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Napa—the remarkably soft, strong, supple and smooth leather

The Elite Leather

Supple soft gloves, buttery smooth jackets, supple pants that hug every curve and the smoothest wallets that slide into your pocket all have one thing in common—napa leather. The interiors of luxury high-end vehicles use napa leather. The texture and softness of napa upholstery are highly sought after and especially appreciated by demanding luxury car enthusiasts.

A Humble Start

Emanuel Manasse was born to a tanner in Germany in 1842. He immigrated to America and married Amelia, the daughter of a German tanner in New Jersey. The couple moved to Napa City in California and Emanuel started working at the Sawyer Tanning Co. An gifted tanner, he developed Nap-A-Tan, a process for treating leather that makes it incredibly soft. All the credit goes to him for developing Patent Leather and creating Napa Leather.

Napa or Nappa?

The correct way to spell the word is with one “p” or Napa. Over the years an extra letter has been added to the word. Sometimes the term “Nappa” is used for pseudo/imitation leather. Today the word napa is a collective term for smooth leather. It is synonymous with good quality, especially soft leather.

A Distinct Process

What distinguishes Napa leather from the rest is its tanning process. It starts with full grain leather or hide, which is cleaned but not sanded. Next comes the tanning which is carried out with the help of chromium sulfate or aluminium. While other tanning processes take a few months chrome or mineral tanning only takes a few days. Soluble dyes and water soluble colourants are used to colour and finish the leather. Mineral tanning lets the leather absorb the coloured dyes easily.

The Misunderstood Leather

Often corrected grain leather or crocodile leather is called Napa leather. Don’t let this mislead you. Crocodile leather is known for its strength and toughness but it is not Napa leather. Softness is what makes Napa leather different from any other. Napa leather is full grain leather. This means that the hide was cleaned to remove hair but not sanded down and this is what makes it remarkably smooth and supple. The leather can have different origins, grains, finishes but it retains the original texture and markings. Not all leather is Napa. But Napa leather is very high quality, premium leather, appreciated for the raw beauty of the untreated grains.

Buttery Soft

Napa leather is easy to cut and sew. Emanuel Manasse used it for making gloves. Since then it is used to make belts, hats, bags, shows, jackets, cases and purses as well. A Napa leather wallet is soft and smooth. You can feel the luxury of the leather every time you use it. Beyond fashion it has been used in the luxury car segment and furniture upholstery—the perfect seating surface. Napa leather is very strong and is also used for heavy duty holsters or utility belts.

For the Love of Leather

Napa leather is a luxurious and timeless material. Like fine wines, this finest leather originated in California. The timelessness of the material makes it a classic choice when it comes to wallets and purses. Like whiskey this leather ages over time and develops a coveted patina. Sophisticated, understated and ever elegant Napa is the go to choice for a leather wallet.

Caring for this wallet? We’ll tell you more about it in our next blog.