Introduction

This page details all the leather types that Himel Bros. carries in stock—including the specialty leathers not available on stock jackets. If you'd like to purchase a jacket made with a nonstandard option, please email info@himelbros.com to discuss the available stocks and pricing. 

All our European and Japanese tanneries have been visited by Himel Bros., and are certified environmentally friendly, with green inputs and wastewater that is treated to drinkable. We try as best we can to know our supply chain and work with the best environmental operations and humane suppliers.

Standard Leathers

Shinki Horsehide Leathers—Made in Himeji, Japan

Shinki Tannery uses top quality sourced horsehides and pit tans them with a full grain uncorrected finish. Shinki Horsehide has become synonymous with Himel Bros. products. It's iconic, tough, and gorgeous. 

Black Oil Tanned Wax Finish

This is a drum dyed black on black horsehide. The smell is the distinctive leathery smell of shinki mimosa tanned horsehide. The leather is then lightly pigment finished with a coating of oil and wax to give a glossy top coat that dulls over time with wear. The base colour never shows through due to the black underdye keeping the jacket black for a lifetime. The leather feels heavier to the hand due to the weight of the drum dye and the oils and waxes imbued in the top coat. The leather is typically 1.2 to 1.3 mm or (2.5 to 2.75 oz) and can come smooth or grainy. Like all vegetable tanned leather fully shrunken grains will pop up and create ripples over time especially after getting wet that will mould the jacket to the wearer and develop character.

Black Pigment Finish

This is a pigment (paint) finished natural brown horsehide. The smell is the distinctive leathery smell of shinki mimosa tanned HH. The leather pigment finished with a medium hard pigment designed to wear over time and show the lighter teacore underneath. This gives the jacket a worn feeling that develops character over time.  The leather is typically 1.2 to 1.3 mm or (2.5 to 2.75 oz) and can come smooth or grainy. Like all vegetable tanned leather fully shrunken grains will pop up and create ripples over time especially after getting wet that will mould the jacket to the wearer and develop character.

Dark Brown Oil Tanned Wax Finish

The smell is the distinctive leathery smell of shinki mimosa tanned HH. The leather is then lightly pigment finished with a coating of oil and wax to give a glossy top coat that dulls over time with wear. The base colour will show through due to the natural mimosa colour of the leather underneath the top coat. The leather feels heavier to the hand due to the weight of the drum dye and the oils and waxes embued in the top coat. The leather is typically 1.2 to 1.3 mm or (2.5 to 2.75 oz) and can come smooth or grainy. Like all vegetable tanned leather fully shrunken grains will pop up and create ripples over time especially after getting wet that will mould the jacket to the wearer and develop character.

Medium Brown Oil Tanned Wax Finish

The smell is the distinctive leathery smell of shinki mimosa tanned HH. The leather is then lightly pigment finished with a coating of oil and wax to give a glossy top coat that dulls over time with wear. The base colour will show through due to the natural mimosa colour of the leather underneath the top coat.  The leather is typically 1.2 to 1.3 mm or (2.5 to 2.75 oz) and can come smooth or grainy. Like all vegetable tanned leather fully shrunken grains will pop up and create ripples over time especially after getting wet that will mould the jacket to the wearer and develop character.

Medium Brown Pigment Finish

This is a pigment (paint) finished natural brown horsehide. The smell is the distinctive leathery smell of shinki mimosa tanned HH. The leather pigment finished with a medium hard pigment designed to wear over time and show the lighter teacore underneath. This gives the jacket a worn feeling that develops character over time. The leather feels heavier to the hand due to the weight of the drum dye and the oils and waxes embued in the top coat. The leather is typically 1.2 to 1.3 mm or (2.5 to 2.75 oz) and can come smooth or grainy. Like all vegetable tanned leather fully shrunken grains will pop up and create ripples over time especially after getting wet that will mould the jacket to the wearer and develop character.

Victoria Italian Horsehide—Made at Victoria Tannery, Santa Croce Italy

Black Pigment

This is a fully vegetable drum tanned Horsehide leather that is lightly corrected made in a small tannery in Italy. The leather is 1.2 mm (2.5 oz) horsehide with a mild woody smell. The black pigment sits atop a mimosa tanned natural colour tea core horsehide and the undercolour will show through over time. Italian horsehide starts with a pebbly even finish but will quickly develop grain and a wavy character once the jacket is worn. The weight of the leather will feel heavier over time especially if the jacket is wetted in rain or mist.

