Premium Argentine Leather
From southern Patagonia to the north ... natural leather is used as the most noble material of our lands. Natural leather offers irreplaceable and irreproducible experiences, shapes and designs.
No material can replace the feel, elasticity and nobility of natural leather.
Natural Diversity
Natural leather is unique. In DEL SUR, we respect the diversity of nature. Each animal is different and the mark of its individuality is in its leather. Even when they share race and size, each piece of leather will be different from the other. Each one of Del Sur's products is unique and unrepeatable. It is for this reason that you will find within your bag a certificate of authenticity, proof that the leather is 100% Top Gain/Full Grain with the highest quality.
100% handcrafted
All Del Sur products are 100% handmade, using only natural leathers dyed with products of vegetable origin of the highest quality. Every detail has been personally taken care of by leather experts in every process of its production. Only experienced leather craftsmen can ensure quality manufacturing like this.
Sustainable vegetable leather
The leather we use for our products is 100% vegetable, this menas that is tanned with vegetable tannins and dyed with vegetable anilines, 100% free of Chrome. All the leather we use complies with international environmental regulations, as well as the tanneries used for the manufacture of our products, all establishments are audited by international environmental organizations and associations. We have a high degree of commitment and environmental responsibility, and that is why we only work with tanneries that comply with international certifications of environmental care.
Leather is in our DNA
In the calm, in the storm, in the middle of a Pampero or a Zonda Blizzard. In the immensity, vast lands with cattle grazing and horses galloping. Freedom... no pressure. From Patagonia to the north ... there is no place where it is not used as the most noble material of our lands.
Natural leather offers irreplaceable and irreproducible experiences, shapes and designs.
No material can replace the feel, elasticity and nobility of natural leather. Vegetable tanned leather has a unique feeling, it's a lifetime investment.
Del Sur products are luxury items, and as such should be cared for and protected as experts indicate. Our products are natural and have no plastic or synthetic components. If well maintained, these quality leather products can last for years.
The contact with natural leather is in our DNA. Since ancient times, man has used animal leather to protect himself, to keep warm, to work, to mark his status, his state of mind or simply the fashion that best represented him. The feeling generated by the contact of our skin with real leather is difficult to explain. This contact decodes centuries of history, this union is marked in our evolution. The appearance of leather can be copied, but the quality and feeling of that contact is impossible to replicate.
The leather in Argentina refers to our history, gauchos, tradition, parties, defense and work... roof, shelter and customs... history and current affairs. The leather, a material builded part of the Argentine identity, is noble, flexible and resistant.
The life of the cattle in freedom, gave as a result cattle of incredible quality in its meat and especially in its leather. By freely grazing and feeding naturally, the animals have much more flexible and resistant skins, and above all, free of the marks that rubbing and fences produce on their skin. Argentine leather is known worldwide for its unsurpassed quality and the products of our countryside are appreciated by users and brands throughout the world. It has an emblematic character and it is usually considered that Argentina is recognized worldwide, among other things for its landscapes, the tango, soccer, Polo and for the quality of the products of its grasslands, mainly for meat and leather.
Full grain leather, natural Leather
DEL SUR bags are made of the highest quality Argentine vegetable leather. All are produced with the highest quality standards of handcrafted manufacturing. Cowhide is the leather most used by the leather industry due to its thickness, strength, durability and flexibility, as well as its easy availability. The leather industry has the relevance of recycling a by-product of the meat industry. Otherwise the leather is discarded. The production of vegetable leather fulfills the function of recycling this material without causing any harm to the environment.
DEL SUR bags are made of the highest quality Argentine vegetable leather. All are produced with the highest quality standards of handcrafted manufacturing. Cowhide is the leather most used by the leather industry due to its thickness, strength, durability and flexibility, as well as its easy availability.
