It is reminiscent of the structure of a marble stone that has evolved over thousands of years, interspersed with veins and lines, irregular and peculiar, as it can only be found in nature: a hand-sanded marbled nubuck leather provides the basis for the MARMORATO collection and pays respectful homage to the art of craftsmanship.
Leather and marble – the contrast of the materials couldn’t be any greater at first glance, both in their feel and in the way they are processed and utilised. When Esther and Dimitrios Tsatsas, while researching for new materials, came across a nubuck leather that seems to unite these exact contrasts, they were fascinated not only by the uniqueness of the material but also by the velvety surface of the hand-sanded leather, and they started working straight away on a small select collection.
The ivory coloured base tone of the leather is marbled by a distinctive, dark grain structure. Tanned in southern Germany, the nubuck leather is produced from the hides of Central European cattle as a byproduct of the meat industry and coloured in several work-intensive steps during the tanning process. Its characteristic feature is a distinctive tumbled grain pattern, which is elaborately sanded by hand in Italy to achieve an exceptional two-tone effect – the darker coloured natural structure of the hide steps into the focus and turns each hide into a unique piece.
Natural characteristics such as scarring or distinctive wrinkles are not negated, but brought to the attention through refined craftsmanship – the imperfect becomes a distinguishing feature.
