About Us
Who are we?
Mozzafiati's products are made by Colombian artisans that bring their know-how and artistic abilities that date back to the Pre-Colombian Era. We use Colombian & Italian leathers, give homage and respect to Italian and French design elements and hardware.
Each of our bags takes 75 -85 days to make. Thus, you are not just buying a vegetable tanned luxury leather bag, you are holding a 'One of a Kind Colombian Artisan Leather Art Piece'.
Tradition, Naturalness and Beauty
Vegetable tanning is a traditional artisanal process that tanneries have been in charge of passing from generation to generation for more than a few hun- dred years, using both old recipes and state-of-the-art technologies. The transformation of raw hides to a material that lasts over time is a pro- cess that only occurs slowly in wooden drums that can take up to 60 days, while respecting the environ- ment. It is an incredible process based on the use of natural tannins, modern technologies and machines, but above all, the slow passing of time.
Among the various methods of tanning, the vegetable is the most classic, traditional and recognized; the only one that can give leather its unique characteristics; it's the most natural and the friendliest with the environment.
Vegetable Extracts vs Chromium (III)
Vegetable Extracts
The raw materials used for vegetable tanning are the natural tannins, available in liquid or powder form, which are obtained from various plants, in this case the South Africa mimosa, which comes from the bark of the black acacia.
Due to the use of natural tannins, vegetable tanned products are unique and have a life of their own. They are not the same throughout their life, but they evolve with time to enhance their natural appearance. The colors produced by vegetable tanning are rich and warm tones that look completely natural. Vegetable tanned leather bags always make a statement when they enter a room due to their rich and natural hues. Vegetable tanned hides are more valuable due to the length of time it takes to get to the ideal end result in the tanning process making them expensive and timeless.
Vegetable tanning is friendly to the environment, which creates a biodegradable product. Vegetable tanning is an ancient tradition, which is why most tanneries have very skilled craftsmen to produce this kind of exclusive leather.
Chromium (III)
In general, depending upon the end application of leather, two tanning methods are used: vegetable tanning or chrome tanning. 80 – 90 % of tanneries around the world today use salts of trivalent chromium for tanning.
Hazards of chromium (VI)
Chromium (VI) causes an allergic contact dermatitis and sensitisation at very low concentrations. The risk assessment made by Denmark (also proposing a restriction to market certain articles of leather coming into direct contact with the skin) demonstrates that chromium (VI) present in shoes and other leather articles poses risks for consumers. Furthermore, Cr (VI) is a suspected carcinogen and causes acute and chronic damage to the aquatic environment. Various cases of Cr (VI) in leather articles have been published under the European rapid alert system on dangerous consumer products (RAPEX).
Chromium is associated with several negative effects for the environment and human health. The main hazards related to chromium (III) is that it can be oxidised to chromium (VI), e.g. at very low pH values when oxygen is present. Cr (VI) is a suspected carcinogen and causes skin sensitisation. Since chromium (III) can transform into chromium (VI), its use in articles that may be in direct skin contact, should be avoided.
Various cases of Cr (VI) in leather articles have been published under the European rapid alert system on dangerous consumer products (RAPEX).
Production Technique
Dyes
The raw hides that are freshly vegetable tanned are like blank canvases that keep a story behind them. This story is given depth and richness due to vegetable tanning being an environmentally friendly process. Once the raw hides are tanned, they are then ready to be dyed by hand with natural and intense colors. The formulas we use have been improved and perfected by many generations of leather artisans.
Brushing & Finishing
Once the bags are dyed, different layers of vegetable oils and beeswax are applied to help protect the vegetable tanned leather by waterproofing and giving each piece its own unique patina. The polishing of each piece of leather is done by a manual process that requires multiple applications and many days to achieve an intensely radiant natural shine to each piece of leather which helps it age with grace and an amazing quality that will make the leather look more refined with the passing years.
Product Assembly
The skin enters a drying process that lasts a few days for its respective cut where each edge passes through our dyeing process and it’s polished by hand. Our products are then assembled and sewn by hand by our inhouse expert artisans. Assembling and sewing process brings ancestral art and knowledge together to each unique art piece. All in all, each of our bags takes 75-85 days to make.