KANGAROO LEATHER — FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Where do you get your kangaroo leather for your wallets?
We select our leather from our local tannery who produce small runs of Full Grain Vegetable-Tanned Kangaroo Leather. They are a seventh generation family business that have produced fine Australian leathers since 1883.
Birdsall Leather in the early days.
How is kangaroo leather sourced?
Every year the National Parks Authority conducts an annual census of kangaroo populations from each state to monitor kangaroo population trends throughout Australia. This data informs a detailed Management Plan, which is constructed for the Federal Government Conservation Department, Environment Australia. This plan divides each state into regional zones, outlining recommended population harvest quotas, to reduce the risk of over-population, pastoral degradation and environmental imbalance. The Government then issues plastic tags to Government Approved harvesters to ensure that only the set quota can be harvested. After harvesting, they are processed at specialist plants for their meat and leather according to regulated procedures; all resources are used. This practice has been in place for over 30 years, utilising Kangaroo as a remarkable and sustainable Australian resource.
View the 2017 NSW Management Plan here.
Cutting wallet panels for a Chestnut Classic Wallet.
Why is kangaroo leather so unique, revered, and sought after?
Kangaroo Leather is commonly acknowledged as one of the strongest lightweight leathers available. Studies conducted by the Australian CSIRO confirm that Kangaroo Leather has up to 59% greater tensile strength than cow-hide at similar thicknesses.1 This strength is explained via the uniform orientation of fibre bundles parallel to the skin's surface, an even distribution of elastin, and an absence of sweat glands and erector pili muscles.2 This is why kangaroo leather is regarded so highly in high-demand, performance situations, such as for football boots and motorcycle protective wear for the world's biggest brands.
'Setting the stitches' after hand stitching.
What are some benefits of kangaroo Leather compared to bovine (cow) leather?
Unlike cow leathers that originate from farmed sources, Kangaroos are sourced from the wild. This wild upbringing, along with thousands of years of adaptation in Australia's harsh and rugged bushland, make Kangaroo Leather more durable and hard wearing than Cow Leather. Additionally, when compared to domestic farming, sourcing animals from wild populations (where they are felled instantly in their natural environment) avoids inhumane processes like herding, penning and transportation.3
1. L.J. Stephens, Stratigraphic Analysis of Kangaroo Leathers, J. Am. Leather Chem. Assoc., 1987
2. J.H. Bavinton, D.E. Peters and L. J. Stephens, A Comparative Morphology of Kangaroo and Bovine Leathers, J. Am. Leather Chem. Assoc., 1987
3. RSPCA, Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service, Incidence of Cruelty to Kangaroos: Report to the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service, 1985
To see our kangaroo leather products, head over to our Classic Wallets, Slim Wallets, and Card Holders.