Nappa Leather
The Hodie et Nunc case starts in the Chimborazo highlands of Ecuador — where altitude, climate, and generations of craft intersect.
STEP I — Origin
The volatile conditions in Chimborazo develop cattle of unique quality and character. Their highly adaptable hides develop to be resilient and enduring, able to withstand even the most extreme weather found in the mountains.
STEP II — Selection
Each hide is assessed for grain consistency, surface integrity, and various other discrete indicators. This process is done entirely by hand, evaluated by the most experienced of tanners. Only a select few make the final cut.
STEP III — Dyeing
The hides enter large rotating drums where tanning agents work slowly into the fiber, stabilizing the leather and beginning to draw out its character. This is where density is set and durability is built. A delicate, yet highly defining part of the process.
STEP IV — Drying & Finishing
Once dyed, the hides are hung and allowed to dry naturally before moving through finishing. It is during this stage that the leather's qualities — its softness, its drape, its weight — are fully revealed.
STEP V — The Finished Material
What leaves the tannery is full-grain Nappa leather at its finest — dense, supple, and carrying within it the entire arc of its origin — a material fully complete, in it of itself. Its journey continues with the artisans, where masterful craftsmen sculpt it into its final form.
