BRIEF HISTORY OF OPTIMA LEATHERS AFFORDABLE LUXURY • Founded in 1984 by owner Steven Judd as a distributor For high-end leather For footwear, handbags, and outerwear. • In 2000, Steven expanded to include upholstery leather, securing relationships with major manufacturers that continue today. • Sister company Mima Leathers was founded in 2010. Mima purchases the unfinished hides and controls the finishing process, ensuring that Mima and ultimately, Optima Leathers can provide uniformity of both quality and aesthetics. • Mima Leathers is headquartered in Milan, with Production in Arzignano, Italy. • Optima Leathers ofFers 33 qualities of leather, with a combined total of 290 colors. • We have access to hundreds oF embossing Plates, that are not part of our standard production, so we most likely match or find something very similar. 1 FULL GRAIN/TOP GRAIN THE SIMPLE TRUTH To provide durable leather for uPholstery, tanners sPlit the hide and use uP to the top 4/64ths of an inch. Each hide is then graded according to the corrections it may require. Top grain simply reFers to the toP oF the skin or hide. ToP grains are graded into Full grain or corrected grain leathers. Full grain hides require no surFace alterations. Only about 3% to 5% oF all hides meet the standards for full grain. With their beauty and softness, uncorrected full grain leathers are the Finest available. Each hide is unique and contains surFace marks such as healed wounds that document the animal’s liFe and testiFy to the leather’s authenticity. Lower selection toP grain leathers require correction, thus becoming corrected grain leathers. Correction includes sanding and buFFing to remove the old grain, then embossing to impart a new, artiFicial grain. The Process removes some oF the luxurious feel found in natural full grain leather, but the strength oF toP grain leather remains. OPtima Leather, as a high quality leather resource, takes great care in the amount oF sanding necessary to achieve the perfect balance of durability and aesthetic. **All full grain hides are top grain, But not all top grain hides are full grain (Because top grain hides can be lightly sanded to remove certain imperFections and markings, also adding durability.) ***Optima Leather’s exceptions to top grain *** Suede Made From the lower sPlit oF a hide – Suede. This Product is not recommended For high traFFic areas. Should generally be used in residential Projects. Laminated Our laminated leathers are laminated on toP oF a lower sPlit. However, because oF the lamination process, the end result is highly durable and will not peel ofF. 2 THE TANNING PROCESS Leather hides are shiPPed From meat Packing Facilities one oF two ways; either Frozen and delivered in frozen trucks for conservation, or Packed with rock salt (as a Preservative) on Pallets. The tanneries must first remove the salt by tumbling the hides in an oPen-framed drum. As the hides floP around, the salt falls through, is collected and then returned to the meat Packing Plants for use on future shiPments. Once the salt has been removed, the hair must be removed. The Process is called liming. Hair is removed by submersing the hide in a drum containing a mixture oF calcium hydroxide, which breaks down the bond between the hair and skin. The hides are then trimmed to remove any Flesh and /or Fat still attached to the skin. The hides must now be “de-limed”. This is known as the Pickled Phase. The hides are then tanned For the speciFic type oF product being made. There are several options For tanning: • Chrome – These hides will have a very soFt supple hand with a wide range oF bright vivid colors. It is the most common tannage For uPholstery leathers. • Vegetable Matter – These hides will have a Fuller, more rigid Feel but with limited color options. Leather tanned both times with vegetable would be used For shoe soles or horse saddles. • Synthetic – These hides are less supple than chrome but not as rigid as vegetable and have Fewer color oPtions than chrome, but more oPtions than veg. NOTE: A majority oF OPtima Leathers products are chrome tanned, which is the most common Form For upholstery leathers. They will next be sorted For selection. They are now split and shaved into the thickness needed For the product desired. Now we Proceed with the coloring Phase and the completed hides are ready For a dye “bath”. The hides are submersed in a drum containing a measured amount oF dye and then agitated until a majority oF the dyestufFs are absorbed into the hides. During this process, Fat liquors may be added For soFtness, or resins to make the leather firm – to achieve the desired hand/feel of the Product. (Note: this Process takes 12- 24 hours.) 