OUR LEATHERS

While we have many other quality leathers with a variety of different properties that we regularly work with, given our long history, Horween's Chromexcel is the leather most often associated with Aero.

From Chicago's world famous Horween Leather Company, 'Chromexcel' is the original pullup leather, still made using time honored techniques and formulas that have remained largely unchanged since they were first developed nearly 100 years ago.

'Chromexcel' is a truly beautiful heavy leather with depth of colour and a luxurious feel. Although its natural full grain nature means each hide is different, it usually has initial shiny, smooth, firm, and relatively uniform characteristics. But with wear, the leather softens up or "breaks in", developing its own grain/patina and light brown undertones showing through the coloured top coat (sometimes referred to as "Teacore"), which along with the pull up nature of the leather (dynamic changes in colour tone/character under stress), means every 'Chromexcel' jacket is increasingly unique.

Horween's complex and proprietary 'Chromexcel' production process includes combination tanning (an initial chrome base tannage with a heavy vegetable retannage), "hot stuffing" the hides with oils, waxes, and greases and even hand staining with several hand-rubbed coats of full aniline (non-pigmented) finish.

Chromexcel Front Quarter Horsehide (CXFQHH) and Chromexcel Steerhide (CXSH) follow the same production process and share similar features. However, CXFQHH has a denser fibre structure which results in sharper crease marks, a longer break in period and generally less grain than CXSH. CXSH is also generally a bit thicker and heavier than CXFQHH:

"Tumbled" options: Exactly the same Chromexcel FQHH that we have put through an additional dry-tumbling procedure which speeds up the breaking in process, knocks off some shine and can bring out substantial grain – end results can be quite unpredictable with each hide being unique.

CXFQHH general weight/thickness: 3oz/1.4mm
CXSH general weight/thickness: 4oz/1.7mm

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Overwhelmingly popular from it's introduction in 2015, 'Vicenza' quickly became another of our flagship leathers and the ideal option for those looking for a stunning Vegetable Tanned leather that's a bit easier to break in than Chromexcel.

Vicenza is a leather crafted in the valleys of Tuscany – an area steeped in a rich history of leather manufacturing which combines centuries-old tradition with innovation and continues to be one of the main centres of high-quality leather production today.

It's a vegetable-tanned midweight horsehide which has a soft-medium hand and a drape that is pleasing to the eye and although it has vegetable tanned leather's characteristic firmness, is still comfortable straight 'out of the box'. The leather is drum dyed through with a semi aniline (lightly pigmented) finish which allows for a wide range of consistent, rich and deep colours and although the natural full grain nature of the leather means every hide is unique, it usually has a lovely consistent grain, which only gets more interesting and pronounced with wear.

In terms of development, while the leather will still 'break in' and develop its own patina and character, because of its dyeing and finishing process it will hold a much higher degree of longterm colour consistency than full aniline leathers like Kelpie and Badalassi (but will still develop with wear, particularly around creasing areas). The gorgeous grain of this leather is where you will enjoy the most development, especially given exposure to the elements.

The Blackened Brown option is black topcoat over a lighter brown. With wear, brown undertones with start to show though the black topcoat, accentuating the ageing process (an effect known by some as "Teacore").

Vicenza general weight/thickness: 2.25oz/1.1mm

Looking to buy a Vicenza Horsehide jacket? Choose your style here >>

'Pinnacle' is the newest development from Chicago's world famous Horween Leather Company. While it's the same quality and beauty that the leather world has come to expect from the legendary tannery, this Horween Horsehide stands in contrast to its famous cousin Chromexcel® with its easily yielding structure and buttery soft feel, requiring no breaking in and wearing with a gorgeous drape from its first wear.

With Pinnacle, Horween wanted to create a unique leather which despite having this pliant nature and soft temper, was also designed to achieve the strength and durability of the heavier leathers they are known for. They have achieved this through a particular combination tannage process (an initial chrome base tannage with a heavy vegetable retannage) and the introduction of a proprietary rich blend of oils in the tanning stages of the leather to provide a rich nourishment of the fibers resulting in its robust and durable nature as well as the unique and signature feel of the leather.

The leather is then finished with a combination of waxes and aniline finishes, which help highlight the unique grain and character of each hide and provide the potential for stunning development for years to come. This is particularly true of the cognac option which also has a strong pull up effect which picks up marks and adds to its character very easily. We're so pleased with initial examples we've crafted form this unique and beautiful leather and it would be our suggested choice for anyone looking to enjoy the character and development potential of one of highest quality aniline leathers available which is light and comfortable to wear straight away.

Pinnacle Horsehide general weight/thickness 2.5oz/1.1mm

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'Jerky' is an exclusive-to-Aero and unique midweight horsehide with a distinctive robust and firm handle, but which still retains the comfortable medium drape of a midweight leather. It has become our standard and recommended Type A-2 leather, striking the right balance between quality, durability and capturing the authentic Type A-2 look and feel (especially once the leather develops).

