Whether that be the wood selection for our stocks, specialist yarns for our safari apparel or atypical hides for our fine leather travel goods, Westley Richards go to great lengths to continually source the highest grade in each class.
For our craftsmen and women these materials are a complete joy to work with and importantly deliver an end result that will be admired for generations.
Tärnsjö Gaveri prepare the hides using a liming processOur journey to source the right leather partner for our sporting and travel ranges began some years ago; with the guiding philosophy that any Westley Richards product is made to be truly used, last and age well, suitably reflecting its owners adventures and stories like any great companion.
Hide trimmed to size and mared for origin trackingFrom an extensive list of first class tanneries we were introduced to Tärnsjö Gaveri in Sweden. A company that has, since 1873, championed luxurious leathers of unparalleled levels of endurance, developing an attractive patina over time. Their leathers can often be found in the bespoke ranges of the world’s most exclusive brands.
Vegetable tanning agents applied and tumbledTo achieve such quality the process begins with the herd. Tärnsjö only source locally from Swedish farms with wide open pastures. This has a threefold advantage – high level traceability, minimal environmental impact and blemish free hides. Providing skins with close to zero fence markings allows Westley Richards to produce very large leather items, like our iconic Sutherland ranges and matching Deeley shotgun slips, often challenging to our competitors.
Pressed to remove water and thinned to specificationThe company is amongst the last remaining 5% of tanning houses worldwide who still employ the 1000 year old tradition of vegetable tanning, in favour of the more time and cost-efficient chrome method. This sustainable approach again helps respect the environment – using bark extracts, water and water-based finishing – and delivers sumptuous leather that ages beautifully and will last for 3 generations.
Leathers are finished to enhance tolerance and improve textureThrough their crafted processes of preparing, cutting and tanning the hides, to thinning, drying and finishing the leathers, each stage has remained essentially the same since the company’s inception, with limited modernisation. This story is one that we at Westley Richards know well and serves as a constant reminder that there are many reasons why high craft businesses still exist, and always will.
Westley Richards Bournbrook travel collection & gun slip rangeTärnsjö leather is used across the majority of our fine leather goods from field bags, slips and shooting accessories to luxury travel bags, washbags and men’s accessories. Here is a list of customer favourites:
- Bournbrook Travel Bag Collection
Visit the Tarnsjo Gaveri Tannery website to gain an insight into the dedication of the staff who produce what must surely count, as amongst the finest quality vegetable tanned leather in the world.
Westley Richards has been outfitting its clients for with fine leather goods as long as it has been building custom rifles and bespoke guns for them. Whether you are on safari in the African bush, in Paris for the weekend, or in New York on business, our heirloom quality leather luggage strikes the perfect balance between functionality, durability and timeless elegance. Made in our leather factory in Birmingham side by side with the gunmaking, the company offers a range of luxury travel bags made from leather and canvas, including holdalls, briefcases, backpacks, messenger bags and weekend bags. The perfect partner to our high quality safari wear and country clothing.
