Glossary of Leathers

At Doodle & Drift, we work with thoughtfully sourced, high-quality leathers from legendary tanneries in the U.S. and abroad. Each leather has its own personality – from soft and slouchy to structured and crisp – and all will develop a unique patina as you carry them on your adventures.

This glossary is a peek behind the curtain at the leathers you may see mentioned in our product descriptions.

Horween Leathers – Chicago, USA

Legendary Chicago tannery, known for rich pull-up leathers and beautiful aging.

Horween Washed Cavalier

Washed Cavalier starts as Horween’s Cavalier leather, then is “washed” – wet back, tumbled, and gently heated to create a relaxed, casual look with visible tumbling and movement in the grain. It’s a combination-tanned leather (chrome with a vegetable re-tan) that feels slightly drier and less oily than Chromexcel, but still has a strong pull-up effect where the color lightens when bent. The result is a durable, bright, character-rich leather that breaks in beautifully and feels right at home on everyday bags and travel pieces.

Horween Essex

Essex blends modern tanning with old-world techniques. It begins with a modern “wet white” pre-tan and then receives a full vegetable tannage using the same time-tested liquors used for Horween’s famous Shell Cordovan. An enriched mix of fats and oils is worked into the hide, creating a supple, round, and slightly refined full-grain leather. Essex has a soft hand, lovely drape, and comes in warm earth tones and natural veg shades – perfect when you want a smooth, elevated look that still feels relaxed and wearable.

Horween Derby

Derby is the more rustic cousin in the Essex family. It’s also vegetable tanned, then infused with a rich blend of waxes and tumbled to emphasize the natural highs and lows. Expect visible variation, a distressed, “lived-in” appearance, and a softer temper. Derby offers a strong pull-up and dramatic tonality that will deepen and soften over time, developing a bold patina with regular use.

Horween Cavalier

Cavalier is a combination-tanned leather similar to Chromexcel but with a brighter, cleaner look and a slightly drier hand. It’s hot-stuffed with oils and waxes for durability and features a strong pull-up effect – the color shifts and lightens when flexed or handled. Cavalier is known for its vibrant colors, smooth finish, and everyday toughness, making it a favorite for colorful bags and small goods that will see plenty of adventure.

Horween Chromexcel

Chromexcel is Horween’s iconic pull-up leather, produced using time-honored formulas developed nearly a century ago. It’s a combination-tanned leather: first chrome tanned, then re-tanned with natural bark extracts and “hot-stuffed” with a proprietary blend of oils and waxes. The result is a rich, slightly oily leather with a soft hand, deep color, and signature pull-up. Chromexcel is extremely durable, resists hardening, and ages with a smooth, glossy patina – a true heritage leather that looks better the more you carry it.

Horween Dearborn

Dearborn is Horween’s ultra-soft, fully vegetable-tanned leather inspired by the feel of deerskin. It uses a proprietary veg-tan recipe combined with a rich blend of waxes, then is tumbled for 18–24 hours and air dried. The result is a luxuriously soft, floppy leather with a gentle, natural grain and a cozy, broken-in feel from day one. Over time, Dearborn develops a warm, mellow patina that highlights its waxed surface and natural character.

Horween Retriever

Retriever is a combination-tanned, heavily oiled leather with a rugged, outdoorsy personality. The grain is lightly buffed and sealed, creating a smooth surface with a matte to low-sheen finish. It has a dense, weighty feel and a medium-soft temper – when flexed, you’ll see broad, rounded rolls rather than tight creases. Retriever is built for hard use, with excellent resistance to abrasion and stretching, and it darkens and gains depth as it develops a rich patina over time.

Wrangler (Horween & Maverick Collaboration)

Wrangler is a collaborative leather created by Horween and Maverick to offer a lighter-weight pull-up leather that still ages dramatically with wear. It’s combination tanned with a medium temper and soft feel, making it comfortable in hand yet sturdy enough for daily carry. As it’s handled, Wrangler shows off its pull-up and slowly builds the kind of character that makes each piece one-of-a-kind.