The leather is chrome tanned, drum dyed, then given a particular semi-aniline finish to give it increased toughness and some degree of colour consistency, but still ensuring that the natural full grain of the horsehide still enhances the leather's aesthetic look.

Over time, the hides will develop a softer handle and mould to the wearer's body shape (almost like a second skin) and appreciate with a beautiful patina developing due to its lighter crust showing through with wear (an effect sometimes referred to as "Teacore"). We have recently worked closely with our UK-based tannery in specially selecting skins and the base colour/crust of the hides to emphasise the aging process.

'High Grain' Jerky is the exact same leather but particularly grainy hides which have been specially requested by Aero. Regular Jerky will still feature grain, but not to the same extent as high grain.

Jerky general weight/thickness: 2.5oz/1.1mm

Interested in a Jerky Horsehide jacket? Choose your style here >>

'Unfinished Horsehide' is one the most unique and interesting leathers in our range and another of our leathers made in Tuscany – one of the world's leading centres of excellence in leather manufacturing which combines centuries-old tradition with cutting edge innovation to create some of the world's finest leathers – and 'Unfinished Horsehide' is no exception.

Like Vicenza, Unfinished Horsehide is also a full grain, vegetable tanned midweight front quarter horsehide. Like most vegetable tanned leathers, it has a little bit of breaking in to do over the first few weeks/months of wear but it's relatively supple and comfortable to wear straight away. The skins are tanned in drums for five weeks and lightly oiled but what gives this leather its unique properties is that this is where the processing stops. Unlike every other leather in our range, no dying or finishing process is applied to the leather, leaving a light 'bone' colour throughout the leather with all the natural markings and grain intact.

The leather is designed to evolve with everyday wear and especially exposure to the elements (moisture and sunshine) darkening the leather over time – etching a unique story into each jacket like a fingerprint in the form of a gorgeous deep caramel patina. A jacket in this leather will make a really eye-catching and unique addition to any collection!

Unfinished Horsehide general weight/thickness: 2oz/1.0mm

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Since it's introduction a couple of years ago, this has become one of our most popular leathers - and it's easy to see why.

Badalassi is another of our leathers produced in the Tuscany region of Italy from the renowned Badalassi Carlo tannery - known within the industry for producing some of the finest pure vegetable tanned leather in the world.

Badalassi Carlo leather is processed by using the traditional Vacchetta technique: infusing the hides with a special blend of natural oils and Italian fat wax giving it the famous hand and feel attributed with the Vacchetta name.

'Badalassi' is a traditional Tuscan Vachetta Vegetable Tanned Midweight Steerhide. It's a dyed through leather with a nonuniform, unique grain effect and a medium soft feel with a glazed/glossy finish. It's also been lightly tumbled in the milking drum giving special character to the texture.

Over time, it's full aniline (non-pigmented) finish ensures the skin will be easily patinated and take on an even richer look.

Pinnacle Horsehide general weight/thickness 2.5oz/1.1mm

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This is a beautifully soft leather that is the lightest and most supple in our range. What makes this special and a popular choice particularly for our Type A-2 jackets and styles like our Shackleton Waistcoat and Aeromarine, is its unparalleled comfort and wearability straight away, with little to no breaking in required.

The leather is chrome tanned and has a full aniline finish and a slight waxy feel. It usually has a really nice mottled effect and it's full aniline nature means that natural variations in the hide are accentuated, although the leather is usually fairly consistent.

Battered Steerhide general weight/thickness: 2oz/0.9mm

As the name suggests, a very soft natural full grain steerhide. The softness comes from the leather's chrome tannage and a particular semi-aniline finish where the grain has little protection, but results in a superb hand feel and softness. As the semi-aniline finish is very light and (like all our leathers) has no grain surface treatment, there will be minor imperfections and variations of effect on the skin, but all add to the natural beauty of the leather.

Soft Grainy Steerhide general weight/thickness 2.5oz/1.0mm

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While lighter and softer, Goatskin is generally considered tougher than Horsehide and Steerhide relative to its weight. It is very breathable, yet has amongst the best natural water resistance properties of any hide (which is why most Navy jackets were made from Goatskin). Compared with Horsehide and Steerhide, Goatskin develops/ages more slowly, although still has the potential to yield a beautiful patina with a lot of wear.

As tough and durable as Goatskin is, it is very soft to the touch and is remarkably supple compared to most Horsehides and Steerhides, so it's incredibly comfortable to wear straight away and requires very little break in. It almost always has a very pronounced 'pebbled' grain which really adds to the unique feel and properties of this leather. Not to be overlooked when deciding your leather – especially for those looking for the toughest leather they can get without the need for a long break in!

Our Goatskin is vegetable tanned, drum dyed and given a semianiline finish, resulting in an incredibly tough and resilient leather characterized by a natural colour, a particularly beautiful fine grain and a very comfortable light and supple feel and soft temper.

We have worked hard to source the largest hides possible which means that we can accommodate Goatskin requests in larger than standard sizes.

Goatskin general weight/thickness: 2.75oz/1.2mm

Looking to order a custom-made Goatskin jacket? Choose your style here >>