How Leather Skirts are made

When you buy a leather skirt in a store, there's lots of craftsmanship that goes into it. Often, that's what leads to the high price tag on a leather garment. But once you know a bit about what goes into making such a complex garment, you might be more willing to make an investment in a timeless, classic leather skirt.

Leather has been used for clothing since the dawn of time. Prehistoric people used skins for clothing and warmth. Egyptian pharaohs wore leather shoes, and Roman soldiers borrowed the idea of leather pants from the nomads they met in northern Europe. Romans soon began to use leather for shoes, shields, and other materials. American Indians used doeskin, buckskin, and buffalo hide for myriad things.

Ancient techniques live on

Today, some of the same skins and variations on the ancient preservation processes are used to make modern leather skirts and other garments. The most common skins used to make leather skirts include antelope, buckskin, lambskin, sheepskin, and cowhide. As soon as the skin is removed from the animal, it is refrigerated, salted, or packed in a brine barrel. Next, it goes to a tannery where it is processed to become soft, supple, and sturdy. The tannery process transforms the skin into a high- quality piece of material, ready to be made into a garment.

The skins are trimmed and sorted according to size, weight, and thickness. The craftsman washes the skin a number of times before soaking it and pickling it. After the skins have been tanned, they are washed one final time and then dried. The skins are stretched to dry on frames to prevent shrinkage and sprayed with water and soap so they don’t get stiff. When the skins are dry, they are buffed with abrasive paper. Suede is created by passing the skin under high speed wheels. At this point, the leather takes on the same appearance it has when you purchase your leather skirt: it gets dyed, lacquered, or glazed.

Putting it all together

High-speed sewing and machinery has changed the way most garments are made, but because leather is considered more of a "luxury" item, it is still possible today for a leather skirt to be completely handmade by one artisan, or for a leather skirt to be partially machine-sewn and partially hand-finished. The mass-production process uses a pattern that is entered into a computerized sewing machine. The computer produces the skirt in a number of sizes based on the original measurements. The leather is placed in the machine and cut one layer at a time. Lining is cut in the same way. Then, the piece is assembled.

Next, the cut pieces are fed through a very fast sewing machine. After it's sewn, each leather piece is shaped and molded on a special machine to ensure a good fit for the body. Each leather skirt is then inspected before it leaves the floor to make sure the piece is perfectly made. Then, the leather skirts are shipped to the store, where you can take one home and enjoy it for a lifetime.