A Short History of Leather: Enjoying the Echoes of Old Everyday Objects in Today's Bags
Looking at an old leather bag can make you wonder more than just what colour or shape it is. What did someone put in it, and where did they take it? Leather has a way of suggesting the time it has spent as a useful object.
The bags and wallets we use today are part of a long history of turning hides into things that help us in daily life. Rather than memorising dates, let's take a brief look at that history with a sense of connection between old objects and what we carry now.
Leather has been part of everyday life for a very long time
Surviving leather goods from ancient Egypt include bags and sandals. University College London's collection information shows leather bags alongside red-coloured leather and decorated pieces. Even old objects suggest the urge to care about appearance as well as simply wrapping and carrying things.
Preparing a material, shaping it and putting it to use: even objects from a distant age reveal something familiar about everyday life. Looking at photographs of the objects themselves brings the history of leather a little closer.
See ancient Egyptian leather bags and objects in photographs
Tanning: finding ways to make hide usable
Untreated animal hide changes and deteriorates over time. Tanning makes it more resistant to decay and prepares it for use in practical objects. Once it has been through that process, we call it leather.
Today, methods such as vegetable tanning and chrome tanning are used according to the properties and uses required. Dyeing and surface treatments broaden the possibilities further, creating firm, soft or richly varied leathers.
Even cowhide alone becomes everything from work bags to small wallets. That's where a long history meets the objects we know well.
Useful details and a shape you want to carry
Even a simple bag changes in use depending on whether it has handles, a closure or separate compartments. Today's designs also make room for the tools of modern life, such as laptops and phones.
You can enjoy an old-fashioned feel while valuing useful pockets and easy opening. Just as you might wear vintage clothes with modern essentials, you can bring a bag into your own way of living.
Taking leather into work and travel
Learning the history can make you want to use leather yourself, rather than only admire it. Here are two bags suited to familiar occasions: everyday work and travel.
A cowhide business bag for everyday work
Approximately 40 × 11 × 29 cm and 1.8 kg, this cowhide bag has zip and press-stud closures, with dividers and small-item pockets inside. For those who'd like to enjoy leather character while keeping work essentials together. Consider the weight with your laptop and documents added, and how it fits your usual journey.
A leather travel bag to enjoy packing for the weekend
A cowhide travel bag measuring approximately 55 × 27 × 23 cm and weighing around 2.2 kg. Its duffel shape gathers your clothes together, with a rear strap for attaching it to a suitcase. For those who'd enjoy leather's presence on a trip. Choose with your means of travel and carrying distances in mind.
Enjoying a well-used look today
Darker handles and a sheen where the leather bends: a surface that reflects time in use can appeal to anyone who loves old everyday objects. The varied tones and shallow scuffs of crazy horse leather offer one way to enjoy that feeling.
If the character of old tools appeals to you, look for colours and shapes that suit what you wear today. Let the pleasure of discovering their history lead you towards a piece of your own.
The next chapter belongs to your everyday life
Even with an old material, your reasons for choosing it can belong entirely to the present. You want to carry it to work, take it on a weekend trip, or wear it with your favourite clothes. A piece that makes you feel that way is likely to be picked up more often.
Look beyond price and material names to a size and carrying style that suit your belongings, then remove the dust after use. Ordinary days like these add new time to the leather in your hands.
Questions about leather's history
Is leather today the same as leather in the past?
The starting point of animal hide is shared, but processing, finishing and product design vary in many ways. The appearance of an old object won't apply to every modern leather.
Is vintage-style leather old leather?
Vintage-style can describe a look or atmosphere. The product description should distinguish between a second-hand piece that has actually been used and a new one finished to have that appearance.
Perhaps old objects draw us in because we can sense the lives of the people who used them. The bag you choose next will gather days that no historical piece could have: your own. There's pleasure in that beginning, too.
About the author
Yama (Cowmono Owner)
With experience in sales and marketing at apparel companies in Japan and abroad, Yama selects and introduces leather goods that fit naturally into everyday life.