3 TANNING-CONTINUED… Hides that are removed From the dye bath need to be dried. There are several methods oF drying, each with an imPact on what the Final Product looks like: • Toggle Drying – This is a very common Form oF drying. The hides are clipped to a metal Frame that goes through a large “oven” where heat and airFlow are used to dry the hides. • Air Drying – This is another common Form oF drying. The hides are draPed over Poles on a conveyor that slowly moves around the ceiling oF the tannery. • Vacuum Drying – This is a Form oF drying used to achieve a very speciFic appearance in the finished Product. The hide is sPread out on a hot surFace and a cover is laid over the hide and the moisture is “vacuumed” out oF the leather. This Produces a very smooth/tight grain texture. After drying the hides will be slightly stiFF. They are now soFtened either by milling or by staking. • Milling is done in a drum (like a large clothes dryer) and will Produce a more Pronounced and bumpy grain. • Staking is done on a machine where the hides are run on a conveyor. As the hides Pass through the machine, small Pins Pound on the hide, essentially massaging it. Staking has minimal eFFect on the grain texture, and is thus used when a tighter grain texture is desired. Leather must now be PrePared For Finishing: • Full Aniline – these leathers are now comPlete, although in some instances oils and /or waxes are apPlied to the surFace. • Nubuck – these leathers are sanded to Produce a naP and then Production is comPleted. • Semi-Aniline – these leathers may go straight to the sPray line if they are going to be full grain, or they may be “snuffed” or lightly sanded iF they are going to be enhanced or corrected grain. 4 A brief summary of terms: Full Grain – The surFace has not been altered in any way EnhanCeD Grain – The surFace is lightly sanded to remove light surFace imperFections CorreCted Grain – The surFace is sanded to remove imPerFections and then embossed with a Fake grain texture The spray line consists oF a series oF spray guns that apply the Finish on the surFace oF the leather hides. The hides may be passed through the spray line a number oF times to aPPly additional Finish aPPlications (i.e., one Pass for the color coat and a second Pass for a clear toPcoat). Hides are now taken to an ironing machine. The irons are large rollers that use heat and/or Pressure to create a desired eFFect on the hides. Some rollers have artiFicial grain prints on them and these are used to Produce corrected grain leathers. All leathers are now insPected at the tanneries Prior to Packaging and shiPment. The hides are sorted into first selection, second selection, or rejects based Primarily on the cleanliness oF the skin. Scars, holes and other surFace imPerFections are taken into consideration. Seconds are Primarily used For samPling purposes. Rejects are held by the tannery and re-worked into a lower grade Product. For examPle, Full grain leathers can be reProcessed into enhanced grain leathers, and enhanced grain leathers can be reProcessed into corrected grain leathers. Graded hides are then measured and Packaged For shiPment to Optima in New York. Once at Optima, all leather is stored on “horses” to prevent CreasinG. 5 WHY FINISH LEATHER? v Enhance appearance ♦ Make leather more attractive to the eye ♦ Create almost any variety oF colors, textures, sPecial aFFects ♦ Increase sales apPeal v Protect leather ♦ Increase durability and/or useful liFe of leather ♦ Impart and/or increase water resistance ♦ Impart and/or increase light Fastness v Upgrade leather quality ♦ Improve uniFormity oF surFace color, minimize variation within each hide and between hides ♦ Increase cutting yield of hide ♦ Cover grain surFace deFects, damages and blemishes 6 LEATHER AND SUSTAINABILITY When sPeciFying Products For design Projects, leather is an environmentally Friendly oPtion. Leather has been the material oF choice For centuries. As a Product of nature, it does not require as many manuFacturing Processes as other man-made materials, such as synthetic Fabrics and vinyl. In addition, leather is a much more durable Product, lasting uP to Five times longer than Fabric. This reduces rePlacement costs, as well as unnecessary waste. The most important Point to consider when Purchasing leather is that the material is a byProduct oF the meat industry. Animals are never harmed solely For the use oF their skins. The skins used to make OPtima’s Products would otherwise become landFill. Prior to production, the skins are placed in salt for preservation or on frozen trucks and shipped From meat Packing Plants to our Italian tanneries. The salt used is recovered and returned For use on Future shiPments. The skins are then sPlit and trimmed. OPtima Leather only uses the toP layer oF the hides to Produce toP and Full grain Products.