Tradition in Leather Since 1683
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TRADITION IN LEATHER SINCE 1683 CHAMOIS TANNED LEATHER Dear friends of the House Meindl, real suede has always been more than just a material for our family. For many decades we have been dedicating ourselves to the traditional processing of this material. My father Hannes, his brother Alfons and of course my grandfather Lukas Meindl placed great importance on the maintenance and conservation of this unique material. This leather is, now more than ever, a material that deserves trust and respect. For centuries it has proven its value, reliability and highly emotional affect. Nowadays there are only very few specialists left who master the ancient adaptation and processing of high quality leather. Since generations we have been cooperating closely and exclusively with our tanneries. By these means we can guarantee consistent quality at the highest technical and ecological level. Our products stand for incorporated sustainability. You and the future generations will enjoy them. In our fast-moving times, there aren’t many products which convey these values. Therefore it is my wish to share our passion for leather and the unique products we manufacture for you. I sincerely hope you enjoy this brochure and the World of Meindl, with best regards, Markus Meindl THE TANNING From rawhide into leather The chamois tanning is a procedure which goes back thousands of years. A great deal of experience and manual work is required to prepare leather from the hide. The tanners need 3-4 months to produce this unique quality product. The starting point is the skin the tanner gets from the hunter. The tanner salts the hides to preserve them. Residual flesh and hair are mechanically removed in further processing. Thereafter the hair roots are placed in a liquid made of limestone to loosen them. After removing the grain (the hair side of the skin), you get a fine grained non-preserved leather, the so-called limed hide. The leather is then washed again to remove any remaining lime. This is the point where the actual procedure of tanning begins. The skins are rubbed by hand with cod-liver oil. The oil is worked into the skin using inten- sive mechanical cranking and tapping. Then the skin is hung up to dry. This procedure is repeated until the skin is completely streaked with oil. Afterwards any excess oil is washed out with a 1% sodium carbonate solution. Once this process is finished - by letting the wet skins dry in the sun - the leather will develop its chamois yellowish white colour. Not chemical bleaching agents but the nature gives the leather this typical colour. The skins are dried after the bleaching, subsequently put into the milling machine and then softened up in the staking machine (mechanical washing machine). After that, the skins are ground with different sanding papers until the velvety effect of velours is reached. Only then is the leather ready to be dyed. THE HUNTING Each skin is an experience Nothing is connected more with our alpine culture than hunting. Hunting deer, roe deer, chamois and ibex. Products which are made of the skins and horns have been accompanying us since generations. The hunt is an unbelievable experience, linked to old traditions and rituals. Regulated times for hunting, trustful interaction with the deer and also the task to regulate the population in accordance with the fair hunting philosophy, give the deer the chance to live their lifes in their natural environment. Our tanneries gather the skins of the hunted animals and process them using ancient artisan methods. The shortest possible ways and sustainable production methods guarantee a genuine chamois leather product with a long tradition and unique characteristics. Each skin an unicum. We are proud to have the experience needed to manufacture worthy products out of these unique animals’ skins - in order to retain this culture. THE COLOURING As before thousands of years, the colours are applied and brushed in by hand. Colour - by which we mean wood colorants. Redwood, logwood, yellow wood. These colours are extracts from Central American woods. The elaborately produced extracts from the waste of the trees are applied by hand and worked into the leather with the help of a brush. Up to 5 working cycles are necessary to obtain the individual colours. The colours are applied only on the hair side of the skin, the flesh side retains its original colour. Pure nature without preservatives and chemicals. With a unique and timeless beauty. THE SORTING With an astonishing sensitivity and perception for the leather, the most suitable deer is chosen for each product. Time and experience drive the process of sorting according to our quality standards. Nowadays there are certificates and DIN standards for everything. Here, the