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definition of leather goods

Since ancient times, man has made utensils to facilitate their daily tasks or as a simple decorative ornament. One of the most used materials is leather, with which it is possible to make bags, belts, wallets, footwear or ornamental pieces. The artisans who work with this material are dedicated to leather goods. In most pieces there are embossed drawings in relief.

It comes from the French, specifically from the word maroquin or maroc (Moroccan or Morocco). This name is due to a historical fact: the great masters who embossed leather came from Morocco.

The tanner is the craftsman who creates the leather pieces for the leather craftsman to transform them into original pieces

Leather is obtained from the hides of some animals, such as sheep, goat or ram. After obtaining the hide and the consequent removal of the hair or wool, the leather undergoes a tanning process and finally becomes a resistant piece of leather. Apart from its ideal texture for handling all kinds of utensils, leather has a pleasant smell.

Regarding the tools used to mold the leather pieces, the most important are the blades (with this instrument the molds are cut), the clubs for the perforation of the pieces, the strip punches, the punches, the needles. sewing tools or cutting edgers. Of course, pliers, scissors, metal rulers and hammers are also used.

A little history

The first leather articles began to be manufactured more than 8000 years ago in different territories of the planet, especially the Middle East and Africa. Rudimentary tanning techniques evolved and over time a more sophisticated activity began, leather goods. This artisan creation was fully developed in the Middle Ages in North Africa and in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. Pieces made of embossed leather became fashionable in both the Muslim and Christian world.

The guilds of tanners and leather craftsmen of the Middle Ages are the historical precedents of the current workshops. Like many other handicraft activities, this one has been weakened as a result of large-scale production and the appearance of synthetic materials that have replaced leather.

At present, very few craftsmen dedicated to this activity continue to use traditional techniques, since there is multifunctional machinery with which it is possible to manufacture a greater number of pieces using less time.

Fotolia photos: Anton / Alfa27

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