Leather
Leather is a unique and prestigious living material. It is classified by categories according to its origin. Hides from the southern hemisphere are more abundant and tend to show their natural characteristics more, while hides from the northern hemisphere are suppler.
In general, we find a higher percentage of hides which are excellent quality in our northern hemisphere.

The different categories:

• Full grain leather: is leather that has conserved its original surface: the grain. This is the noblest part of leather, letting the most attractive characteristics of the skin appear - the natural grain and wrinkles.
• Corrected grain: is leather whose grain has been buffed in order to make the surface uniform and remove marks which are too pronounced.
• Aniline dyed leather: is full-grain leather that has been dyed with aniline in a vat process. The skin is coloured by the aniline after having been waxed or oiled. When the oil or wax separates, the colour of the hide is enhanced. This finish requires high-quality leather with a minimum of markings and gives the leather great suppleness and softness.
• Saddle leather: is leather of exceptional quality with a minimum thickness of 2mm. Hand-worked like the leather of a rider’s saddle, each piece is also saddle stitched with very resistant thread.
• Pigmented leather: can be produced on corrected grain. This type of finish enables irregularities on the hide surface to be concealed.
• Split leather : does not really deserve to be called leather. It is the underside of the hide obtained by cutting or splitting the thick hide into two, followed by the printing of an artificial grain.
• Nubuck: is the velvety effect that can be obtained by a buffed and brushed finish on the grain side of the hide which makes it exceptionally soft to the touch. Nubuck is dyed with aniline.

Marks on leather:

It should be remembered that marks such as scars on the animal, scratches, brush marks, insect bites, veins, dilated pores, wrinkles, folds and grazes should not be considered as defects but as proof of the authenticity of your leather and the guarantee of its exclusive character.

Different types of stitching:

• Saddle stitching: is a very precise contemporary style of sewing which enables two pieces of leather to be joined together and the surplus leather from each piece folded back.
  This technique provides elegance and robustness, as well as a flat surface on the leather.
• Flat-locked stitching: is used principally for very thick saddle leathers (more than 2mm thickness). The leather is assembled and then overstitched and strengthened.
• Piping allows the assembly of two pieces of leather with a tone-on-tone or contrasting border. The border consists of a cord covered with leather.

Rivet-Lozano leather
Whether it is buffalo, calf, sheep or ox, Rivet-Lozano only works with the highest quality types of leather, all of which originate from northern Europe.
Our sofas and chairs are made from full grain hides, which undergo vegetal tanning and batch dyeing. Stitching is performed in the traditional artisanal way using very strong thread.

Advice and tips…

• Is Rivet-Lozano leather furniture easy to care for?
  Absolutely! All you need to do is wipe it with a damp cloth and a little natural soap (such as savon de Marseille), and once a year, rub in a little totally-neutral nourishing milk that we sell in our shop. The more noble the hide, the easier it is to look after naturally. Don’t forget that hide is a natural material and its appearance can change gradually as it ages.
• QHow should stains, pen marks and animal scratches be treated?
  Removing marks is always a delicate operation and you must know what type of leather it is and exactly what the stain is. Never treat leather with solvents such as white spirit, alcohol, acetone and ammonia, or any other chemical. Before you do anything, ask us for advice.
• Skin is elastic:
  A hide is elastic and the most heavily-used areas will stretch. Just like your new shoes which stretch over time. The softening of leather is not a defect; it is a natural quality inherent in skin.
• Keeping the colour of furniture:
  A polished finish is sufficient in itself. It is very easy to maintain. People tend to use polish too often and to use too much of it. This will lead to problems of streaking and marking. There is no need to polish furniture every time you dust.
  All you have to do is take some very simple precautions: dust with a dry soft cloth every week; wipe off liquid marks immediately; and use mats under hot plates.
  It is time to re-polish your furniture only when you notice that it no longer shines when you rub it.