Other U.S. Tanneries

Tasman – Rushmore Bison

Rushmore Bison is a full-grain American bison leather that’s been waxed and tumbled to bring out its naturally pebbled grain. It has a rich pull-up effect and a wonderfully varied texture – pebble size and pattern can change across each hide, and natural range marks (like scars or healed scratches) are part of its charm. We carefully cut pieces from durable areas of the hide, but you may still see subtle marks that tell the story of the animal. Rushmore Bison is ideal when you want a bag or accessory with bold texture and unique personality.

Tasman – York

York is a smooth-grain pull-up leather with a slight sheen and a round, “buttery” feel. It has a medium temper with good stand-up, meaning it holds its shape nicely while still feeling comfortable in hand. When the leather is turned or handled, a beautiful pull-up effect appears as lighter tones peek through, adding quiet character to structured bags and small goods.

SB Foot – Ebbtide Tumbled

Ebbtide Tumbled is a full-grain, oil-tanned leather that’s dry-milled (tumbled) to soften the temper and create a natural pebbled texture. It has a semi-aniline finish, which lets the hide’s character show through while adding a touch of protection, and a light oily feel that makes it soft and pliable. Expect visible natural markings and a relaxed, broken-in look that works beautifully for everyday carry.

SB Foot – Taos

Taos is a full-grain, oil-tanned leather with a smooth surface and matte finish. It has a semi-stiff, structured temper, which gives bags and covers a bit more body and crispness. A subtle marbled or pull-up effect appears when the leather is bent, revealing undertones and adding depth. Taos is a great choice for pieces that need both durability and a slightly more structured silhouette.

Imported Leathers

Sepici – Newport

Newport is a drum-dyed, vegetable-tanned leather from Sepici, known for its beautiful color, feel, and that classic “veg-tan” aroma. It’s tanned using traditional vegetable methods that can take up to 40 days, resulting in a firm yet flexible leather with excellent embossing and shaping properties. In our collection, the deep green shade brings a rich, heritage look to structured pieces while still softening and gaining character with time.

Cascadia

Cascadia is a naturally milled, soft cowhide with a semi-aniline finish and a refined pebble grain. It’s chrome tanned for softness and durability, with just enough finish to add light protection while still allowing the natural character to show through. Cascadia has an easy, relaxed drape and a smooth hand, making it wonderful for comfortable everyday bags that still look polished.

Earthquake (Crunch Leather)

Earthquake is a “crunch” leather with a dramatic, crinkled visual effect. During tanning, the leather is bound and dried before coloring, somewhat like a tie-dye process, which creates its unique crackled pattern. When the leather is flexed or handled, those highs and lows catch the light and reveal shifting tones. Each piece cut from Earthquake is truly one-of-a-kind, with bold movement and texture built right in.

Red Rock

Red Rock is a waxy pull-up leather that blends refinement with a hint of rustic charm. It has a soft temper with enough body to give your bag structure, and a smooth, clean flesh side so the inside looks as good as the outside. The tannery builds up its pull-up by layering dyes and oils over a base color; as the leather is used and flexed, that base begins to peek through and a well-worn, lived-in patina emerges. This is a lovely choice if you want a more polished look that will still tell a story over time.

Conceria La Bretagna – Pecos Raw

Pecos Raw is an Italian, drum-dyed, vegetable-tanned leather with a medium temper and soft feel. It’s enriched with a traditional mix of vegetable and animal oils (often called “sego”), which gives it warmth and flexibility. Colors start rich and deepen with age, creating a beautiful patina. Pecos Raw is intentionally versatile: it can be left “as is” for a natural look, or further finished by the maker – oiled, burnished, hand-buffed, sun-aged, or polished – to create exactly the look and feel we want for each piece.

A Note About Natural Marks & Patina

Because we work with full-grain and high-quality top-grain leathers, you may see natural variations like subtle scars, insect bites, stretch marks, or changes in grain and color. These aren’t defects – they’re the signature of a real hide, and they help make your piece one-of-a-kind.

With time, use, and a little care, your Doodle & Drift piece will deepen in color, grow softer, and develop a patina that reflects all the miles you’ve traveled together.