Handcrafted Leather Belts
Finest hand crafted leather belts
Crispin’s belts are made from full grain oak bark* tanned English bridle butts (possibly the finest leather in the world) or Italian full grain vegetable tanned* shoulders.
The belts listed are an example guide only. Crispin can customise your belt (width, colour, leather type, buckle shape) to suit you.
*The leather is from the outer part of the hide, called the corium, and is naturally tanned over time using vegetable extracts rather than noxious chemicals.
Colour variations
Please be aware that there may be some variation between the colour of the belts in the photographs and the leather itself as it can differ slightly from one batch to another.
If you would like to see swatches of the leather stock, please send Crispin a stamped envelope with a ‘large’ stamp and he will send you examples of the current batch of hides.
What is Oak Bark Tanned English Bridle Leather?
Oak bark pit tanning is a traditional method of tanning leather which goes back many hundred of years. This ancient method has barely changed in all that time.
The process uses a series of pits of gradually increasing strengths of oak bark tannin in which the hides are suspended, and moved between, over a period of up to a year. This slow process ensures that the leather maintains its close knit fibres, strength and durability. The hides are then stained and dressed by hand, which involves oiling and waxing them many times until they are suffused with the oils which will protect the leather for a lifetime.
This leather is from what is described as a butt. It is from the part of a cow’s hide from the lower back to the rear. It is full grain and vegetable tanned. It tends to be very long and thus ideal for making horse bridles and harnesses. It is also fairly thick and dense and so extremely strong.
This leather is of the finest to be found anywhere in the world. The hides are about 3.5mm to 4mm thick and make a beautiful and very long lasting belt.
Colours: Natural | London Tan | Mid Brown | Australian Nut | Dark Brown | Black
What is Italian Shoulder Leather?
This Italian leather is produced by a modern tannery in Northern Italy.
It is described as shoulder leather as it is from the shoulder to middle back of a cow’s hide.
There tend to be growth marks, not dissimilar to the grain in wood, in parts of this section of a hide which adds character to the leather.
The hides are about 3.5mm in thickness and are full grain and vegetable tanned; they make a very nice and affordable belt.
Colours: Black | Brown
Customise Your Belt
The belts pictured are just some of the combinations of buckles, width, leather type and colour.
If you see a buckle you like but want the belt to be a different leather type or colour, then just email Crispin with your preferences and he will endeavour to make the belt to your preferred choice.
