click to Watch

We like to support young people in leathercraft where we can.. to set up a nominated group discount we ask you to first set up an account on the website and then complete a simple form. We will then contact you with details of how to claim the discount.

This is a good point and something areas of the leather industry are trying to work on. The current situation for a lot of leather is that there is little traceability from the farms to tanneries so it is hard to ever be certain. The vast majority of our leather is made in Europe, which has the highest levels of animal welfare and care. Leathers from Italy, France and Spain tend to come from grass fed smaller farms working within European standards. We have more knowledge of provenance from our UK Heritage leather – this was made in UK tanneries. We have been collecting and processing suitable leathers, these primarily came from Northern Irish small grass fed and finished cattle farms and went to a good modern and well-run abattoir. As a small company we have little power to change things at an international level however we have spoken with Compassion in World Farming and raised the issue of traceability and there is some momentum gaining for this in the industry as a whole. You can find more good information on the following sites about the making of leather in modern settings: https://www.leathernaturally.org/ https://leatheruk.org/ Our suggestions from our range to closest fulfil your criteria would be to look at our UK Heritage collection, our veg tan Shoulders, firm and soft calf and the creamy white calf leathers.