Full grain leather, natural Leather:
This is the upper layer of the skin, the outermost layer of the animal, which is in contact with the outside. This type of leather is the most expensive and of the highest quality. The skin is completely natural and unmodified. The easiest way to determine if the leather is full grain is by looking for scars and small imperfections, such as scratches or insect bites. These natural imperfections indicate that it is a very high quality leather. This higher quality part of the skin, over time, will develop a natural patina that will increase the beauty of the piece. These can be finished or unfinished leathers (complete aniline) and can be distinguished by placing a drop of water in a hidden area. If the water is absorbed quickly, with a darkening of the leather, then it is not finished, but if it remains on the surface it is a finished skin or it has been treated to make it water repellent.
Corrected Grain Leather:
This is the selection of full grain leather parts that show an excessive amount of scratches or scars. These sheets are then polished or sanded. The result is an impeccable leather without natural scars with a smooth or practically smooth relief. In order to modify the surface and for certain uses, a false grain is stamped or engraved.
These leathers that seem perfect are not natural and when they lose their natural marks they also lose the hand and the touch of natural leather, since when correcting the grian, the natural fibers heat up, losing natural flexibility.
Suede:
It is the second layer or lower layer of the skin that remains after the extraction of the whole grain. It is then sanded to obtain a much softer leather. This leather is more delicate against stains. This leather is often used for the inside of the bag.
Unnatural leathers:
There are more types of leather such as reconstructed leather (Bonded Leather) made of leather fibers, patent leather (by-cast) leather and vinyl remnants or faux leather that is totally artificial.
DelSur does not use this type of leather for any of its products.
Leather is our passion
100% natural leather is a versatile, durable and prestigious material, with a wide range of desirable attributes, such as flexibility, strength, molding ability, breathability and resistance to friction. Vegetable tanned leather is processed using natural, rather than chemical, tannins. It is the highest quality, most eco-friendly and healthiest option.
It is very difficult to find a 100% leather product in the market. There are many types of leather goods sold and described as leather, when in fact they are imitations, or have a low percentage of leather, such as consolidated leather fiber, coated leather, laminated leather, PU, action leather, etc.
They are cheaper and tend to be less flexible, less durable, less resistant, less porous, lack natural appearance and tend to crack, as well as being the result of manufacturing processes that cause pollution.
100% natural leather is a versatile, durable and prestigious material, with a wide range of desirable attributes, such as flexibility, strength, molding ability, breathability and resistance to friction. Vegetable tanned leather is processed using natural, rather than chemical, tannins. It is the highest quality, most eco-friendly and healthiest option.
Today, 80 to 90% of the leather in the market is tanned using chrome tanning, the most popular method of tanning. It is also the oldest kind of chemical tanning. This process is quite fast, taking from 1 to 3 days and leaves the leather soft and uniformly colored after it is dyed. This method makes the leather more resistant to water and heat, so the finish may look the same over the years. However, its life is not especially long and chrome tanning uses extremely harsh, even carcinogenic, chemicals that harm the environment and the people who make it, causing everything from water pollution to cancer. Chrome tanned leather also has a distinctive chemical smell that many people do not like. Yet because it is a relatively inexpensive method that yields quick results, most of the leather produced worldwide uses chrome tanning techniques.
DEL SUR products are ONLY made with Vegetable tanned leather, using natural tannins derived largely from bark. This process obtains a durable, strong leather that-properly cared for-can last for generations. As it has a natural origin, it is more limited as regards range of colors. The most common colors are the earth tones, it is quite difficult to obtain a bright color using this tanning method. However with use these leathers develop a unique and rich patina. They are also more delicate and tend to scratch more easily than other types of leather. During the first year of use, you probably should be more careful with heat, water (specially rain), sharp objects after a year, the leather becomes a bit more resistant, and the natural patina (pattern of wear) will hide most of the scratches. This natural method takes longer to produce (up to 20 days) and is significantly more expensive as well. After these two months, the leather is typically worked by hand. So while it is more expensive, vegetable tanned leather certainly provides a higher quality, more durable product when properly cared for.
Vegetable tanned leather is, on the whole, a higher quality product that will last longer and age more gracefully than other leathers. And its production process does not produce chemicals, making it a better choice for the environment and for the people involved in that production. Vegetable tanned leather does not leach materials into the ecosystem or into unsafe workplaces in developing nations.