Kangaroo Leather

Kangaroos are wild animals. They are not farmed but harvested in the wild from a large, self-replenishing population. As a result, no natural habitat is cleared for them. The harvest is strictly controlled by an Australian Government program that ensures no detrimental impact on the kangaroos or their ecosystems.
Because human activity actually expands the areas they can live in, there are also more kangaroos around now than there were when European settlers first arrived. In order for some of the larger species’ populations not to spin out of control they need to be culled under strict government control. Rather than wasting this natural resource it is harvested, primarily for meat but also for this exclusive, specialty product internationally known as K-leather.

Sustainable Natural Leather
Kangaroo leather is the green alternative to other leathers or synthetic materials. Kangaroo leather is a beautiful and strong natural material. In fact, it is stronger in relation to its weight than almost any other leather. For this reason, it is used in many advanced applications, such as top range soccer boots, motorcycle gloves, helicopter pilots’ seats – and Indiana Jones’ iconic whip!

Renewable
Of the 53 species of kangaroo only the four most common species may be harvested. Studies have shown no adverse effect on the population of these four species over the last 40 years. Kangaroo leather is a renewable natural resource that is sustainable over the long term.

Natural
Only a small proportion of the total kangaroo population is taken for the food industry, the leather is a recycled by-product that would otherwise end up as waste. With a current population well over 30 million the kangaroo is considered abundant and not endangered.

So ……. kangaroos are not born to become a handbag and they do not die to become a handbag, either. They lead a natural life in the country, skipping around as they wish. Occasionally, they have an accident or get into a fight, which may show in the hide. This and its special texture mean that the surface and colour of kangaroo leather are full of life and character rather than sterile “perfection”. Our products embrace this variability of the raw material, sometimes enhancing it by using the natural contours of the hide in the designs. As a result, each individual item has its own unique features and personality.

Kangaroo leather (K-Leather) – high strength, lightweight and durable.
Kangaroo leather is weight for weight the strongest leather available. Its structure consists of highly organised main fibre bundles, which have a secondary supporting mesh. Combined with low angle of weave, low fat content and a very thin grain layer this provides superior strength against leathers from other raw material types at similar thicknesses.
Naturally thin, kangaroo leather retains all its strength where other raw material types require heavy splitting and shaving which significantly reduces physical performance.
The unique properties of kangaroo fibre structure are further enhanced through innovative processing techniques which provide product designers with a versatile, strong and light natural material.

These handbags are all-Australian products through all stages of the design and production process. The leather are sourced from one of Australia’s few remaining tanneries, The Packer Leather Company. We have been using kangaroo leather from the very beginning and are proud of our unique Australian made kangaroo leather products. That’s why we make efforts to ensure all of our leathers are responsibly sourced and quality controlled throughout each step of the supply chain.


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