The leather goods industry in Colombia can be tracked as far back as the pre-Columbian times, when native tribes, employing great skill and resourcefulness, would use the skin of their latest animal catch to fend off the cold. In order to prevent the leather from hardening, these men would use animal grease from the same kill, slathering it all over the skin they’d chosen, in order to keep the leather useful and intact. This simple task, which to them served mostly as means of survival, would cement the base of what would become one of Colombia’s first artisanal traditions.
Nowadays, Colombia has become the go-to country when it comes to high quality leather due to the ever-growing cattle industry within the country. At number eight, Colombia produces leather that’s in high demand among the international market, from the United States to Australia.
Colombian leather is rapidly making its way to the top despite all these hard times and circumstances, and there’s no denying the talent of the people who have latched onto the business from early on. Many international brands have begun to work with Colombian leather.
Unlike most materials, leather doesn’t grow old, and it doesn’t deteriorate on its own. The only reason someone would throw away a leather item is because they’re bored of it – and with pieces made in Colombia, this won’t be the case