I know most people would not have heard of the name/term Shell Cordovan. This is the “crème de la crème” when it comes to leather. The one thing that might make people rather uncomfortable is that fact that this leather is not made from cow hide, but it is made from horse hide… the horse’s butt to be exact.

“Shell Cordovan is the most expensive leather in the world for a few reasons. First, the tanning process- Shell Cordovan is made by hand in a process that takes over 6 months. The leather is a membrane found between two layers of horse butt, so it must be shaved down then glazed and hot stuffed by hand. The resulting leather is water resistant, wrinkle resistant, and has an almost self-healing property that, when taken care of, results in a leather item that can literally last generations.”

Photo by Kirsten LaChance on Unsplash