The Horween tannery in Chicago
American Horween Leather
Founded in 1905, this is America's most famous tannery, its leather known and sought after around the world. Did you know they have produced football, basketball, and ball glove leather for more than 70 years? So yes, you have most likely, at one point or another, come in contact with their leather! Arnold Horween Sr. was a professional football player and coached for the Harvard team; he’s the one who developed their official football leather. As a maker, I find Horween a dream to work with: buttery and pliable, yet resistant to wear and tear, and super easy to burnish. And the smell of it: leather heaven! That unique scent comes from the proprietary concoction used in the tanning process. There is always more to say about good quality leather but for now enough talking, lets enjoy the video.
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Below is an intimate tour of the tannery, gracefully hosted by Jon Shanahan from The Kavalier style blog.
Need a little more? Ian Anderson from the Squalor to Baller style blog also wrote a nice article about his visit to the Horween tannery. Check it out, its worth the read.
Want to get your hands on some Horween leather to make cool stuff? Tannery Row is Horween’s retail/wholesale direct to artisans’ shop.
Photo credit: thumbnail from https://tinyurl.com/y6enpmtp