Dark Brown Semi-Aniline/Pigment

This is a fully vegetable drum tanned seal-coloured Horsehide leather that is lightly corrected, made in a small tannery in Italy. The leather is 1.2 mm (2.5 oz) horsehide with a mild woody smell. The semitransparent pigment (paint/dye) sits atop a mimosa tanned natural colour tea core horsehide and the under colour will show through over time. Italian horsehide starts with a pebbly even finish but will quickly develop grain and a wavy character once the jacket is worn. The weight of the leather will feel heavier over time especially if the jacket is wetted in rain or mist.

Medium Brown

This is a fully vegetable drum-tanned russet-coloured horsehide leather that is lightly corrected made in a small tannery in Italy. The leather is 1.2 mm (2.5 oz) horsehide with a mild woody smell. The semitransparent pigment sits atop a mimosa tanned natural-colour tea core horsehide, and the undercolour will show through over time. Italian horsehide starts with a pebbly even finish but will quickly develop grain and a wavy character once the jacket is worn. The weight of the leather will feel heavier over time especially if the jacket is wetted in rain or mist.

Indian Tanned Kailash Goatskin

We offer this goatskin in three colours Black, Dark Brown and Medium Brown

The best goatskins come from India and we order our goat specially specifying larger hides. They are vegetable tanned fully shrunken uncorrected full grain skins. The skins are tanned to bring up a beautiful pebble finish then spray dyed, oiled and wax coated. The goatskins feel very heavy yet very bendy and are primed to break in and mold to the body very quickly. The black colour is dyed right through and the medium brown and dark brown will show the natural lighter colour of the undyed skin with wear over time. According to the tannery they are certified environmentally friendly with full treatment of waste water, and use of green dyes and waxes.

Specialty Leathers

Please note that examples of specialty leathers are available on request. 

Specialty Color Shinki (Pearl White)

This is a pigment (paint) finished natural brown horsehide. The smell is the distinctive leathery smell of shinki mimosa tanned HH. The leather pigment finished with a medium hard pigment designed to wear over time and show the lighter teacore underneath. This gives the jacket a worn feeling that develops character over time.  The leather is typically 1.2 to 1.3 mm or (2.5 to 2.75 oz) and can come smooth or grainy. Like all vegetable tanned leather fully shrunken grains will pop up and create ripples over time especially after getting wet that will mould the jacket to the wearer and develop character.

Shinki Horsehide Full-Grain Suede

This leather is a full grain Horsehide suede that is chrome tanned. The leather is highly flexible and feels chamois-soft on the surface. Made as a special run for Himel Bros., it was designed to replicate the early suedes of California and Block tanneries. What makes it special is that it is not a split leather or the weaker underside of a horsehide but it is the full hide and the surface has been napped to eventually show the character of the hides underneath the suede. It has a very bendy hand and a light leathery smell. The leather is 1.2 mm or (2.5oz) and is perfect for a more fashion-forward jacket.

Italian Steerhide (Natural, Oxblood, Black, Dark Brown)

These Italian steerhides are vegetable tanned and come from the Santa Croce region of Italy.

The finishes are semi aniline or transparent coloured surface coats on 1.2 mm vegetable tanned leather. Not recommended for motorcycling this leather makes for excellent character in a more fashion/work style jacket.

New Zealand Deerskin (Natural White, Gloss Black)

The skins are sourced from farmed deer in New Zealand. The vegetable tanned leather is soft and flexible with a slight oil aroma. The natural white colour lends itself to instant wear. This style of leather in 1.2 mm (2.5oz) develops a lot of character very quickly and picks up a lot of colour from oil and dirt. The jacket will look like it is vintage within weeks of wearing the deerskin. The flexible hand of the leather makes it idea for a more fashion forward jacket. 

Black gloss deerskin feels much heavier than the white deerskin due to the weight of the drum dying and pigment finish. This leather is more durable due to the finish and has a smoother shinier look. While it is also 1.2 mm (2.5 oz) the hand feels much heavier and it is prone to develop soft folds and ripples in character very quickly.

American Steerhide 

This is a chrome tanned steerhide from south American cows. Chrome tanned leathers are typically stronger and more flexible then vegetable tanned leathers but take longer to form character. This leather feels easier to wear as there is more give and flex in the hides. The beauty of this type of leather is its ease of movement combined with its strength. The finish on this leather is a black/walnut oil wax finish. With dark brown undertones the hides look almost black in low light but highlight dark browns in sunlight. The hides are 1.2 mm (2.5 oz) but feel heavier due to the wax and oil finish. This leather has a broken in feel from day one.