master leather craftsman still works as thousands of years ago. His experience is crucial for a perfect product. It is for this very reason that most of our employees have been working with us for many decades. DEVELOPMENT AND KNOW-HOW The combination of manufacturing and technology We develop and test every product carefully, hand in hand with the latest technology. Passion, experience and know-how are needed to prepare the products for the demands of our time. Training, education and a fine sense for design are essential for implementing ideas and drafts for the perfect fit. Everything from one source. That is our philosophy. “Wherever Meindl is written, Meindl is also in it.” We and our staff have been living up to that responsibility for many generations. THE CUTTING A great deal of experience and pure craftmanship is required to tailor a jacket out of 2-4 deer (8-10 roe deer) or trousers out of 2 deer (4 roe deer). A jacket is composed of up to 40 different parts and trousers of up to 20. PROFILE RED DEER (cervus elaphus) · Male animals (stag) reach a life weight of up to 200 kg in Europe, female animals (doe) a lot less. · Male animals reach a shoulder height of up to 150 cm, female animals up to 120 cm. · Male animals carry antlers. · They throw off their antlers every year (February/March). Afterwards, the growth of the new antlers begins. · Strong antlers can weigh up to 12 kg. · Red deer can live as long as 18 years. · Red deer are undemanding and not choosy concerning food. They are temporarily content with dry grass and with plant parts rich in cellulose. THE PRODUCTION After every single part has been cut to size by hand, they are processed by our sewers with an astounding eye for detail. Only the experience of our staff makes it possible to manufacture the large number of models as desired. We are a company which enjoys responding to our customers’ wishes and ideas. THE LEATHER CARE Properties, cleaning and maintenance. The natural product leather is inherently easy to handle. Our processed leather is completely worked and processed by hand. This is why the visible natural characteristics such as grain variations and the interplay of light and dark can be kept. Features such as small scratches and scars should not be seen as flaws but rather as benefits, these characteristics are made by nature and mark real suede. Leather cannot be compared with other materials regarding the lightproofness, because of the special dyeing technique. Especially lighter colours and also black, red, dark blue and green fade quickly due to permanent static exposure to light. Our recommendation: Do not expose your jacket to the bright sunlight for long periods of time. Real suede has always some sanding dust, due to the grinding of the leather - this can lead to partial discolouring. Our recommendation: Remove the sanding dust using adhesive tape. Afterwards spray with a common hair lacquer to seal the surface. Real suede is basically insensitive to water. If you get in contact with water unintentionally, just let it dry and rough it up then by rubbing leather against leather. Contact with acids (sparkling wine, white wine and lemon) can cause irreparable damage to the colour which consists of wood colorants. Sweat can also contain acid and leave white residues on the clothing. Our recommendation: The nlyo way of avoiding damage is to immediatly treat the surface with lukewarm water. Leather is only partly heat resistent. Specially chamois tanned leather must not be steamed. Leather should not be dried in the sun but at room temperature in a well-ventilated room. If you get any grease stains on your leather, you should proceed cautiously. Do not use aggressive cleaning agents, just sponge gently with water. Normally, the stain should disappear over time. You can also try to remove the stain by rubbing leather against leather. In case you decide to hand in your jacket at a special cleaners, please consider that cleaning agents are used which may have an impact on the haptics, colour and brightness of the leather. It is not always possible to remove all impurities and to restore the original state. Care tip: Being a natural material, suede ages, the required patina emphasizes the characteris- tics of this unique material. The longer you wear the leather, the more personality it develops. Patina is a natural appeareance which is caused by wearing the leather. Our advice is not to act in haste, running the risk of destroying this individual characteristic by improper cleaning. Imprint: Photos: Peter Straub, Markus Zeiler, Andreas Hechenberger, flashup · Composition & Layout: Wozak Mediendesign Production: Herbert Mayr · © Meindl MEINDL BEKLEIDUNG GMBH & CO. KG Dorfplatz 8 - 10 · 83417 Kirchanschöring Tel.: +49(0)8685 - 985 - 0 Fax: +49(0)8685 - 1575 www.meindl-fashions.de [email protected].