What different types of leather are there?
Latigo Leather: This is a general term used describe alum, chrome or other mineral salts tannage. A latigo is a cincha-strap on a western style saddle. Oiled, chrome tanned straps were, and still are, used for this purpose because it is strong and has considerable stretch. Because of its use in saddlery, “latigo” became a general term for mostly all chrome tannage. About 80% of all commercial leather goods used today are of this tannage; furniture, clothing, shoes, luggage etc. Latigo leather is sometimes wrongly called oil tanned. It may be oiled after tanning for certain uses, but no oil is used in the tanning process. The only true “oil tanned” leather today is chamois and some other exotic animal skins. Bridle Leather: Technically this is vegetable tanned leather that has been further curried with waxes and animal oils. It has a finer hand and is suppler than common un-curried vegetable tanned leather. The best true bridle leathers still come from England, but there are other very
