Vegetable Leather? What Is It?

[Alex575]

I came across a Cole Haan bag and it was described as being made out of "Vegetable Leather" (it was the Vintage Valise Kendra E/W Tote) and I never heard of this term before.

So I went searching and came up with different definitions, one being that it is an imitation leather made from cotton waste and another being that Vegetable leather is leather that has been tanned with vegetable dyes over time.

Does anyone know which it is? And have you ever came across that term before?

 

[Alex575]

Cole Haan replied to my emailed question about the mystery "Vegetable Leather" and here's their response:

Thank you for contacting Cole Haan Customer Service.

Vegetable leather indicates the way in which the leather was tanned. We use all real leather on our products.

Again, thank you for contacting us and we apologize for the delay in response. Please let us know if we can assist with any further questions or concerns.

Mystery solved! At least at CH. And they answered my inquiry promptly so that's pretty good customer service.

 

[designer1]

Yes, it means they used non-chemical dyes in the tanning process.

 

[jaimejfk]

Lots of Vegetable leather dye will rub off on clothes so be cautious of colors

 

[Alex575]

That's good to know, desinger1 and jaimejfk

 

[js555]

Hi, the vegetable leather it's a leather with no treatment on it...

It's the one that you can find on the Louis Vuiton strap .

 

[JetSetGo!]

Mansur Gavriel bags are vegetable tanned as well. I love the natural look of it.

 

[cousinbull]

Yes, it means they used non-chemical dyes in the tanning process.

I think dooney and bourke use vegetable oils in their dyes. But I'm not positive.

 

[Stamgirl123]

So bizarre that they wouldn't explain that in the first place?!

 

[Alex575]

So bizarre that they wouldn't explain that in the first place?!

It is strange. Maybe they were in a hurry when writing the description or something.